Calculating

In this article many amateur players will (I hope) learn a quick and efficient way to calculate.

Step One: Identify where on the board there is action and where there isn't.

This may not seem very important, but your brain automatically focuses where there is a lot of/more action. This is because complex positions have many different branches and lines to calculate. I suggest starting with the area of the board with less action. This should be quick, but look into enough detail, and in your mind evaluate what the position will resemble at the end of your line.

This is a simple and not extreme as other examples can be, but it illustrates how some club players can find themselves calculating king-side attacks, and trying to make them work, when really one should be considering sacrifices like d6! blocking in the bishop, when a king-side pawn storm becomes a serious possibility, since the Black light-squared bishop is trapped and the White light-squared bishop is a monster controlling the a2-g8 diagonal.

Step Two: If there are no possibilities in the calm area then change your focus to the active area. Look for ideas and based on them and threats try to make a list of 'candidate moves', moves that you will take into deep consideration. Good candidate moves should either aid your plan, stop your opponent's plan, create threats or start a new plan (Includes moves that are the base of many possible plans). Great candidate moves do a number of those things. If none of your candidate moves do any of these things then the likelihood is that you are not thinking in schemes and planning, but in single moves, that don't achieve a plan but keep your opponent thinking. Ultimately, however, you will need a plan, because if your opponent plays well and doesn't fall for tactics then you are stuck. The best option is to have a plan and mix your moves between plan moves and threats. This will make your opponent think more, and only when he/she plays odd looking moves that don't have threats, don't aid his/her plan will natural tactics arise, almost always in your favour.