What Questions Do You Ask Yourself Before You Move

What move should I make?

I have a long list and a short list. The challenge for me has been to actually complete my checklist before moving.

I will post only my long list. Those who are interested, can make up their own short list from the long one I have prepared for myself.

Those who disagree, that's fine. I did not come onto the forum today for conflict but rather for harmony.

If our global community gets Anything out of this, I'm happy.

I wish All many enjoyable moments over the board~

Edward

Each time, run the game from move one.

List provisional candidate moves.

If behind in material, play for tactics, traps and avoid exchanges.

If ahead in material, exchange & avoid complications.

If an exchange is being offered:  Which piece is more active? Does either piece play a key role in attack or defense? If a knight, does it have a valuable outpost it can occupy?  If a bishop, is it good or bad?

So, never, ever sacrifice a piece again unless I Am 100 % SURE that I will get enough compensation. Ok?

Is this position about defense?

Is there no attack?

Do I focus on defense?

The ideal move, if I must defend, should also setup a threat of my own or create some other complication.

Take a look from his perspective. What’s he up to?

What is he threatening?

Are there multiple threats?

Which squares are key?

Close my eyes for a bit, clear the board… now take a look at the board with fresh eyes, setting aside, for the moment, my plans, expectations, and previous concerns about the position.

What can I do?

What else could I do?

Are there weak squares around my king?

Does it lack flight squares?

Do I have back rank problems?

Do I have a pawn nearing promotion?

Do I have an isolated pawn?

Do I have a backward pawn?

Do I have a doubled pawn?

Do I have a passed pawn I can promote?

Can I improve my pawn structure perhaps with the idea of creating a future passed pawn?

Are my pieces actively in the game?

Where are my weaknesses?

Are all my pieces protected?

What’s possible for me now that wasn’t before his last move?

What are his threats?

Do I have a piece that he can attack with a piece of less value?

Can I check or mate?

Can I get to or create a knight outpost?

Can I create a square that my piece can exert pressure from where it cannot be easily chased away?

Can I get my rooks in an open or semi-open file?

Can I get my queen in an open or semi-open file?

Can I get a battery or rook or queen into the seventh rank?

Have I a good combination?

Can I create a plan centered on the domination of a file?

Can I open lines?

Can I gain control of or create a plan centered on the creation of a weak square in his camp?

If cramped, can I free myself by exchanging?

Can I work towards exchanging into an endgame or improve my endgame prospects?

Can I increase the mobility of any of my less active pieces?

Which squares do I control, piece by piece.            

Do I have one or more pieces that he can attack with a discovered attack or check?

Do I have any pinable pieces or can he exploit an existing one?

Do I have any skewerable pieces along the same rank?

Do I have any skewerable pieces along the same file?

Do I have any skewerable pieces along the same diagonal?

Do I have any pieces vulnerable to a knight fork?

Do I have any pieces vulnerable to a bishop fork?

Do I have any pieces vulnerable to a pawn fork?

Do I have any squares vulnerable to a knight fork?

Do I have any squares vulnerable to a bishop fork?

Do I have any squares vulnerable to a pawn fork?

Do I have pieces he can double attack?

Do I have overworked pieces guarding more than one piece or square?

Do I have pieces that have little mobility and might easily be trapped?

Do I have a square available for a Knight outpost?

Do I control or have open lines for his Rooks?

Do I control or have open lines for his Queen?

Do I control or have open diagonals for his Bishops?

Are any of squares I control key?

Do I have a pawn nearing promotion?

Do I have an isolated pawn?

Do I have a backward pawn?

Do I have a doubled pawn?

Do I have a passed pawn?

Can he weaken my pawn structure?

Do I have any overloaded pieces guarding more than one piece or square?

Can he remove a guard or defender?

Do I have any piece with little mobility that might easily be trapped?

Can he restrict the mobility of his pieces? 

Do I have any forkable pieces?

Can he double attack?

Can he discover a attack?

Can he discover a check?

Can I capture?

Are there weak squares around his king?

Does it lack flight squares?

Does he have back rank problems?

Can I attack the king?

Are all his pieces protected?

Does he have a pawn nearing promotion?

Does he have an isolated pawn?

Does he have a backward pawn?

Does he have a doubled pawn?

Does he have a passed pawn I can promote?

What’s possible for him now that wasn’t before his last move?

What’s vulnerable now that wasn’t before his last move?

How has the position changed?

Can I attack a piece with a piece of less value?

How can I best exploit his weaknesses?

What’s vulnerable now that wasn’t before his last move?

