A Dive into Talking Points for Analysis and Move Selection

0. WHAT WAS YOUR OPPONENTS LAST MOVE AND WHAT DID HE LEAVE BEHIND?

(SKIP 0 IF N/A)

1. WHO'S POSITION IS STATICALLY (WITHOUT A MOVE) BETTER?

A) FIRST IMPRESSION
B) MATERIAL COUNT 
C) KING SAFETY/ACTIVITY
D) PAWN STRUCTURE
E) PIECE IMBALANCES
F) WEAKNESSES
G) WHO IS BETTER WITH THE QUEENS OFF THE BOARD?
H) WHOSE POSITION IS EASIER TO PLAY?
I) EVALUATE

2. ARE ALL YOUR PIECES ADEQUATELY DEFENDED?

A) IF NOT, IT NEEDS TO BE TACTICALLY JUSTIFIED, GIVE GOOD COMPENSATION, OR BE DEFENDED

B) IS THE DEFENDING PIECE OR PAWN ATTACKED? 

C) IF THE ATTACKING PIECE IS WORTH MORE THAN YOUR PIECE AND CAN BE ATTACKED IN RETURN, THEN DEFEND YOUR PIECE WITH A PAWN AND ATTACK, IF POSSIBLE, TO KEEP/GAIN THE INITIATIVE. 

3. WHAT ARE ALL YOUR CHECKS, CAPTURES, THREATS?

A) DAUT - DON'T ANALYSE UNNECESSARY TACTICS

B) IN GENERAL, TO TAKE IS A MISTAKE

C) EVERY MOVE SHOULD MAKE A THREAT IF POSSIBLE

D) CAN YOU FORCE A CAPTURE TO OCCUR WITH CHECK WITH A SEQUENCE?

E) CAN YOU INCREASE THE PRESSURE OF THE THREAT? OR WOULD YOU HAVE TO PLAY IT NOW?

F) IF YOU NEED TO DEFEND, CAN YOU SET A TRAP FOR YOUR OPPONENT WHILE DOING SO?

G) IS THE CAPTURABLE PIECE A LONG TERM WEAKNESS THAT CAN BE CAPTURED LATER?

4. WHAT IS THE PAWN STRUCTURE TELLING YOU?

A) PAWN CHAIN DIRECTIONS
B) BACKWARD AND PASSED PAWNS
C) WEAK COLOR COMPLEXES
D) PAWN ISLANDS
E) WHAT ARE THE TYPICAL PLANS?
F) FIXED OR MOBILE?

G) DOES YOUR OPPONENT HAVE AN ISOLATED PAWN? EXCHANGE PIECES. PRIORITIZE THE EXCHANGE OF QUEENS OR EXCHANGE THE OPPOSITE COLORED BISHOP THAN THE PAWN'S SQUARE. 

H) WHAT IS THE PAWN BREAK NEEDED?

I) CAN YOU DISRUPT A PAWN TRIANGLE?

5. WHAT ARE THE PIECES TELLING YOU?

A) COORDINATION

B) MANEUVERABILITY

C) NUMBER OF PIECES ON EACH SIDE OF THE BOARD COMPARISON 

D) PASSIVE OR ACTIVE

E) DO THEY EACH HAVE A FUTURE?

F) DO THEY HAVE ESCAPE SQUARES?

G) WHAT IS THE BEST MOVE FOR EACH PIECE?

H) IS THE PIECE VULNERABLE

I) CAN YOU FORCE ANY PIECE OR PAWN TO MOVE/EXCHANGE TO WHERE IT CAUSES/RESOLVES ANY PROBLEMS WITH A-H LISTED ABOVE?

J) CAN YOU DOUBLE ROOKS OR A ROOK AND QUEEN ON AN OPEN FILE OR PENETRATE TO A RANK IN THE ENEMY POSITION?

K) CAN YOU TRAP THE ENEMY KING IN THE CENTER?

L) IS THE PIECE HINDERING OTHER PIECES?

M) WHEN CONSIDERING TACTICS, LOOK AT THE SQUARES AROUND ENEMY PIECES AND SEE IF A TACTIC WOULD WORK IF THE PIECE WAS THERE.

N) IS A TACTIC AVAILABLE FOR A KNIGHT IF IT MOVES TWICE? 

O) IS THERE A PAWN THAT IS ONE SQUARE AWAY FROM A PAWN FORK?

P) IS THE PIECE DEFENDING A THREAT AND UNABLE TO MOVE FROM THE DEFENSE OF A SQUARE?

Q) CAN A PIECE INFILTRATE OR SET UP A FUTURE INFILTRATION?

R) IF A PIECE IS ABLE TO GIVE CHECK, ANALYZE MOVE PATHWAYS TO PUT THAT PIECE ON A BETTER SQUARE OR INITIATE A TACTIC.

 6.WHAT IS THE POSITION TELLING YOU?

A) KEY SQUARES

B) KEY IMBALANCES

C) KEY MOTIFS 

D) KEY PIECES CONTRIBUTING TO A-C

 E) WEAKNESSES

F) WHAT IS THE MOST "DOMINANT FEATURE"?

G) HOW MUCH CONTACT IS IN THE POSITION? IF THERE IS A LOT OF CONTACT, THE POSITION IS MORE CRITICAL AND MORE CONCRETE EVALUATIONS ARE NECESSARY.

