This lesson will be a bit different from my previous posts. I show only one example game at the end. This lesson will focus on the basics of making moves in chess and how to decide what the best move is.
Regardless of which stage of the game you are in (Opening, Middlegame, Endgame), here is a mental checklist you should use for every move:
1) Analyze your opponent's last move
2) Come up with a list of Candidate Moves, then analyze them
3) Pick the best Candidate Move
4) Check your decision again!
5) Make your move
Let's go into detail on each stage.
1) Analyze your opponent's last move
It is very easy to be focused only on what your plan is and what you are trying to accomplish. It is important to remember that your opponent has his/her own plan! After your opponent moves, you need to look at what they are trying to accomplish.
Does their last move pose a threat that needs to be addressed? What are they planning?
Try to answer these questions. If the answer is "no" to the first question there is a good chance you can continue with your own plans; if you answer "yes" then you have to solve the problem before you can continue with your own plan! In addition, if they aren't immediately threatening you, can you see what they are planning? These are important things to identify while playing chess.
2) Come up with a list of Candidate Moves and Analyze them
After you have figured out what your opponent is doing, you need to figure out your own move. This step is almost never the same each time; sometimes there is only one move that makes sense. Other times, you will have multiple options to consider. You have to analyze each option to determine how to continue your plan or stop your opponent's plan in the most effective way. Try to look ahead 3-5 moves in each line, considering how your opponent might respond to you. Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to look at creative moves! Look for tactics!
3) Pick the best move
Once you have finished analyzing your candidate moves, choose the one that you liked best.
4) The most important step! Check the move you are going to play one more time!
Make sure you didn't miss anything while calculating. Examine the whole board and make sure none of your pieces are in danger.
Far too often, I see beginners leaving their pieces undefended. These are mistakes that are very easy to prevent by double checking before you make your move!
5) Make your Move
Now that you have determined what your opponent is up to, decided which move and plan is best, and double checked your decision, you are finally ready to make your move and you can proceed with confidence!
Following these 5 steps is going to help you improve your game instantly! These will help eliminate easy, silly mistakes.
Even I have made the mistake of not following step 4, and I paid for it dearly: Here is my round 3 game of the Illinois Open in 2015.
Had I followed step 4, I'm sure I would have noticed his Knight on b8 and not played my terrible move!
Obviously, this is a bit of an extreme example, but this actually happened to me and I see things like this happen to beginners all the time. Moral of the story: Always double check!
Good luck in your games, and feel free to post any questions or comments below!
This lesson will be a bit different from my previous posts. I show only one example game at the end. This lesson will focus on the basics of making moves in chess and how to decide what the best move is.
Regardless of which stage of the game you are in (Opening, Middlegame, Endgame), here is a mental checklist you should use for every move:
1) Analyze your opponent's last move
2) Come up with a list of Candidate Moves, then analyze them
3) Pick the best Candidate Move
4) Check your decision again!
5) Make your move
Let's go into detail on each stage.
1) Analyze your opponent's last move
It is very easy to be focused only on what your plan is and what you are trying to accomplish. It is important to remember that your opponent has his/her own plan! After your opponent moves, you need to look at what they are trying to accomplish.
Does their last move pose a threat that needs to be addressed? What are they planning?
Try to answer these questions. If the answer is "no" to the first question there is a good chance you can continue with your own plans; if you answer "yes" then you have to solve the problem before you can continue with your own plan! In addition, if they aren't immediately threatening you, can you see what they are planning? These are important things to identify while playing chess.
2) Come up with a list of Candidate Moves and Analyze them
After you have figured out what your opponent is doing, you need to figure out your own move. This step is almost never the same each time; sometimes there is only one move that makes sense. Other times, you will have multiple options to consider. You have to analyze each option to determine how to continue your plan or stop your opponent's plan in the most effective way. Try to look ahead 3-5 moves in each line, considering how your opponent might respond to you. Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to look at creative moves! Look for tactics!
3) Pick the best move
Once you have finished analyzing your candidate moves, choose the one that you liked best.
4) The most important step! Check the move you are going to play one more time!
Make sure you didn't miss anything while calculating. Examine the whole board and make sure none of your pieces are in danger.
Far too often, I see beginners leaving their pieces undefended. These are mistakes that are very easy to prevent by double checking before you make your move!
5) Make your Move
Now that you have determined what your opponent is up to, decided which move and plan is best, and double checked your decision, you are finally ready to make your move and you can proceed with confidence!
Following these 5 steps is going to help you improve your game instantly! These will help eliminate easy, silly mistakes.
Even I have made the mistake of not following step 4, and I paid for it dearly: Here is my round 3 game of the Illinois Open in 2015.
Had I followed step 4, I'm sure I would have noticed his Knight on b8 and not played my terrible move!
Obviously, this is a bit of an extreme example, but this actually happened to me and I see things like this happen to beginners all the time. Moral of the story: Always double check!
Good luck in your games, and feel free to post any questions or comments below!