Below are a few important points related to tagging problems on Chess Tempo.
Tag DefinitionsPlease read the
Tactical Motif description page before starting to tag problems. This page has a short description and example of each tactical motif and their associated tags. Some chess authors have slightly different definitions of some of the tactical motif descriptions, so the descriptions on the page might differ slightly from what you have read elsewhere, in such cases please try to use the Chess Tempo definition in order to keep the tags as consistent as possible.
How the tag voting worksTag voting adds up all the votes for and against a particular tag on a problem and if there is more votes for the tag than against then the problem will be marked as having that tag. This means that if you already see a problem with a tag that you agree with, then it would be useful for you to add your vote for the tag even though the problem was already marked with that tag. The reason for this is that if there was only one vote for the tag and someone else incorrectly voted against the tag, then the tag would become inactive (coloured red), however if you add your vote for the tag then it would take two votes against the tag to disable it.
Users can only vote for a particular tag once on a problem, however users CAN vote for multiple different tags per problems, so if you see more than one appropriate tag for a problem, please vote for all of them.
The number of votes for and against a tag are shown next to the tag (except in cases where there are many more for votes , than against, in which case the tag is shown without votes). You can click on the + or - votes to add for or against votes to an existing tag, or you can use the + Vote, or - Vote buttons beneath the tags to vote for new tags, or against tags that no longer show the vote numbers.
One of the reasons we tag positions is to allow users to find positions that contain a tactical motif that they want to study. For example, if a person wants to study pins, all he has to do is search for them. The search results will include only those positions that have previously been tagged as pins. This is important to remember when tagging a position. Let's say that you are solving a tactical puzzle and you want to add the tag "pin" to that particular problem. Before adding that tag, ask yourself the following question:
"If I were searching for pins, is this an important position that I would want to see in my search results?"
If the answer is "yes", then add the tag. If the answer is "no", then the tag should not be added.
Tags for tactical threats that are not played outSometimes a tactic involves the threat of a particular tactical motif , but the tactical motif itself is not actually played out on the board (for example the opponent gives up a minor piece to avoid a fork on more valuable material). In these situations it is ok to tag the problem with the threatened tag as long as the threat was important in making the tactic work. Incidental threats that are not relevant to the main line should not be tagged.
Needs more Moves and Needs different opponent moves tagsThese are special purpose tags that prompt the user for a move suggested the user feels would lead to an improvement in the tactic.
"Needs more moves" should be used when the problem finished early and would benefit from more moves in order to force the user to see the point of the tactic. You are asked to enter a single move which would be the next move in the move sequence (usually an extra opponent move). While you may feel that multiple extra moves are required, you are only asked to enter the very next move. This will make the automatic extension of problems much easier to handle (although it may mean that sometimes a subsequent move extension vote may need to be made, in many situations the auto-extension will be able to fill in more than one extra move once the first move has been provided). So for example if the the move sequence ended after two user moves with 1...Nf3 2.Rxf3 Qxf3 and you felt that 3.Bxf3 Rxf3 should have been played, then you would use the "Needs more moves" tag and enter 3.Bxf3 as the extra move.
The "Needs different opponent move" tag should be used when you believe a move played by the opponent prevented the main point of the problem being shown, or that a different opponent move would have been more instructive. In this case you enter the the move that you believe should replace an existing move, for example if the main line was 1...Nf3 2.Rxf3 Bxf3 (with white giving up the rook to avoid losing the queen in the future), and you think that forcing the user to find the longer queen winning move would be more instructive, then you could suggest 2.Rf4 which might be a move that would force black to prove they can see the more difficult queen winning sequence. Note that the "Needs different opponent move" tag should not be used to suggest 'silly' moves that a human wouldn't play just in order to reveal a pretty tactical line. The suggested move should always be a move that gives the winning side a chance to go astray and miss the win (even if the move might have lower computer evaluations in the longer term).
If you are unsure of the quality of your suggested move then using an engine to check your analysis would be beneficial. There may also be some situations where there is no clear good move and a human player would probably just resign. A good guidelines here (and in other situations) is to suggest the move that poses the most difficult questions of the opponent (which in this case is you).
As with the standard tactical motif tags, it is very useful for you to add an extra 'for' vote for a 'need more moves' or 'needs different opponent move' tag if you see an improved move suggestion that you agree with. Not only does this help keep useful suggestions around in the situation where other users incorrectly vote against the tag, but once auto-adjustment of problems is implemented, the problems that are processed first will be the ones with the most tags.
Common Tagging MistakesHanging Piece: This should be used only when a piece is hanging and can be taken on the first move of the problem. It is NOT to be used when you play a Fork/Double Attack or a Skewer and then take a piece on the next move.
Back Rank Mate or Weak Back Rank?: A problem should be tagged with only one of these, not both. If mate occurs in the solution, use Back Rank Mate. If material is won because of threats on the back rank, use Weak Back Rank.
Blocking or Interference?: These are not the same and shouldn't both be used for the same tactical idea. Please read the Tactical Motif description page to see the difference. In short Blocking blocks an escape square for an opponent's piece (usually the King) while Interference cuts one or more of the opponent's communication lines between pieces or between a piece and a square.
Distraction or Attraction?: Often confused with each other. Distraction is making a piece move away from its defensive task so that something else can be attacked, while Attraction is drawing a valuable piece closer so it can be attacked more.
