Home (http://beginchess.com/) / analysis (http://beginchess.

com/category/analysis/)
/ Thought Process Checklist

Thought Process Checklist

Posted on June 26, 2011 (http://beginchess.com/2011/06/26/thought-process-checklist/) by
chessbuzz (http://beginchess.com/author/chessbuzz/)

Trade Forex, Oil & Gold

Start with Free 10K Demo

Core Evaluation

1. How has the opponents last move changed the position? Has your opponent made a blunder?
2. What is he trying to achieve?
3. Has he weakened his position (positional concession, piece en prise, open to a tactic) ?
4. Are there any threats?

Tactical Evaluation

If 1 or more of the following exist, then perform a tactical evaluation if none exist proceed to the
Positional Evaluation section:
1. Loose (unguarded) pieces : Loose pieces drop off LDPO
2. Weak back rank
3. Pieces that can be easily attacked by enemy pieces of lesser value
4. Pieces that can be attacked via discovery
5. Pinned or skewerable pieces along the same rank, file or diagonal
6. Pieces (or squares) vulnerable to knight forks
7. Overworked pieces (pieces guarding more than one piece or square)
8. Inadequately guarded pieces
9. Falling way behind in development
10. uncastled King or lost pawn protection with Queens on the board
11. Open enemy lines for Rooks, Queens and bishops to your King
12. Pieces that have little mobility and might easily be trapped if attacked
13. A large domination of one sides forces in one area of the board
14. Advanced passed pawns

Positional Evaluation

1. What is the material balance?

2. Are there any direct threats?
3. How is the safety of both Kings?
 4. Pawn structure questions:
a. Where are the open lines and diagonals?
b. Are there any strong squares?
c. Who is controlling the center?
d. Who has more space and where on the board do they have it?
5. Which pieces are active and which are not?
a. Are there any weaknesses in my position?
b. Are there any weaknesses in my opponents position?
c. Are there any strengths in my opponents position?
d. What are the strengths in my position?
Shares
e. Which is my weakest placed piece? How can I improve it?

Candidate Move Selection

1. based on above select 2-4 candidates

2. Begin analyzing the most forcing candidate first

NOTE: When analyzing look for opponents best response and look 2 1/2 moves (5 ply ahead).
If there is a combination, then you need to calculate until quiesence.
3. Double check that at the end of your analysis your opponent doesnt have a killer move (deadly in-
between move or tactic)
4. Evaluate the position at the end of your analysis:
Even, W / B is slightly better, W / B is better, W/B is winning, unclear
5. Rank your candidate move based on evaluation.
6. Depending on time constraints and the quality of your recently analyzed candidate move go to step 2.
a. if your candidates analysis weakens your position (leaves you better when winning or even when
slightly better, then analyze the next candidate on your list)
b. If your candidate leaves you in the same position (even when even, winning when winning), then
decide whether you want to take additional time to analyze the next candidate on your list. The next
candidate might take you from even to winning, so even if you found a good move, look for a better one if
time allows.

Blunder Check

7. Write down your move.

8. Perform a blunder check
a. are you leaving a piece en prise?
b. Are you missing a killer tactic?
c. Are you missing a killer in-between move?
d. Are you positionally weakening your position?
9. PLAY the move

Related

Evaluating Tactics My Thought Process Think Like a Chess Engine

(http://beginchess.com/2009/
12/22/evaluating-tactics/)
December 22, 2009
In "Chess"
(http://beginchess.com/2009/ (http://beginchess.com/2010/
10/14/my-thought-process/) 08/15/think-like-a-chess-
October 14, 2009 engine/)
In "Thinking Process" August 15, 2010
In "analysis"

This entry was posted in analysis (http://beginchess.com/category/analysis/), Checklist

(http://beginchess.com/category/checklist/), Featured (http://beginchess.com/category/featured/),
Thinking Process (http://beginchess.com/category/thinking-process/) and tagged analysis
(http://beginchess.com/tag/analysis/), Checklist (http://beginchess.com/tag/checklist/), thought
process (http://beginchess.com/tag/thought-process/).
Bookmark the permalink (http://beginchess.com/2011/06/26/thought-process-checklist/).

This article was helpful

3 people found this article useful

Threats in Chess Pt. 2 Playing Against an Outpost

(http://beginchess.com/2010/11/27/threats-in- (http://beginchess.com/2011/08/23/playing-
chess-pt-2/) against-an-outpost/)

chessbuzz has written 52

(http://beginchess.com/author/chessbuzz/)

(http://beginchess.com/author/chessbuzz/) articles
One thought on Thought Process Checklist

Pingback: Chess Imbalances - The Silman Thinking Technique - beginchess.com

(http://beginchess.com/2005/03/16/the-silman-thinking-technique/)

Leave a Reply
Enter your comment here...

