How does your mind "find" tactics?

It seems we're getting away from the original OP and into 'how to learn good chess'.

However, lets bring it back into 'finding tactics'. I believe this involves two parts:

1) Knowing when a tactical shot might exist
2) Knowing what a tactic is and how to use it

ivan2908's advice from Silman above is bang on what I would have wanted to say about the first point.

As for the second point, here is a list of tactics I've taken directly from "Chess Tactics" by Paul Littlewood -- (and as an aside, this is probably the only chess book I've read from front to cover, multiple times over, solving all the puzzles)

- Pins (Relative pins, Absolute pins)
- Skewers
- Double Attacks (forks)
- Discovered Attack (inc/ discovered check, double check)
- back rank combinations
- overloading
- deflection
- decoying
- removal of defence
- interception
- space clearance
- the zwishenzug (intermediate move)
- pawn promotion
- draw (inc/ perpetual check, stalemates)

All combinations involve one or more of one of these tactics listed above!

So yeah, some of the good advice above (looking for back rank weaknesses, visualising files and diagonals without pawns in the way, counting defenders/attackers, etc.) are not actual ways of "finding" tactics, but rather using them! This distinction is important because if you know what actual tactic you are using (or could have used), you then know what you need to practice to improve those skills. That's where lots of practice solving tactical puzzles comes in.

thanks for mentioning "my brilliant brain"... I just watched that episode. So basically GMs see positions and instantly recognize patters and react instinctively.

in reply to the Question in the topic title they litararily JUMP OUT AT ME somehow most of my moves my brain randomly saysdo this move and i say why i lose that peice and then i think ok ill try that and think this out and then it works

my first sacrafise was actualy agenst ih8sens in a real game with a real board and it worked the one in about wat was it 30 games at the time that i won i like to take credit for making Mat think about sacrafices

i was going to say turn him onto sac's but it just didnt sound right...
during the game i might have said hey mat look at my sac and then he lost concentration and started laughing so he lost the mental edge
ir said somthing about being a donut hmm cant remember othe rinsults we threw at each other

i dunno i think im at my natural rating most of my moves are without analizing so i like to think 1090 is my natual rating so watch out analizing is starting to open up now

edit

thought i should incluse out ratings at the time was prolly
his was prolly around 1250-1275
and mine was prolly around 1090 the same believe it i dont think ive improved at all im improved some skills but i havetn taken the time to analize to improve

edit fix a bad typo

Originally posted by pijun
thanks for mentioning "my brilliant brain"... I just watched that episode. So basically GMs see positions and instantly recognize patters and react instinctively.