user21840: [fen ""]

1. e4 {0} c6 {0} 2. d4 {4} d5 {0} 3. Nc3 {3} dxe4 {0} 4. Nxe4 {1} Bf5 {1} 5. Ng3 {3} Bg6 {0} 6. Nf3 {6} e6 {0} 7. c4 {9} Nd7 {0} 8. Be2 {5} Ne7 {0} 9. Bg5 f6 {0} 10. Bf4 {7} e5 {0} 11. dxe5 {2} Qc7 {0} 12. e6 {9} Ne5 {0} 13. h3 Rd8 {0} 14. Qc1 {11} Bf5 {0} 15. O-O {5} Bxe6 {0} 16. Bxe5 {2} fxe5 {0} 17. Qe3 {5} Ng6 {0} 18. b3 {8} Ba3 {0} 19. Ng5 {56} Qd6 {0} 20. Nxe6 {3} Qxe6 21. Ne4 {26} Qf5 {0} 22. Bg4 {11} Qf4 {0} 23. g3 {5} Qxe3 {0} 24. fxe3 {2} Be7 {0} 25. Rad1 {15} Rf8 {0} 26. Rxf8+ {8} Kxf8 {0} 27. Rxd8+ {1} Bxd8 {0} 28. Bf5 {11} Be7 {0} 29. Bxg6 {1} hxg6 {0} 30. g4 {2} a6 {0} 31. a4 {8} Kf7 {0} 32. Kg2 Ke6 {0} 33. Kf3 {1} b5 {0} 34. axb5 {13} cxb5 {0} 35. cxb5 {2} axb5 {0} 36. Ke2 {4} b4 {0} 37. Kd3 {1} Bd8 {0} 38. Kc4 {3} Bb6 {0} 39. Kxb4 {5} Kd7 {0} 40. Kb5 {1} Bxe3 {0} 41. b4 {1} Bg1 {0} 42. Ka6 {3} Kc6 {0} 43. b5+ {1} Kc7 {0} 44. h4 {13} Bb6 {0} 45. h5 {2} gxh5 {0} 46. gxh5 {1} Bd4 {0} 47. Nd2 {32} Kd6 48. b6 {3} Kc6 {0} 49. b7 {4} Kc7 {0} 50. Ne4 {11} Be3 {0} 51. Ng5 {25} Kb8 52. Ne6 {11} Bh6 {0} 53. Nc5 {12} Kc7 {0} 54. Ka7 {3} Kc6 {0} 55. b8=Q {2} Kxc5 56. Qb6+ {6} Kc4 {0} 57. Qc7+ {5} Kd4 {0} 58. Qd7+ {15} Kc4 {0} 59. Kb6 e4 {0} 60. Qe6+ {6} Kd4 {0} 61. Qd6+ {5} Ke3 {0} 62. Kb5 {3} Kf3 {0} 63. Qd1+ Kf2 {0} 64. Kb4 {13} e3 {0} 65. Qd8 {17} (65. Qd4 Kf3 66. Kc3 Kg3 67. Kd3 Kf3) 65... e2 {0} 66. Qf8+ {2} Kg2 {0} 67. Qa8+ {6} Kf2 {0} 68. Qf8+ {4} Kg2 69. Qe8 {20} Bd2+ {0} 70. Kc4 {12} e1=Q {0} 71. Qg6+ {6} Qg3 {0} 72. Qc6+ Kf1 {0} 73. Qg6 {15} Qc7+ {0} 74. Kd3 {3} Qc3+ {0} 75. Ke4 {2} Kf2 {0} 76. Qf5+ {4} Kg3 {0} 77. Qg6+ {5} Kh4 {0} 78. Kf5 {6} Qh3+ {0} 79. Ke5 {5} Qc3+ 80. Kf5 {1} Qd4 {0} 81. Ke6 {7} Qc4+ {0} 82. Kf5 {1} Qd5# {0} 0-1

I am White here.
I know every tactical theme-pin, fork, weak backrank, deflection, etc. But upon analyzing this game, I couldn't find any. How can I improve my recognition of tactics?

user24174: practice practice practice.  that is the answer to the question.
and there are far more tactics than the few you mentioned.
if you really think you know them all then name another 20 of them.

user12629: Take the position after 12...Ne5.
[FEN "r3kb1r/ppq1n1pp/2p1Ppb1/4n3/2P2B2/5NN1/PP2BPPP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 1 13"]

