Judging by some of the opponents I have met online they have a very poor understanding of tactics. They have read that tactics win games (often true), but they have no idea of what tactics are. Apparently they think playing tactically means willy-nilly "sacrificing" a piece (on f2/f7 or h2/h7) when, in fact, all they are doing is giving their opponent the odds of a B or N.
It's the same way with the opening 1.e4 e5 2.Qh5. They have seen somebody like Nakamura play it in online blitz and win and so they think it must be good.
After 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 Nc6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 Nf6 There is no "attack" on f7 and black is at least equal by Stockfish standards while Komodo gives black only a slight advantage. Be that as it may, in my database black wins twice as many games as white, so why would one voluntarily enter a position where they are giving their opponent the advantage right from move 2?
Sometimes these unsound piece giveaways do work, but often it's only because of bad play; against better players they don't work. So what are tactics? C.J.S. Pudy gave what is probably the best description in his book Guide To Good Chess: A tactic (or combination as I learned it) is "A sudden coup which brings about a substantial gain no matter what reply the enemy makes."
Purdy used the word coup (a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power or a notable or successful stroke or move) because through an error, they can arise at any time, even in positions where one has an overwhelming positional advantage. Hence, his warning that you have to be on the lookout for them at every move. Usually no tactical shot is available, but you have to be alert.
In any case, it's well known that the f-Pawn on its original square can be vulnerable and as a result even in the opening sacrifices on f7 (or f2) are sometimes seen and they are usually connected with an attack on the King. After castling the Rook defends the square and its weakness is greatly diminished.
As Vladimir Vukovic pointed out in The Art of Attack in Chess, "A sacrificial attack on f7 (or f2) must as a rule be followed up by aggressive action so as not to allow (the opponent) time to consolidate" e.g. by means of artificial castling by ...Rf8 and ...Kg8 or ...Rf1 and Kg1
The advantage of forcing the opponent to capture on f7 (or f2) is that the King loses the right to castle and becomes exposed to attack. At the same time there appears a weakness on the h5-e8 (or h4-e1) diagonal. "Such features should be quickly and energetically exploits since they are on the whole of a transitory nature," wrote Vukic.
Usually it's a Bishop or a Knight that is sacrificed on f7 or f2 and it's very rare for a Rook to be involved in an early attack on f2/f7. IM Nikolay Minev noted that statistically the sacrifice Rxf7 by white is a relatively rare and the mirror sacrifice ...Rxf2 is rarer still. He wrote, "The reason is because in opening stage of the game black has fewer opportunities to open f-file, which is the necessary condition to make this sacrifice possible."
The following game is both entertaining and instructive. It illustrates Purdy's point that even if you have a huge advantage and are winning, a random winning tactic can rear its ugly head at any time. And, that's exactly what happened to Messing. His opponent launched a premature attack against f2 and got into a losing position. However, things were complicated and all it took was one tiny slip and Messing found himself, not in a winning position, but in a lost one...so lost that there was no point in playing on. Note that in some lost positions (like Forintos' in this game) it's worth continuing play while in some it's not. When it's not then it's time to resign.
IM Hrvoje Messing (July 26,1940 - January 10, 2012, 71 years old) was from. The winner, GM Gyozo Forintos (July 30, 1935 - December 6, 2018, 83 years old) was born in Budapest. He was Hungarian Champion in 1968-69. His daughter is married to English GM Anthony Kosten.
Hrvoje Messing - Gyozo Forintos
Result: 0-1
Site: Match, Yugoslavia vs. Hungary
Date: 1968
Scotch Game
[...] 1.e4 e5 2.♘f3 ♘c6 3.d4 This ancient opening was popular in the 1800s, but by 1900 it lost favor because it was thought to release the central tension too early and allow black to equalize easily. As is often the case, in modern times it made a comeback and players like Kasparov and Timman started using it. 3...exd4 4.♘xd4 ♘f6 About twice as popular is 4...Bc5, The text is known as the Schmidt Variation. White has s 5.Nxc6 (the Mieses Variation) or 5.Nc3 (the Scotch Four Knights Game). 5.♘xc6 bxc6 6.e5 ♘d5 7.♘d2
8...♘b4 The N is misplaced here.
14.♘f3 ♖xf3 This is nothing more than a gesture which in no way weakens white's position. 15.♕xf3 ♔xd7 Material is about equal: white has a R+P vs. B+N. However, in this case white is winning because black's K is exposed and his pieces can offer no help. 16.♕f5+ ♔e8 17.♗g5
17...♕xc4 18.♖ac1 ♖f8 Forintos' risky play is about to pay off! What should white play?! 19.♕h3 After this the chances are back to equal.
20...♖f3+ Messing resigned. What an amazing game!
7.♗c4 ♗b7 A bad place for the B which has little in the way of prospects. Black might consider 7...d6 here.
7...♕e7 8.O-O ♘b6 9.♗b3 d5 10.exd6 ♕xd6 Hornemann,S-Schacht,T/Berlin 2004. Black has a very poor position.
