Skybound Chess
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Intermediate · 10 lessons

Calculation & Thinking

A practical thinking method — checks, captures and threats first; loose pieces drop off; count attackers and defenders; don't calculate what you can judge.

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  1. 1Checks, captures, threatsStart hereBefore anything else, scan every forcing move — they change the position most and hide the tactics.→
  2. 2Loose pieces drop offLPDO: an undefended enemy piece is a tactic waiting to happen — go looking for a way to hit it.→
  3. 3Candidate movesList two or three plausible moves before you calculate any of them deeply — don't fall in love with the first idea.→
  4. 4The blunder checkBefore you play a move — especially a tempting capture — ask: what does this allow?→
  5. 5Don't calculate what you can judgeIf you can see the resulting position is simply good for you, play it — you don't need to force-calculate every line.→
  6. 6Count the defendersBefore you grab a 'hanging' piece, count attackers versus defenders on that square — it may be defended enough times.→
  7. 7Visualize the final positionBefore playing a forcing move, picture exactly where the position lands — then check you actually want to be there.→
  8. 8EliminationWhen every other move loses, the one move left standing must be right — even before you've calculated why.→
  9. 9Anticipate the replyBefore you commit to a move, ask what the best answer to it is — don't just check that it's legal.→
  10. 10The comparison methodWhen two moves look similar, don't guess — work out the resulting position for each and compare them directly.→