There are plenty of tactics here. The e5 knight is pinned to the queen. You're attacking it twice, with your knight and bishop, and it's defended twice, with a pawn and queen. Qd7 would be checkmate if Black stopped protecting that square, although it's currently protected by both the queen and knight.
But Black has some defensive resources here too, and can bring them quickly. Rd8 (played in the game) would chase your queen off that dangerous d-file. Nxf3 would be check, allowing the knight to move despite the pin. So you don't have time to wait with a nothing move like h3, or to slowly build up pressure on the pinned piece. You need to strike now or lose the opportunity.
The black queen, as it turns out, is slightly overloaded. It is protecting the e5 knight. But it's also, along with that same knight, defending the d7 checkmate. So this means you can play 13.Nxe5. After 13...fxe5 14.Bxe5, Black can't play Qxe5 due to the checkmate threat. You win a pawn.

why was a I not able to find some crazy material winning combinations?

I'm not sure why you didn't see the above. Perhaps you got excited over finding 12.e6 (it threatens two pieces at once, and checkmate if they play it wrong) and were disappointed when they played 12...Ne5 which parries both threats. But, in general, captures are worth considering. You should have at least looked at both 13.Nxe5 and 13.Bxe5. Assuming you saw the mate threat when you played 12.e6, it should have been in your mind on the next move, which would help you to find the tactic that wins a pawn.

user4418: 
I know every tactical theme pin, fork, weak backrank, deflection, etc.
But upon analyzing this game, couldn't find any.

If you can't recognize a pin (e.g. 9. Bg5) then you don't know what a pin is. Here are 4 tactical themes in the first 20 moves:
9. Bg5 - pin
12. e6 - discovered attack
17. Qe3 - pin
20. ... Qxe6 - self-pin

How can I improve my recognition of tactics?

First you have to learn what they are.

Bg5 pins the knight against the queen. There is no immediate threat, there doesn't have to be, but this move means that the knight can't move without exposing the queen to capture.

There are "hard pins", where a piece is pinned against the king and it would be illegal to move the piece, and "soft pins", like here where moving the pinned piece would expose the piece behind it to capture.

21840: <pre><code>[fen &quot;&quot;]