8.O-O ♕h4 This attack on f2 is but a pipe dream. 9.♘d2 ♗e7 10.♖e1 ♗c5 11.♕f3 O-O-O White better. Lazov,T (2328)-Brigljevic,M (2101)/ Grohote CRO 2018 7.♗e2 ♗c5 8.O-O O-O 9.c4 White is slightly better. Hector,J (2534)-Hansen,M (2002)/Copenhagen 2005
7...♕h4 This is obviously premature so how do you explain a (at the time) 2500+ rated IM playing it? At the time Messing was rated near 2600 it's not likely he is going to fall for any unsound tactics. Is it possible Forintos was deliberately courting complications in the hopes that anything could happen? 8.♗d3 Not bad, but 8. c4 driving the N away was somewhat more accurate.
8.c4 ♘b4 9.♗e2
9.a3 is really bad. 9...♗c5 10.g3 ♕d4 Black's premature attack on f2 has been successful! 11.♕b3 ♕xf2+ 12.♔d1 ♘a6 white is in a difficult (but not lost) position
9...♕d4 10.O-O with an excellent position. Note that black must avoid taking the e-Pawn. 10...♕xe5 11.a3 ♘a6 12.♖e1 ♕d4 13.♗d3+ ♗e7 14.♘f3 ♕d6 15.b4 and white is winning. 8...♘f4 is best. Note that black's attack, although premature, is causing things to get a bit messy. And, that may very well be why Forintos chose to play in such a manner against a stronger opponent...anything can happen and here it does. 9.♗e4 f5 10.♗f3 The threat is simply g3. 10...♘e6 11.O-O ♗a6 12.g3 ♕a4 13.c3 ♕xd1 14.♖xd1 Things are unclear, but an interesting continuation is 14...h5 15.♘b3 g5 with white standing a little better.
9.♗e4 Better was 9.Be2 and 10. a3. Now black can open up the game in his favor. 9...♗a6 forfeits the advantage
9...d5 10.exd6 ♗xd6 In spite of the doubled Ps black is better because white's K is caught in the center...castling ids met by ...Qxh2 mate. 11.a3 ♘d5 12.g3 ♕h3 black seems to have the better prospects, however 5 Shootouts were drawn.
10.c4 Black's premature attack has come to nothing and after white consolidates black's premature forays with his Q and N will surely tell against him. 10...f5 Instead of the somewhat better 10...d5 Forintos continues with his caveman attack. 11.♗xf5
11.exf6 was even better. 11...gxf6 12.O-O d5 13.♗f5 Black's forces are scattered and his K is caught in the center. White is winning.
11...♗c5 12.♗xd7+ Nice!
12.g3 This might be technically better, but it's scary OTB. 12...♗xf2+ 13.♔xf2 ♕d4+ 14.♔g2 O-O 15.♖f1 ♖xf5 16.♖xf5 ♗xc4 White is winning, but staring at this position OTB could cause white to have the heebie-jeebies.
12...♔e7 13.O-O ♖af8 This attack on f2 should come to naught, but that is not the case here.
13...♘d3 stepping up the pressure on f2, but in reality, white still has the better (winning) position. 14.g3 ♘xf2 15.♕e2 ♕d4 16.♗xc6 Oddly, black has no useful discovered check nor are his two Bs able to cause white any damage. 16...♕d3 This is the best black has!
16...♖af8 17.♘b3 ♘h3+ 18.♔g2 ♕xc4 19.♕xc4 ♗xc4 20.♖xf8 ♖xf8 21.♔xh3 leaves white a piece up.
17.♕xd3 ♘xd3+ 18.♔g2 Black's attack is at an end and white is left with what is probably a won game. 17.♖d1 was technically better. After 17...♕xf2+
17...♗xc4 18.♕d7+ ♔f8 19.♗e3 ♗xe3 20.fxe3 ♘d5 21.♖f1+ ♗xf1 22.♖xf1+ ♘f6 23.e6 white mates
18.♕xf2 ♗xf2+ 19.♔xf2 ♖f8+ 20.♔g3 ♘c2 (20...♗xc4 21.♖d4) 21.♗g5 ♘xa1 22.e6 forces 22...♖f6 23.♗xf6 gxf6 24.♖c1 c5 25.♖xa1 ♗xc4 26.♖c1 ♗xe6 27.♖xc5 ♗xa2 28.♖xc7 with a won ending. 19.♕xf8+ ♗xf8 20.♖xc4 ♗xc4 21.♖d1 ♘d3 22.b3 ♗b5 Black has a winning ending as confirmed by scoring 5 out of 5 in Shootouts.
(19.♖xc4 ♖xf5 20.♖xc5 ♗xf1 21.♔xf1 ♖xg5 22.a3 ♘d3 Black has a won ending.)
19.♗f6 Only yhis surprising problem-like move wins the game. Give it two !! 19...♗xf2+ (19...gxf6 20.♖xc4 ♗xc4 21.♖c1 wins) 20.♕xf2 ♕e6 21.♕xa7 gxf6 22.♕b8+ ♕c8 23.♕xb4 with a won ending.
19...♖xf2 The Q is immune, so white is compelled to take the R. 20.♖xc4 This blooper loses instantly.
20.♖xf2 ♗xf2+ A tricky position has come up! Taking the B loses. 21.♔h1
21.♔xf2 ♘d3+ 22.♔g3 ♘xc1 23.♗xc1 ♕xc1 And, technically at least, black has a won ending.
21...♕f7 22.e6 ♕g6 23.♕f3 ♗d4 and the game is still going to be a dogfight. 20...♖f3+ 21.♖f2 ♗xf2+ 22.♔h1 ♖xh3 23.♖xb4 ♖d3 24.♖b8+ ♔f7 and white is lost.
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