7. WHAT IS YOUR PLAN? (SHORT-TERM/LONG-TERM)

A) WHAT STAGE OF THE GAME IS IT?
B) WHO HAS THE INITIATIVE?
C) WHAT IS YOUR OPPONENT'S IDEA? DO YOU HAVE TO RESPOND TO IT?
D) WHO STRIKES FIRST?
E) WHAT ARE YOUR POSITIONS STRENGTHS AND HOW DO YOU CONVERT THEM INTO AN ADVANTAGE?
F) WHAT ARE YOUR WEAKNESSES AND HOW DO YOU LIQUIDATE OR DEFEND THEM?

G) WHAT ARE YOUR OPPONENTS WEAKNESSES AND HOW DO YOU MAKE THEM INTO LONG TERM WEAKNESSES? HOW CAN YOUR OPPONENT LIQUIDATE OR DEFEND THEM?

G) MAKE A "TO-DO-LIST" EVERY 3 MOVES OR ANYTIME THERE IS ANY IMPORTANT CHANGE TO THE POSITION.
H) DON'T TRY TO FORCE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T CONCRETE.
I) DON'T ADMIRE YOUR OWN POSITION. ONE ADVANTAGE HAS TO BE CHANGED INTO ANOTHER.

J)THE CHANCES OF OBTAINING AN ADVANTAGE ARE THE BETTER THE SMALLER IT IS. PLAY FOR AN IMPORTANT ADVANTAGE IS JUSTIFIED ONLY ON THE BASIS OF GRAVE ERRORS COMMITTED BY THE OPPONENT.

K) PRINCIPLE OF TWO WEAKNESSES. ONE WEAKNESS IS USUALLY DEFENDED SO HOW CAN YOU MAKE ANOTHER ONE?

L) INSTEAD OF JUST LOOKING AT MOVES IN SHARP POSITIONS, CALCULATE HOW MUCH TIME YOU HAVE TO RESPOND TO OR CREATE THREATS ON A PARTICULAR SQUARE, DIAGONAL, OR FILE; AND THEN LOOK FOR OPTIMAL PIECE MOVEMENT PATHS THAT MEET THE TIME.

M) WHAT ARE SOME GENERAL IDEAS THAT MAY BE APPLIED TO THE POSITION?

N) SHOULD YOU ATTACK YOUR OPPONENTS KING OR CENTER?

8. WHAT ARE 3 CANDIDATE MOVES AND THEIR FOLLOW UPS?

A) FORCING MOVES FIRST
B) FIND AN IDEA (TRY THINKING IN THEMES AND MOTIFS), PERHAPS WHILE ANALYZING A CONTINUATION, AND THEN LOOK FOR ALL THE MOVES THAT GO TOWARDS THAT IDEA. GATHER AS MANY IDEAS AS POSSIBLE AND FIND THE BEST IDEA.
C) ARE YOUR OPPONENTS PIECES ALL ADEQUATELY DEFENDED? IF NOT, LOOK FOR A TACTIC

D) WHERE IS THE PRESSURE AND HOW SHOULD YOU INFLUENCE IT?
E) WHAT SIDE SHOULD YOU PLAY ON?

SHOULD YOU PLAY WITH YOUR PAWNS OR PIECES?
F) WHAT IS YOUR LEAST ACTIVE PIECE?
G) WHAT MOVES SEEM NATURAL?

H) WHAT MOVES OPEN LINES?
I) DOES YOUR CANDIDATE MOVE MATCH THE POSITION?

J) DON'T PLAY A PASSIVE MOVE WITHOUT A DEEPER CONSIDERATION
K) WHEN YOU SEE A GOOD MOVE, LOOK FOR A BETTER ONE.
L) WHAT DOES MY CANDIDATE MOVE DO? /ENABLE? /PLAN?

M) ANALYZE CONTINUATIONS (TRY SWITCHING MOVE ORDER) AND THEN PICK.

N) WHAT DID THEIR LAST MOVE LEAVE BEHIND? 

O) WAS THE MOVE THEY PLAYED SAFE?

9. IS YOUR CHOSEN MOVE SAFE?

A) HOW MUCH OF A COMMITMENT IS IT?
B) WHAT DOES IT LEAVE BEHIND?
C) CAN YOUR OPPONENT QUICKLY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT?
D) SAFETY OVER STRATEGY
E) ARE YOU MISSING SOMETHING? BOARD VISION - LOOK AT EACH PAWN AND PIECE BRIEFLY.

F) IF A KNIGHT IS SUSPECTED TO BE INVOLVED IN A LINE, TAKE SOME TIME TO VERIFY YOUR ANALYSIS. KNIGHTS ARE TRICKY.

G) WHAT ARE THE FASTEST WAYS YOUR OPPONENT CAN CHECK YOUR KING? CONSIDERING THIS WILL HELP YOU AVOID MISSING A CHECK ZWISCHENZUG LATER.

H) ANALYZE THE PRESSURE STAR OF THE PIECE YOU ARE MOVING.

10. WHO'S POSITION IS DYNAMICALLY (WITH MOVES) BETTER?

A) RE-EVALUATE THE POSITION RESULTING FROM YOUR CHOSEN MOVES CONTINUATION (SEE STEP 1).