What goes through a good player's mind during a game?

I watch good players in blitz, and they seem to come up with a much, much better move than my first guess within a couple seconds.  I'm curious is they see all the pieces whizzing around at lightning speed in the span of five seconds or so.  Say one of them has a piece attacked and a rook and bishop are reigning down on it.  My initial guess is to maybe move something to help defend it or move it back, but they come up with some complicated move that, after watching a couple moves down the road, actually evened it out. 

In short, they pick a really strong move in a couple seconds that would have taken me several minutes, if at all, to find, and I've looked at countless positions and books and such and have been into chess for a couple decades. 

What makes players develop the knack of seeing the one-in-thirty legal moves that is the best, move after move?  What type of mind or intelligence or methods do they have to do this?  It seems to be the one thing that has always eluded me in actual play, particularly fast play.

I guess pattern recognition is the key. That's chess eloquence : they are fluent speakers...

I believe the more you play the more you don't even notice or consider bad moves. This is similiar to driving in an unknown city where every turn must be evaluated vs driving home from work where there are only three possible real routes. If bad moves don't pop out at you, then you have more time to eat a hamburger on your ride home or plan a more complicated attack during your game.

The more you know the more typical plans and typical moves that arise from typical positions you have in your repertoire. A few seconds thought and you can come up with a reasonable move in a situation, one that may seem quite inspired from the perspective of a player that hasn't had all that experience yet.

The "always a bigger fish lurks" notion holds true lol. A 2200 was a "weak player" in

Fischer's eyes! 1800 would be like a beginner to him and he would be hard pressed

to tell the difference between an 1800 and a 1200 probably.

Thank you very much for your resposes.  I was asking, in particular what goes through a player's mind when in a fast game?  I'm curious if a) a good move or opponent's weakness blast him in the fast like a rock, b) you whiz the pieces in your head until the position looks good for you after a couple plies, or c) you memorized somewhere that when my knight is two up and three left of my bishop with your rook on this file and so forth that you move the bishop this way and win a pawn?  Are there places you go where the teacher forces you to memorize an "answer" to a hundred positions a week? What DID go through Fischer's mind when he looked at a board?

Now I think THAT'S amazing. My goal was to get a rating of at least 2000 someday. Now you tell me that even at 2300 you're seeing losses, it's really interesting to hear.

Kotov's "Think Like a Grandmaster" is an intelligent first effort to get inside a GM's head.  John Tisdall's "Improve Your Chess Now" and Andy Soltis's "How to Choose a Chess Move" also have some interesting things to say.

Once, 45 years ago, as an unrated player, but equal to todays 1,800 players, I actually beat a grand master at Santa Monica beach - one time. I know they can get really really mad like all of us.

Great question. This would be a good one for Josh Waitzkin who is good at breaking down his thoughts and putting them into tangible words. I often wondered the same thing, what Does Kasparov look at first, where does his attention go and why. Patzers like us can only speculate, we need the big boys to comment.

Well bro...your question is a bit general ion nature.

I would not and cannot disagree with Master Tonydal's explanation for I believe it is correct. And in addition, answer will vary depending on the nature of the status of the master at play during the touney (if he is needing the win or draw to take the title or to improve his rank in the tourney).

One example is why Lasker chose the drawish line in the Lopez against Capa in 1914 where a draw was just likely what Capa needed. But he won, you know why? because needing a draw Lasker knew his opponent will go for the simple line of drawing the game. Or why would Reshevsky chose the black side of the Lopez against Fischer in 1967 when the latter only has 5mins left on his clock before defaulting the game.It's psychology perhaps.

Masters have good eyes for the board and can plan  4 or more moves ahead.In blitz they play the lines they know and are familiar with. "Pattern Recognition" is what a former Phil. junior Champion once told me.With a fellow master he wouldn't not go for unclear lines but will go for it facing lessers opponents where the logical and intuitive side of the opponent takes its toll.Nor would he challenge a master known for his opening system directly on onslaught mode unless he had stutied the others favorite opening.

Now for the question "What did go through in Fischer 's mind when he looked at the board?..... The WIN.

i hope you did't misinterpret me brother. That's just how i see it.