http://kingassassins.50webs.com/CP.3.pdf
This is a planning process written by BlueDevilKnight, chess.com member and blogger extraordinaire at blogspot.com (http://chessconfessions.blogspot.com/).
He's worked pretty hard on what he needs to think about during a game and on each move. I think this should vary from player to player and as much as possible it should be a subconcious thought process.
Thanks Loomis - I will check it out
I generally follow this formula
"Where is he weak"
"Where am I weak"
"Can either of us exploit the others weakness in one turn"
Then if the answer to the last question is no
"If I make move x what new weaknesses will be created"
and finally
"After that move what is my opponents best move (worst move for me)"
I find this method to cover my bases, however I still blunder so it is not perfect by any means.
check for your opponent's possible checks and captures. always. every move. i wish i did that better. it seems simple but i get lazy.
Thats a very worthwhile summary/overview by BlueDevilNight. I might add that I can recall from chess club days when we were told to evaluate, from the very beginning, the consequences of the oponents last move as a starting point in determining our next move. All of this within the context of a flexible and adapting strategy. The question becomes...all things considered.. am I making the best move ?
So far, one of the best ideas I have seen is the suggestion (in Blue Devil Knight's excellent "Chessplanner" - see above) that our first view should be to identify threats because our ability to see them diminishes the longer we look at a position. I always assumed the opposite - that the more I studied a position, the more likely I would be to see the opportunities I or my opponent might have to win material or launch a mating attack. From now on, I will start by scanning for threats (mine or my opponent's).
http://kingassassins.50webs.com/CP.3.pdf
This is a planning process written by BlueDevilKnight, chess.com member and blogger extraordinaire at blogspot.com (http://chessconfessions.blogspot.com/).
He's worked pretty hard on what he needs to think about during a game and on each move. I think this should vary from player to player and as much as possible it should be a sunconcious thought process.
OMG... That is the document I've been meaning to write, only it's already been written better than I would have done and I don't have a word of criticism. Brilliant. That's the best bit of chess planning advice I've ever seen in one tidy place. To anyone who has ever wondered, hey, I hear all this blah blah about planning, but I just look for a "good move" what the heck is planning -- Read BlueDevilNight's Chessplanner: A Middlegame chess thought process. It de-mystifies it beautifully. 12 pages of excellent advice.
Loomis came up with a beauty in that one. Anyone else know of a similar guide (of less-than full book length)?
I have not read that guide above, but I had a glance at it and viewed the diagram. To me this planning happens pretty naturally but I do think that a lot can be learned from making a point of covering all the aspects instead of just assuming that I always do them. Generally when I play I get a few moves that look tactically strong (by analysing them tactically) and then I take a step back (metaphorically) and consider the other advantages of those moves. It usually becomes pretty apparent which move is the best move I can play in my opinion. Due to misscalculations it clearly won't always be the best move, but those misscalculations are in themselves an error of training that can be fixed (generally) with study.
1: Generally speaking where there are no absolute obvious/forced moves; play the move that you can think of the most good reasons for playing.
2: Never make a move for the sake of it. Even if you don't know exactly what to do, try to think logically. The chances are if you are unsure of the position and are playing an opponent of a similar strength then they will also be unsure of it; take advantage of that by maintaining your composure, where their's might slip.
3: Don't rush, use every minute of your clock if required. This will limit blunders.
4: Drink water and ensure you are well rested. This will dramatically increase your concentration and memory levels which will dramatically increase your ability to play Chess well.
5: Never assume something is won until you're writing a 1-0 on the score sheet. If you have a 'won position' then you still need to convert it into a win.
Good luck!
A 
That's a pretty good checklist by BlueDevilKnight. I scanned it quickly but didn't read the whole thing so I apologize if this is in there somewhere. If I'm at a loss for my next move I always remember something I've read a few places: Decide which is your worst-placed piece and improve its position.
This is the method I use. To be effective though you do have to have some positional judgment and tactical awareness. That means you have to have worked on more than tactical exercises; you need some positional knowledge to correctly evaluate the position. Note on planning: it’s often nothing more than a short 2-3 move maneuver that may be designed to improve the position of a piece. You often make progress little by little. Steps 8-11 need not be done every move but steps 1-6 must be done without fail every move.
1. Board scan Scan ranks files and diagonals. This prevents blindspots and fixating on one sector of the board.
2. Look at all checks. Look at "jump checks." Checks that could be played if a piece could jump over any intervening pieces.