1. e4 {0} c6 {0} 2. d4 {4} d5 {0} 3. Nc3 {3} dxe4 {0} 4. Nxe4 {1} Bf5 {1} 5. Ng3 {3} Bg6 {0} 6. Nf3 {6} e6 {0} 7. c4 {9} Nd7 {0} 8. Be2 {5} Ne7 {0} 9. Bg5 f6 {0} 10. Bf4 {7} e5 {0} 11. dxe5 {2} Qc7 {0} 12. e6 {9} Ne5 {0} 13. h3 Rd8 {0} 14. Qc1 {11} Bf5 {0} 15. O-O {5} Bxe6 {0} 16. Bxe5 {2} fxe5 {0} 17. Qe3 {5} Ng6 {0} 18. b3 {8} Ba3 {0} 19. Ng5 {56} Qd6 {0} 20. Nxe6 {3} Qxe6 21. Ne4 {26} Qf5 {0} 22. Bg4 {11} Qf4 {0} 23. g3 {5} Qxe3 {0} 24. fxe3 {2} Be7 {0} 25. Rad1 {15} Rf8 {0} 26. Rxf8+ {8} Kxf8 {0} 27. Rxd8+ {1} Bxd8 {0} 28. Bf5 {11} Be7 {0} 29. Bxg6 {1} hxg6 {0} 30. g4 {2} a6 {0} 31. a4 {8} Kf7 {0} 32. Kg2 Ke6 {0} 33. Kf3 {1} b5 {0} 34. axb5 {13} cxb5 {0} 35. cxb5 {2} axb5 {0} 36. Ke2 {4} b4 {0} 37. Kd3 {1} Bd8 {0} 38. Kc4 {3} Bb6 {0} 39. Kxb4 {5} Kd7 {0} 40. Kb5 {1} Bxe3 {0} 41. b4 {1} Bg1 {0} 42. Ka6 {3} Kc6 {0} 43. b5+ {1} Kc7 {0} 44. h4 {13} Bb6 {0} 45. h5 {2} gxh5 {0} 46. gxh5 {1} Bd4 {0} 47. Nd2 {32} Kd6 48. b6 {3} Kc6 {0} 49. b7 {4} Kc7 {0} 50. Ne4 {11} Be3 {0} 51. Ng5 {25} Kb8 52. Ne6 {11} Bh6 {0} 53. Nc5 {12} Kc7 {0} 54. Ka7 {3} Kc6 {0} 55. b8=Q {2} Kxc5 56. Qb6+ {6} Kc4 {0} 57. Qc7+ {5} Kd4 {0} 58. Qd7+ {15} Kc4 {0} 59. Kb6 e4 {0} 60. Qe6+ {6} Kd4 {0} 61. Qd6+ {5} Ke3 {0} 62. Kb5 {3} Kf3 {0} 63. Qd1+ Kf2 {0} 64. Kb4 {13} e3 {0} 65. Qd8 {17} (65. Qd4 Kf3 66. Kc3 Kg3 67. Kd3 Kf3) 65... e2 {0} 66. Qf8+ {2} Kg2 {0} 67. Qa8+ {6} Kf2 {0} 68. Qf8+ {4} Kg2 69. Qe8 {20} Bd2+ {0} 70. Kc4 {12} e1=Q {0} 71. Qg6+ {6} Qg3 {0} 72. Qc6+ Kf1 {0} 73. Qg6 {15} Qc7+ {0} 74. Kd3 {3} Qc3+ {0} 75. Ke4 {2} Kf2 {0} 76. Qf5+ {4} Kg3 {0} 77. Qg6+ {5} Kh4 {0} 78. Kf5 {6} Qh3+ {0} 79. Ke5 {5} Qc3+ 80. Kf5 {1} Qd4 {0} 81. Ke6 {7} Qc4+ {0} 82. Kf5 {1} Qd5# {0} 0-1
</code></pre>
<p>I am White here.</p>
<p>I know every tactical theme-pin, fork, weak backrank, deflection, etc. But upon analyzing this game, I couldn't find any. How can I improve my recognition of tactics?</p>
 24174: <p>practice practice practice.  that is the answer to the question.</p>
<p>and there are far more tactics than the few you mentioned.
if you really think you know them all then name another 20 of them.</p>
 12629: <p>Take the position after 12...Ne5.</p>
<pre><code>[FEN &quot;r3kb1r/ppq1n1pp/2p1Ppb1/4n3/2P2B2/5NN1/PP2BPPP/R2QK2R w KQkq - 1 13&quot;]
</code></pre>
<p>There are plenty of tactics here. The e5 knight is pinned to the queen. You're attacking it twice, with your knight and bishop, and it's defended twice, with a pawn and queen. Qd7 would be checkmate if Black stopped protecting that square, although it's currently protected by both the queen and knight.</p>
<p>But Black has some defensive resources here too, and can bring them quickly. Rd8 (played in the game) would chase your queen off that dangerous d-file. Nxf3 would be check, allowing the knight to move despite the pin. So you don't have time to wait with a nothing move like h3, or to slowly build up pressure on the pinned piece. You need to strike <em>now</em> or lose the opportunity.</p>
<p>The black queen, as it turns out, is slightly overloaded. It is protecting the e5 knight. But it's also, along with that same knight, defending the d7 checkmate. So this means you can play 13.Nxe5. After 13...fxe5 14.Bxe5, Black can't play Qxe5 due to the checkmate threat. You win a pawn.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>why was a I not able to find some crazy material winning combinations?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I'm not sure why you didn't see the above. Perhaps you got excited over finding 12.e6 (it threatens two pieces at once, and checkmate if they play it wrong) and were disappointed when they played 12...Ne5 which parries both threats. But, in general, captures are worth considering. You should have at least looked at both 13.Nxe5 and 13.Bxe5. Assuming you saw the mate threat when you played 12.e6, it should have been in your mind on the next move, which would help you to find the tactic that wins a pawn.</p>
 4418: <blockquote>
<p>I know every tactical theme pin, fork, weak backrank, deflection, etc.
But upon analyzing this game, couldn't find any.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>If you can't recognize a pin (e.g. 9. Bg5) then you don't know what a pin is. Here are 4 tactical themes in the first 20 moves:</p>
<p>9. Bg5 - pin<br />
12. e6 - discovered attack<br />
17. Qe3 - pin<br />
20. ... Qxe6 - self-pin</p>
<blockquote>
<p>How can I improve my recognition of tactics?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>First you have to learn what they are.</p>
<ol start="9">
<li>Bg5 pins the knight against the queen. There is no immediate threat, there doesn't have to be, but this move means that the knight can't move without exposing the queen to capture.</li>
</ol>
<p>There are &quot;hard pins&quot;, where a piece is pinned against the king and it would be illegal to move the piece, and &quot;soft pins&quot;, like here where moving the pinned piece would expose the piece behind it to capture.</p>
