The 7-Step Thought Process

Link to the study: The Ultimate Chess Guide

Link to discord: The Zug-Zwang-Zone

Link to lichess team: The Zug-Zwang-Zone

Developing an ideal thinking process for calculation can make it a lot more efficient and you'll miss less. Here’s a structured step-by-step approach to the thinking process:

1. Evaluate the Current Situation

Before making any moves, take a moment to assess the position on the board. Consider the material balance, pawn structure, piece activity and king safety. This evaluation will help you prioritize what to focus on during your calculation.

2. Identify Weaknesses

Secondly, look at both yours and your opponent's pieces, and try to identify weaknesses. This will help you develop a plan (which is something we'll talk about later) and maybe you'll notice some tactical opportunities.

Here the d6-pawn is weak, which helps us make a plan to maneuver the knight in order to apply pressure on it.

3. Find Out Your Opponent's Ideas

It's important to think prophylactically and try to understand what your opponent is planning. However, it's important you don't focus on this step too much and get overly scared of your opponent's plans. That would lead to you making passive and overly defensive moves.

Black’s idea is to play b7-b5, so we play a4-a5 to prepare answering it with en passant.

4. Come Up With A Plan

This is a pretty big step-by-step process by itself that I’ve covered in chapter 19.

5. Generate Candidate Moves

Begin by listing all reasonable moves, including both tactical and strategic options. Include captures, checks, and other active moves. Don’t overlook less aggressive options, as they may also be viable. Generally speaking, three candidate moves are enough but some positions require more.

6. Calculate

Calculation is 90% of the thought process and I’ve gone into depth how to do this in chapter 7 to chapter 19 in my lichess study.

7. Make Your Move

Once you’ve selected the best move, execute it confidently. Ensure you remain aware of your opponent’s potential responses and be prepared to adapt your plan as the game progresses.

Conclusion

By developing a structured approach to your calculations, you not only improve your efficiency but also reduce the chances of making mistakes. This method of assessing the board, understanding weaknesses, generating candidate moves, and calculating precisely allows you to make informed, confident decisions throughout the game.

For a deeper dive into these ideas and practical examples, check out my Ultimate Chess Guide on Lichess. It covers everything from openings to endgames and offers interactive studies to help reinforce the concepts discussed in this post. With consistent practice and a solid thought process, you’ll be well on your way to mastering chess. Happy playing!