3. Undefended pieces. A piece that is "hanging" with no other piece defending it
4. Pins and forks.
5. Pieces (esp. the King) that do not have "escape" squares.
6. Look for masked pieces.
7. Briefly look at bizarre and surprising moves. Sacrifices, Pawn breaks, "Obviously unplayable" moves
If any of the above factors are present, there MAY be a combination hidden in the position. If you cannot find a combination proceed.
8. Find a target. For example weak squares, weak Pawns or the hardest point to protect
9. Consider what is required to attack the weakness. e.g. trading defending piece or occupying an outpost
10. Find a path of each piece to target
11. Figure out move sequence to overcome the weak point
NOW is the time to start calculating!
You should have a good idea of what you are trying to accomplish. Note: Here is what separates the master from the average player. Look for a way your opponent can refute your move. Don't just assume he will play in such a way that you can carry out your plan unhindered.
12. Reassess the position
13. Board Scan
14. Move
First of all, thanks to those that left the very kind comments on my Chessplanner document. I spent a crazy amount of time writing it, so it is nice to see someone reading it and getting something from it!
Second, I wrote up some stuff on blundering. I am very familiar with this topic. :) Blunderstanding: on how to approach a blunder after the fact. Don't beat yourself up: seek blunderstanding. It also includes a list of features of the position that make me more likely to blunder.
Beyond navigating free of blunders and moving toward brilliancy <<Das Mittelspiel>> by Euwe has no equal in terms of coaching about the middlegame. With a little patience openings are easy enough to get a grip on however I think most of us stumble in the middle game.If high quality middle game play is your focus I highly recommend the download of <<middleg.zip>> on the following page.....
http://wwwu.uni-klu.ac.at/gossimit/c/book.htm
Looking forward to reading <<Blunderstanding>>.
Cheers !
... Blunderstanding: on how to approach a blunder after the fact. Don't beat yourself up: seek blunderstanding...
I managed to reach a blunderstanding in a game yesterday. At first I thought I had blundered away my king's rook pawn. After a little thought I realized that within a few moves I could get both my rooks on that open file. I was playing black and had been working on the queen's side. I quickly changed plans and developed a successful attack on the kingside.
Thanks to everyone for such high-quality contributions to this thread. I picked up two new books for my chess library and will soon be applying some new insights into the selection of my moves. Watch out!
Neil
How many blunders are there in chess? Well...a certain class of blunders involves exchanges. Here we see a list of exchanging moves and then the immediate realization that an error has been made. And of course, Kings cannot be captured.
Pawn takes pawn. Oops!
Pawn takes knight. Drats!
Pawn takes bishop. Doh!
Pawn takes rook. Darn it!
Pawn takes queen. Son-of-a!
Knight takes pawn. For the love of god...why?!
Knight takes knight. Oh....
Knight takes bishop. Now, why did I do that?
Knight takes rook. Why do I even bother?
Knight takes queen. Ah-hah!....um...oh man......
Bishop takes pawn. Dumbass!
Bishop takes knight. Oh regret!
Bishop takes bishop. Can I take that move back?
Bishop takes rook. Curses!
Bishop takes queen. haha! I got your queen...but you won the game :-(
Rook takes pawn. Oh...I did not see that one coming.
Rook takes knight. Hmm...i guess I shouldn't move so fast.
Rook takes bishop. uh-oh...
Rook takes rook. And here I thought I was winning.
Rook takes queen. Dang it!
Queen takes pawn. What???
Queen takes knight. Hey!
Queen takes bishop. Son of a bishop!
Queen takes rook. Is he using a parapsychologist against me?
Queen takes queen. Ugh...
King takes pawn. What am I ... stupid or something?
King takes knight. Noooooooo!
King takes bishop. After careful analysis, it appears that move was an error.
King takes rook. Chess fever has gotten the better of me.
King takes queen. Well...no body's perfect.
But of course, exchanges can and do work out well sometimes if you play them at the right time...right?
i fear looking at BlueDev's guide for it may spoil my thought process
Bomtrown that is really funny ! Hehehe.. In fact though.. all players make bloopers, bad moves, weak moves..its just that Kasperov and others GM make less of them. There is a movie on Youtube of Kasperov after he made a bad move...( which one on your list Bomtrown ? )....he is a very expressive guy.. check it out..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZqcT66Fkzw
Best,
Does anyone have a checklist they would be willing to share -- a set of things that you ask yourself or consider before you make a move?
I was just reading another forum discussion that touched on this -- it seems some of us have worked out some good practices that might be helpful to the rest of us. Any volunteers?
For myself, I know that I do not have a good practice at all. So I'd love to hear what some of you have adopted in your own approach to avoiding blunders / choosing good moves.
Thanks,
Neil