How to Find the Best Move EVERY Time-Chess Calculation Guide

Summary

This chess tutorial delves into evaluating complex positions by focusing on piece activity, pawn structure, and king safety. The speaker explains key concepts such as the importance of calculating candidate moves, the idea of a 'grandmaster trade' (sacrificing a bishop for a knight), and the strategic positioning of pieces like knights and bishops. Through examples, the tutorial emphasizes how to eliminate less effective moves and identify the best course of action. With practical advice, viewers learn to enhance their decision-making and calculation skills to improve their overall chess strategy.

Takeaways

• 😀 Piece activity is crucial in evaluating a position, considering the mobility and placement of each piece, particularly rooks, queens, and knights.
• 😀 Weaknesses in the pawn structure, such as unguarded squares like D6, D5, and others, make black's position more vulnerable than white's.
• 😀 In the context of piece evaluation, the value of a bishop vs. a knight depends on the specific position and its weaknesses.
• 😀 A knight can often outperform a bishop when placed on a strong outpost, especially when the opponent's pawns are on dark squares.
• 😀 The concept of 'Good Knight vs. Bad Bishop' is explained, where the knight is better when it can control key squares that the bishop cannot reach.
• 😀 When evaluating a position, always consider the safety of the king, as this is a primary concern in any chess game.
• 😀 Candidate moves should be carefully chosen by focusing on moves that are on the opponent's half of the board and eliminate options that don't serve the overall strategy.
• 😀 Instead of choosing the best move immediately, the key is to eliminate the weaker candidate moves to narrow down the options.
• 😀 The grandmaster trade of exchanging a bishop for a knight can be justified when the knight can control a critical square that the bishop cannot.
• 😀 In a situation where the opponent’s king is exposed, look for forcing moves (like checks) that could lead to a decisive advantage or checkmate.

Q & A

What is the primary focus when evaluating a chess position?

The primary focus is on evaluating piece activity, pawn structure, weaknesses, and king safety to determine which side has the advantage.

How is piece activity assessed in the script?

Piece activity is assessed by comparing the activity of each side's pieces, such as rooks, bishops, and knights. In this case, white and black have roughly equal piece activity, though certain pieces like the bishop and knight are more important.

What makes a pawn structure weak in chess?

A weak pawn structure is one where a pawn or square cannot be defended by another pawn, leading to weaknesses that the opponent can exploit. In this script, black's position has several weak pawns, such as those on D6 and D5.

Why does the player consider the knight superior to the bishop in certain positions?

The knight is considered superior to the bishop in this case because the knight can control important weak squares (like D5) and create a strong outpost, while the bishop is hindered by pawns that block its movement.

What is the concept of 'Good Knight vs. Bad Bishop'?

'Good Knight vs. Bad Bishop' refers to a situation where a knight, positioned on a strong square (like an outpost), can be more effective than a bishop whose movement is limited by the pawn structure. This concept is discussed in Jeremy Silman's book 'How to Reassess Your Chess.'

What does the term 'grandmaster trade' refer to in the script?

The term 'grandmaster trade' refers to the exchange of a bishop for a knight, a move typically reserved for higher-level players. This trade is made to control a weak square (like D5), where the knight becomes more effective than the bishop.

How does the player evaluate pawn weaknesses in black's position?

Black's position is evaluated as having several pawn weaknesses, particularly on D6, D5, B6, C6, and A5, which cannot be defended by other pawns and can be exploited by white.

Why is king safety considered a critical factor in this evaluation?

King safety is a critical factor because an exposed king is vulnerable to attacks, which can lead to checkmate or a significant loss of material. In this script, white's king is safe, while black's king is unprotected and vulnerable.

What is the best move in the third position and why?

The best move in the third position is Queen to F7, check, because it forces black's knight to capture on E7, allowing white to deliver checkmate with Knight to E6. The move is effective due to the opponent's weak king position and the forcing nature of the move.

What does the script suggest about calculating candidate moves?

The script suggests that when faced with many candidate moves, the key is to eliminate moves that are clearly not useful and then focus on the most promising moves. The process is about eliminating bad options to find the best move.