There are more possibilities in a chess game than there are atoms in the universe—so it’s no surprise that picking your next move can feel daunting for many chess players.
Here are some suggestions to help you to select moves in your next chess game!
Steps for deciding your next move
First, at any level, go through a quick mental checklist:
- Are any of my pieces able to be captured?
- Does my opponent have any threats?
- What did my opponent’s last move do? Why do I think they made this move?
- Are there any checks, captures, or threats that I can create?
⚠️ However, if your opponent’s move makes a major threat, such as posing checkmate on the next move or attacking your queen, you’ll want to address that immediately, instead of developing your own separate plan.
Even if you have a great plan to win an enemy pawn, that plan will no longer seem so great if your opponent checkmates you on the next move, ending the game immediately!
Tips for beginners
A famous 19th century Russian chess player, Mikhail Chigorin, reportedly said, “Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all.” Having any strategy is better than randomly moving around pieces aimlessly. Just like military generals or sports teams, chess players need to first formulate a plan and then send out their pieces to work together to accomplish this objective.
Don’t worry too much if your plan is good or valid, just develop *A plan*, and do your best to make moves that contribute to your idea. The more you learn about chess, the better plans you’ll be able to create over time.
Your plan can be as simple as:
- attack a certain enemy pawn or piece
- attack the weak f2 or f7 square (this square is often weak because it starts out only defended by the enemy king!)
- attack on the left side of the board, also known as the queenside for White
- attack on the right side of the board, also known as the kingside for White
Your opening plan could be to develop each minor piece (knights and bishops), and then castle. If your plan is thwarted, don’t panic—just create a brand-new plan!
Tips for intermediate players
A “candidate move” means a move that you’re seriously considering playing and therefore deserves further analysis.
Once you have a few candidate moves in mind, visualize your first candidate move on the chess board: Mentally envision your piece actually on its destination square, as if you had actually played this candidate move on the board. While this may feel difficult for new players, it’ll get easier and easier over time!
The more you practice your visualization skills, the longer the sequences you’ll be able to play out in your head. You may start out only being able to see your first move in your imagination, but with enough time you’ll soon be able to add your opponent’s move, and your next move, and so on.
Once you’ve visualized your opponent’s response—and the series of likely moves that would follow—mentally rate that original candidate move. For example, spend 30 seconds visualizing and analyzing each candidate move.
Finally, once you’ve gone through your list of 3-5 candidate moves, play the one you rated the highest.
Tips for advanced players
For example, take note of any undefended pieces, both yours and your opponent’s. You might also notice weak squares, that is, squares that are undefended, defended by only one enemy defender, or even indefensible. Other observations might include squares, lines, and diagonals that are either especially strong or weak, as well as active and passive pieces on the chess board.
Based on your observations, formulate a plan catered to these unique imbalances. For instance, if you notice you’re strong on a certain diagonal, you might add even more pieces along that diagonal in order to attack. If you notice one of your pieces is passive and blocked, maybe unblock and activate that piece, so it can join the fight. And If you notice an enemy piece is vulnerable, consider finding a way to fork or attack it or create a tactic involving it.
Make your next move your best move yet!
Keep these ideas in mind during your next chess match, and keep planning and observing to set yourself up for success!