Search Knowledgebase

Categories

Select Category

ads

Trade Forex, Oil & Gold

Start with Free 10K
Demo

Supercharge Your Chess

(http://www.thechessworld.com/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=137_1_1_8)

Popular Articles

Anatomy of a Chess Player : Chess Levels From Beginner to Expert 38

(http://beginchess.com/2009/08/02/anatomy-of-a-chess-player-from-beginner-to-expert/)

Recommended Chess Books by Rating 11

(http://beginchess.com/2009/07/03/recommended-chess-book-reading-list-by-rating-
updated/)

Chess Tips: Patience at the Chess board 8

(http://beginchess.com/2016/01/09/chess-tips-patience/)

Logical Chess Move by Move (PGN Download) 6

(http://beginchess.com/2010/08/09/logical-chess-move-by-move-pgn-download/)

The Step Method in Chess 5

(http://beginchess.com/2009/07/23/the-step-method-in-chess/)

Purdys Thinking System 5

(http://beginchess.com/2007/02/06/purdys-thinking-system/)

10 Steps to Chess Improvement 5

(http://beginchess.com/2012/01/06/the-road-to-chess-improvement-in-10-steps/)

Ruben Fines Thirty Rules of Chess 4

(http://beginchess.com/2006/10/04/ruben-fines-thirty-rules-of-chess/)

Chess Training Plan for Intermediate Players 4

(http://beginchess.com/2016/05/25/chess-training-plan-intermediate-players/)

Modern Chess Book Classics 4

(http://beginchess.com/2014/03/22/modern-chess-book-classics/)

Top 5 Free Chess Databases 4

(http://beginchess.com/2016/02/13/chess-databases/)

The Chess Directory Project 4

(http://beginchess.com/2016/01/24/the-chess-directory-project/)

Chess Board Visualization Training 4

(http://beginchess.com/2016/02/05/chess-board-visualization-training/)

Chess Strategy 3
(http://beginchess.com/2016/03/13/chess-strategy/)

Thought Process Checklist 3

(http://beginchess.com/2011/06/26/thought-process-checklist/)

General Treatise on Chess 3

(http://beginchess.com/2013/01/25/general-treatise-of-chess/)

8 Chess Endgame Principles 3

(http://beginchess.com/2016/02/25/chess-endgame-principles/)

Top 10 Chess Books You Will Ever Need 3

(http://beginchess.com/2014/04/30/the-only-10-chess-books-you-will-ever-need/)

Think Like a Chess Engine 2

(http://beginchess.com/2010/08/15/think-like-a-chess-engine/)

Threats in Chess 2
 (http://beginchess.com/2010/11/22/threats-in-chess/)

Archives

Select Month

Tags
analysis (http://beginchess.com/tag/analysis/) Annotated Games
(http://beginchess.com/tag/annotated-games/) announcement blitz break
(http://beginchess.com/tag/announcement-blitz-break/) assessment
(http://beginchess.com/tag/assessment/) Blogs (http://beginchess.com/tag/blogs/) blunders
(http://beginchess.com/tag/blunders/) Books (http://beginchess.com/tag/books/) calculation
(http://beginchess.com/tag/calculation/) Checklist (http://beginchess.com/tag/checklist/) Chess
(http://beginchess.com/tag/chess/) Chess Books (http://beginchess.com/tag/chess-books/)

chess improvement
chess coach (http://beginchess.com/tag/chess-coach/)

(http://beginchess.com/tag/chess-improvement/) choosing

a move (http://beginchess.com/tag/choosing-a-move/) ECT (http://beginchess.com/tag/ect/) Endgame

(http://beginchess.com/tag/endgame/) evaluation
(http://beginchess.com/tag/evaluation/) Exercises

(http://beginchess.com/tag/exercises/) Expert Theory (http://beginchess.com/tag/expert-theory/)

fundamentals (http://beginchess.com/tag/fundamentals/) Grau (http://beginchess.com/tag/grau/) Improvement
(http://beginchess.com/tag/improvement/) Johnathan Rowson (http://beginchess.com/tag/johnathan-
rowson/) knowledge (http://beginchess.com/tag/knowledge/) learning (http://beginchess.com/tag/learning/)
Lessons (http://beginchess.com/tag/lessons/) links (http://beginchess.com/tag/links/)
Lists (http://beginchess.com/tag/lists/) Notebook
(http://beginchess.com/tag/notebook/) Openings (http://beginchess.com/tag/openings/) Positions
(http://beginchess.com/tag/positions/) Problems (http://beginchess.com/tag/problems/) Purdy
(http://beginchess.com/tag/purdy/) puzzles (http://beginchess.com/tag/puzzles/) stokyo
(http://beginchess.com/tag/stokyo/) Strategy (http://beginchess.com/tag/strategy/) Studying
(http://beginchess.com/tag/studying/) Tactics (http://beginchess.com/tag/tactics/) thought
process (http://beginchess.com/tag/thought-process/) tips
Training
(http://beginchess.com/tag/tips/)

(http://beginchess.com/tag/training/) training position

(http://beginchess.com/tag/training-position/) Twitter (http://beginchess.com/tag/twitter/) Videos
(http://beginchess.com/tag/videos/) Visualization (http://beginchess.com/tag/visualization/)

Stay Connected

(http://t

witter.c

om/che

ssbuzz)

Privacy Policy (http://wp.me/PeX31-kv) | Proudly powered by WordPress (http://wordpress.org/) | Theme: WP Knowledge Base by
iPanelThemes.com (http://ipanelthemes.com/).