Next Move Thought Process

Looking for an indication of the thought process used by others when looking for tactics and evaluating the next move. Time permitting I try to do each of the items listed below. But I’m subject to errors. Not too crazy tactics problems that I can’t solve are generally missed because I glossed over one of these steps not taking enough time to really look at the situation.

Do you always spend the first part of your time trying to determine why your opponent made their previous move?

Is it part of your routine to look at each of your pieces to ensure they’re not hanging or set up on a file, rank or diagonal that might be subject tp attack?

Do you check each of your opponent’s pieces to see if anything is hanging or set up on a file, rank or diagonal that might be subject to an attack like a pin, discovery or x-ray.

Are forcing moves your main indicator that a tactic may be close by?

Do you color scan the squares around your knights looking for a double attack?

My move selection once things move past book openings is to go through these steps. Do others do this as well? Am I missing anything important?

Found this video. Good explanation of a model chess thought process. My needs might be even more basic. My difficulty is often not finding all candidate moves. What I’d like to develop is a more systematic method of looking at the board to determine good candidate moves. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XS1Nc6wbr2o&sns=em

https://youtu.be/Mvkuji08dMc not an entire checklist but certainly it will cover the tactical portion.

Good video so I’ll have to find more of his material.

Still missing opportunities. I’m trying to look at every piece on the board and see its relationship to other pieces by file, rank and diagonal. Most only get a quick glance, particularly if they haven’t moved recently. Others get more time. I think the process slows me down and makes me more deliberate. With this information hopefully kicking in some pattern recognition it then becomes time to look at forcing moves and try to follow up resulting changes on the board.

I certainly could be overthinking how to develop a process of seeing what’s on the board but missing what later on are obvious opportunities probably means I’m not overthinking while playing the game.

Though I don’t see an indication of who the first video is by the terminology leads me to believe it’s Dan Heisman. I thought it was a great video. His advice to slow down and be thorough is probably the wisdom I’m looking for.

Opening Principles:

1. Control the center squares – d4-e4-d5-e5

2. Develop your minor pieces toward the center – piece activity is the key

3. Castle

4. Connect your rooks

Tactics...tactics...tactics...

 

Pre Move Checklist:

1. Make sure all your pieces are safe. 

2. Look for forcing move: Checks, captures, threats. You want to look at ALL forcing moves (even the bad ones) this will force you look at, and see the entire board. 

3. If there are no forcing moves, you then want to remove any of your opponent’s pieces from your side of the board. 

4. If your opponent doesn’t have any of his pieces on your side of the board, then you want to improve the position of your least active piece. 

5. After each move by your opponent, ask yourself: "What is my opponent trying to do?"

 

Middlegame Planning:

1. Expand your position:

a. Gain more space.

b. Improve the position of your pieces.

2. Decide on what side of the board to play.

a. Queenside: a-c files.

b. Center: d-e files.

c. Kingside: f-h files.

Compare, space, material, and weakness(es)

Play where you have the advantage.

3. DO NOT HURRY.  Regroup your pieces, and be patient. 

Thanks FishEyedFools. When looking for forcing moves I’ve found myself finding something then not looking to see if that piece might have an even better forcing move. Do you look at each piece and find it’s relationship to the other pieces that occupy the same file, rank and diagonal in a systematic way so to not overlook a good move?

Lasker has a great quote: 

“When you see a good move, look for a better one” 
― Emanuel Lasker.

The thing about Forcing Moves is you look at all of them, no matter how bad they look, or really are.  This will train you to look at the entire board, not just parts of it.  

It sounds like you are looking more for a blunder-check.  My thinking changes depending on the game state (eg, I’m focusing on development in the opening, not the endgame), but a basic blunder-check is always present regardless.

What helped get me from 1300 to about 1500 was asking both, “What is my opponent’s threat?” and also, “If my opponent had two moves in a row, what might he do?”  The first one helps stop immediate threats, and the second one helped me see simple maneuvers and combinations.  It’s not perfect, but it helped stop 70% or so of my careless blunders.

It’s also worth ‘blunderchecking’ for your opponent.  If all his pieces are protected and he’s equal in development, I don’t spend too much time looking for tactics and I play a ‘normal’ move.  If he has several undefended pieces, or if he’s behind in development and his King is in the centre, I now look harder for something forcing.  Experience, as always, will refine this sense, but thinking about your opponent is a good first step.

You're doing the right things but you need more experience and learning.

 

Basically I can recommend a book to you Move First,Think Later by Willy Hendriks.

What helped get me from 1300 to about 1500 was asking both, “What is my opponent’s threat?” and also, “If my opponent had two moves in a row, what might he do?”  The first one helps stop immediate threats, and the second one helped me see simple maneuvers and combinations.  It’s not perfect, but it helped stop 70% or so of my careless blunders.

 

Good stuff, SmithyQ!!

Modern defense...

 

 

What about it?

Its his attempt at humor.