How has the position changed?

How can I best exploit his weaknesses?

Did he answer my threat?

Does he have pieces I can attack with a piece of less value?

Can he check me?

Which squares does he control, piece by piece.

What are his threats?

What is his biggest threat?

Will his threat fail on its own?

Where are his weaknesses?

How can I best exploit them?

Does he have one or more pieces that he can attack with a discovered attack or check?

Does he have any pinable pieces or can I exploit an existing one?

Does he have any skewerable pieces along the same rank?

Does he have any skewerable pieces along the same file?

Does he have any skewerable pieces along the same diagonal?

Does he have any pieces vulnerable to a knight fork?

Does he have any pieces vulnerable to a bishop fork?

Does he have any pieces vulnerable to a pawn fork?

Does he have any squares vulnerable to a knight fork?

Does he have any squares vulnerable to a bishop fork?

Does he have any squares vulnerable to a pawn fork?

Does he have pieces he can double attack?

Does he have overworked pieces guarding more than one piece or square?

Does he have pieces that have little mobility and might easily be trapped?

Does he have a square available for a Knight outpost?

Does he control or have open lines for his Rooks?

Does he control or have open lines for his Queen?

Does he control or have open diagonals for his Bishops?

Are any of squares controlled by him key?

Does he have a pawn nearing promotion?

Does he have an isolated pawn?

Does he have a backward pawn?

Does he have a doubled pawn?

Does he have a passed pawn?

Can I weaken my pawn structure?

Does he have any overloaded pieces guarding more than one piece or square?

Can I remove a guard or defender?

Does he have any piece with little mobility that might easily be trapped?

Can I restrict the mobility of his pieces? 

Does have any forkable pieces?

Can I double attack?

Can I discover an attack?

Can he discover a check?

Can I capture?

Material imbalance?

Is his king safe?

Is my king safe?

Who has the superior minor piece?

Note  pawn structure and majority, backward, doubled, isolated imbalances

Is there a space imbalance?

Control of files

Control of ranks

Control of diagonals

Control of squares

Weak squares

Lead in development

More force in a specific area of the board

Piece mobility

Initiative

Who poses the greater threat?

If he, should I defend or counter?

If I or if his threat poses no real threat, can I ignore it?

Will his threat fail on its own?

How can I best exploit his weaknesses?

How can I reduce his strengths?

Which side of the board has favorable imbalances?

If none, is there a possibility of creating one?

Are there any quite moves possible aimed at eliminating my weaknesses?

Are there any quite moves possible aimed at improving my position?

Are there any quite moves possible aimed at weakening or cramping his?

If I have the initiative, can I add pressure on weakness in my opponent’s position?

Which side of the board will I play on? I can only play where a favorable imbalance or the possibility of creating one exists.

List my candidate moves.

Now, if quiet, add moves that will increase strength or eliminate a weakness.

For each candidate, does it leave me vulnerable?

Does it leave a previously defended piece hanging?

Does it expose my king to a check?

Does it dangerously weaken my position?

For each candidate, have I overlooked something obvious?

Ok, now, for each and EVERY candidate, calculate and evaluate.

Now that that I have the best move, here’s The Challenge: Use some time here to find the hidden King of the Hill. 

*Candidate moves should do one or more of the following:

Increase my hold on the center.

Increase the pressure on whichever sector of the board I am attacking.

Create or increase the pressure on a weakness in my opponent’s position.

Open lines for my pieces.

Increase the mobility/activity of my less active pieces.

Restrict the mobility of my opponent’s pieces.

Create strong squares that my pieces can exert pressure from and from where they cannot be easily chased away.

Create (protected) outposts in my opponent’s camp.

Improve my pawn skeleton with the idea of creating the conditions of the previous goals and/or the (future) creation of a passed pawn.

Keep in my mind that middle games can suddenly become endgames. Were this to happen now, would it be decisive? If it would, and in my favor, work toward exchanging toward the endgame. If it wouldn't, avoid those types of exchanges and either try to improve my endgame prospects or bet the farm on the middle game.

Where an exchange of pieces is offered or possible, ask myself who benefits from the exchange? Which piece is more active? Does either piece play a key role in either attack or defense? If it’s a N, does it have valuable outposts it can occupy? If a B, is it the "good" or the "bad" B.

Remember, you’re not Capablanca. It’s not whether you win or lose that matters, but what you put into the game and what lessons you can take away from it. That’s it.

What would Magnus Carlsen do in this suituation.

"Why must I lose to this idiot ?"