How to Find Candidate Moves in Under 60 Seconds
The candidate moves system isn't just for grandmasters. Here's a simple 3-step process that works at every level.
Kotov's "Think Like a Grandmaster" introduced the candidate moves concept to the chess world decades ago. The principle is simple: before calculating deeply, identify the moves worth calculating. Here's a streamlined version that works at club level.
Step 1: Checks, Captures, Threats
Always start here. Ask yourself: what checks do I have? What can I capture? What threats can I create? These move types are the first candidates because they force responses and have a direct impact on the position. They're easy to miss if you don't look for them explicitly.
Step 2: Surprising Moves
After the obvious candidates, look for surprising moves — quiet moves, retreats, side-steps. Often the best move in a position is one that doesn't look "natural." A bishop retreat that clears a line, a rook lift to the third rank, a quiet queen maneuver that creates multiple threats simultaneously.
Step 3: Don't Calculate More Than Three Candidates
If you have more than three candidate moves, you're not filtering enough. Force yourself to narrow it down. A vague calculation of five moves is less useful than a precise calculation of two. Better to deeply analyse fewer options than to shallowly analyse many.