DECISION MAKING

-learn to consistently identify, analyze, evaluate, and differentiate candidate moves

-if a move is forced then play it (don’t spend too much time analyzing it)

-don’t think too much about moves in the opening (especially if you have prepared)

-design a decision-making process for organized thinking

General process:

1. Positional evaluation

2. Determine checks, threats, and captures

3. Calculate the immediate checks, threats, captures

4. Determine candidate moves

5. Calculate, visualize, and assess

6. Blunder check

7. Move

If no immediate threat:

1. Positional evaluation

2. Determine a plan and create a to do list

3. Determine candidate moves

4. Calculate, visualize, and assess

5. Blunder check

6. Move

Positional Evaluation
1. Look at material and consider the following:

passed pawns pawn islands connected pawns

pawn majorities isolated pawns doubled pawns

backward pawns escape squares control of files/ranks/diagonals

central control king safety outposts

initiative development roles of all pieces

2. Look at tactical considerations:

forks skewers battery

zwischenzug double check discovered attack

overloaded pieces pins guarded pieces

deflection interference double attacks

windmill decoy blockade

x-ray discovered checks sacrifices

3. Look for threats:

Tactics/forcing moves

If the threat is major, go on to calculation

Threatening moves that survive the initial list will go to the candidate move list

Ask yourself

How have things changed with your opponent’s last move?

What is the stage of the game?

What should I strive to do in this position?

Have I completed development?

Can I conduct an attack?

Where are my opponent’s weaknesses? How can I organize my pieces to attack those
weaknesses?

Can I make immediate threats that will force my opponent into playing defensive moves?

What is my opponent trying to achieve? What are their threats and how serious are they?

These questions gather information that you will use to identify candidate moves.

The quality of this information will depend on your knowledge of chess strategy.

Determine a plan and create a to do list

Plans are strategic considerations (based on positional evaluation) that are used to generate
candidate moves.

Do not play moves without conducting an analysis first.

1. Make specific plans and think of moves to achieve them (candidate moves). (If they make
threats, place more importance on them)

2. If there are no serious threats, implement a plan (e.g. improve mobility, prevent castling,
trade pieces, etc.)

3. Every 3-10 moves (depending) make a list of things you want to accomplish. Create a list at
critical moments, when the characteristics of the position change or may soon change, or when
you have completed a task on your list

4. If the resulting position is not possible, come up with new moves to reach your desired
position

Determine candidate moves

Follow a certain thinking process, and do not analyze moves randomly.

Rely on knowledge and intuition to decide which moves (and responses) are worth deeper
investigation.
Finding a suitable plan gives you the key to identify candidate moves (otherwise your candidate
moves will be guesswork).

1. After having calculated checks, threats, and captures, begin looking for candidate moves.
Candidate moves should be in line with your strategic objectives, while still guarding against
checks, threats, and captures.

2. Prioritize candidate moves (biggest threats first)

3. Analyze each one, beginning with the most likely candidate, while ruling out clearly bad
ones

Consider attacking moves and forward moves first.

Candidate moves should improve the overall quality of your position and, ideally, restrict your
opponent’s options.

4. Calculate until the forcing moves quieten down

If your opponent has even one reply which you cannot meet, you will most likely have to
abandon that candidate move

5. Conduct a more thorough check of each move you have not ruled out. Stop at each move
down the line and look for surprise tactics, etc. Identify new candidate moves that may have
been missed.

Calculate, visualize, and assess

Good calculation comes from finding logical candidate moves

1. Decide whether the position actually required calculating variations

2. Select several possible moves (candidates), and begin calculating the most likely one

3. Visualize after each reply down the line, while watching for unexpected in-between moves

4. If they have a good reply to your moves, ask “what can I do to limit their reply?”

5. Continue visualizing candidate moves and their responses and in-between moves to get a
better overall picture (always consider your plan and strategy when calculating. Ask “how will my
goals be affected by my moves?”

Blunder check

Look around to guard against traps, blunders, obvious captures, tactics etc. before making your
move.