"What’s More Important: Intuition or Calculation in Chess?"

In chess, some players trust their gut instinct, making moves based on experience and pattern recognition, while others rely on deep calculation to verify every move. But which is more important? Do strong players "feel" the right move before calculating it, or does raw calculation always win? At what rating does intuition become more valuable than brute-force calculation? Share your thoughts, experiences, and examples—do you trust your instincts or calculate every move?

Let's discuss 👇🏻 

Calculation is for a large part intuition, even if you can visualize extremely well, you won't be able to calculate far without good intuition. Say your calculating some mate in 5, you won't finding by calculating 200 different lines and eventually stumbling across the one that leads to mate. You still have to intuitively feel what moves come after to calculate the sequence. So in that sense I would say intuition

But I think calculations would be a tiny bit more important than intuition

Intuition is important but calculations have a slight edge that is what I feel

Cool but whats your counter argument for intuition being essential for calculation

Ye that's what I said intuition is important but without calculation we won't be able to finish the game. Intuition has an important tole

Intuition is my main skill and I have made it to 2000+ in all time controls in under 2 years. I'm trying to work on calculation and tactics a bit more now. But intuition is also very important.

intuition is the subconscious pruning, calculation is conscious pruning. an intuitive player prunes a lot better so he needs to calculate a lot less, a calculative player confirms more but unless supplemented by good intuition , really struggles at critical moments since calculating everything is impossible.

There is no answer to this question. A great player is superb at both

Intuition always.

I almost never calculate anything.

3 moves in Blitz games and above.

I use a similar method of Peruvian GM Julio Granda, philosophically understanding the position.

Once you know that, you already know what the best move is, the deeper you dive.

I've played a lot of games where intuition and experience caused me to place pieces on decent squares that made sense in the position. Then sometime later that intuition and experience said there had to be something available in the position, and also rapidly focused on what that something might involve. Then calculation takes over. Without intuition you are left with calculation spinning wheels and burning up clock time. Without some level of calculation you can't finish the game favorably. Good intuition and mild calculation would seem much more effective than good calculation and mild intuition.

Calculations and intuitive both are important and should co exist which is more important depends solely upon individuals

all you have proven is that you are no julio granda

Lol

I don't need to prove anything, I'm a thousand times better player than you. Julio's teachings were very useful to me.

I would say that both intuition and calculation are equally essential skills to have in chess. Intuition plays a big part in calculation and both are essential skills to have, if you are to evaluate a chess position successfully. And you have to evaluate successfully if you are to find the best possible moves. So, they are both equally important.

Somebody gets the same idea as me