Improving calculation skills is a key part of becoming a stronger player. Grandmasters are exceptional at calculation because they practice systematically and develop habits that help them think deeply and accurately. Here are some tips to help you improve:
1. Understand the Position First: Before calculating moves, assess the position. Identify key factors like king safety, weak squares or pawns, potential tactical motifs (pins, forks, discovered attacks).
2. Visualize Ahead: Work on visualizing positions a few moves ahead. Start small—calculate 2-3 moves deep, then gradually increase complexity. Blindfold chess or solving puzzles without moving pieces on the board helps improve visualization.
3. Candidate Movesl: Always consider multiple options instead of focusing on the first move that looks good. Ask yourself, "What are all the possible moves I can play here?" and evaluate each one.
4. Follow a Calculation Tree: Structure your calculations like a tree. Start with one move (the trunk). Explore responses from your opponent (branches). Continue until the position simplifies or you see the result. Write down variations during practice to spot errors and gaps in your thought process.
5. Eliminate Unrealistic Moves: Grandmasters don't calculate every move—they discard lines that are clearly inferior. Train yourself to quickly recognize moves that don’t contribute to your position or fail tactically.
6. Solve Tactical Puzzles Regularly: Tactical puzzles improve your ability to calculate efficiently. Focus on solving a mix of easy and complex puzzles, aiming to see the solution without moving pieces. Websites like Lichess or Chess.com offer excellent puzzles and exercises.
7. Practice Calculation Drills: Use books like Think Like a Grandmaster by Kotov or Perfect Your Chess by Volokitin to practice solving complex positions. These exercises mimic in-game calculation challenges.
8. Play Longer Time Controls: In blitz or bullet games, you focus on intuition rather than calculation. Playing classical games or daily chess gives you the time to practice deep calculation.
9. Analyze Your Games: Review your games and identify where miscalculations occurred. Try to re-calculate the critical moments without engine help, then compare your analysis to the engine's suggestions.
10. Stay Focused Under Pressure: Train your concentration with tactics or positions under time pressure. Learning to calculate efficiently when stressed mirrors tournament conditions.
Calculation is a skill that improves with consistent practice. The key is to be patient and deliberate in your training. Good luck!
ChatGPT looking
you would have to ask a GM
A GM can only give you theoretical bases on which you can rely upon, but theoretical bases never differ from each other, while real practical examples always do in terms of applying them.
That's why calculation is to be trained, not learnt. Every person has the raw ability to calculate, you don't need to even know the theoretical bases to be a good calculator, but if you have trained it for many years, you will be able to find solutions instantly.