Chess Calculation Mastery: Avoid These 5 Critical Mistakes!

[@Phurngirathaana]

This single video teaches more about calculation than hours spent doing random exercises It certainly has inspired me Thanks for the video!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I am so glad to hear it, thank you so much ❤️ That is exactly why I created this channel.

[@R.Akerman-oz1tf]

@@Dr.CansClinicDr. , The 6th min puzzle; moving the Wht. King would also lose?

[@surf2553]

The questions I ask: After opponent moves: 1. What does this move do? 2. Can they attack next move? Then assess my candidates: 3. Can I attack? 4. Can I improve? Then evaluate the lines, and the last question I ask: 5. What are opponent's aggressive replies? This helps me focus on attacking replies of opponents. And now I am trying to automate this process...Which is quite a challenge.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That looks like an effective checklist, and not too long! Keep on practicing! Good questions will eventually lead to good answers.

[@jonnyjansson7320]

Thank you for this beautiful video! Today, I found the rook endgame in the second position you showed and the homework position very interesting. In the rook endgame, I first calculated 1.Rxg4 hxg4 2.h5 d4 3.cxd4 cxd4 and we have a race between the h-pawn and the d-pawn, which White wins because it is White's turn to move and he queen's with a check. At this point, I didn't calculate just counting the moves and evaluated this as winning. I also noticed that Black can play ..Kg7 when the pawn lands on h7, but i dissmissed it immediately because after the reply e6 the black king is outside the square. This is of course true if there is nothing else on the board than the white king, the e- and h-pawn versus a lone black king. To check this evaluation I did the calculation: 4.h6 d3 5.h7 Kg7 6.e6. The difference here compared to the position after 5..d2 is that is no longer a race between h- and the d-pawn, but a race between the e- and the d-pawn, and since it is black to move and he queen's with a check after 6..d2 7.e7 d1Q+ 8.Kg2 Qe2 and black wins. A clear example, of handwaving, where it was my pattern recognition in combination with lazyness which almost induced the error. I think this is quite common in my games. I also did a blunder check of 1.Rxd5 and this move seems to work after 1..Rxh4 2.Kxg2 Rh2+ 3.Kxg3 Rxb2 4.Rxc5 and I think white is better. It is interesting that if you put black's king e8 in the starting position instead of f8, white wins with 1.Rxg4. Its just a difference of one tempo! In the homework problem, two of the fallacies tried to rear their ugly heads, namely Kotov's syndrom and handwaving. I started with 1.d7 because I thought initially that putting both pawns on dark squares after 1.e7 would make my bishop bad. I first tried the tricky 2.Bd6+ after the response 1..Ke7 but I couldn't find a follow up after 2..Kd8. then I tried going after the queen side pawns with 2.Bb8 but that attempt is stopped in it its tracks by 2..Nc6. Here I stopped and looked at 1.e7 but I didn't see anything after 1..Kf7, so I went back to 1.d7 and tried really hard to make it work, slowly realising that after 1.d7 Ke7 2.Bc7 Nc6 that White can't defend his two passers after which White is probably lost. Here, I realised that the move to play must be 1.e7, but why. I took me a really long time to realise that I can play 2.Nb5 after 1.Kf7. The problem was that it leaves the pawn on b2 hanging, and after 2..Bxb2 Black has a protected passed pawn on c5, which could be dangerous. Here I was on the verge of giving up, when it dawn to me that after 1.e7 Kf7 2.Nb5 Bxb2 the idéa is to play 3.Nc7 and the e-pawn queens. If Black try 2..Nd5, White play 3.Nc7 anyway because after 3..Nxc7 4.dxc7 and white queens instead on c8. The final variation I calculated was: 1.e7 Kf7 2.Nb5 Nd5 3.Nc7 Nxe7 4.dxe7 Kxe7 5.b3, which I evaluated as difficult but probably winning for white. It was interesting to note these fallacies crop up in my thinking making me lose objectivity. Here I steared clear of them, but in my games so far not so much. Thank you for making me aware of them, so I can start to adress them!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you sooo much for your detailed analyses! I loved reading it! You are absolutely correct about both positions! 1 e7! wins, for the reasons you mentioned. I also handwaved and played 1. d7?? in the actual game. I lost after 1...Nc6 2. Bc7 Kxe6 3. d8=Q Nxd8 4. Bxd8 Kd7! and my bishop got trapped on d8! I stopped my calculations too early and did not see this forcing move at the end of the line where I won a piece... A painful otb loss!

[@RobiManalo]

This is the first time I watch a video from this chanell and I can say that your chanell is actually very underated. I learned a lot of new tips from that compare to most videos that I have searched for. Thank you, you explain it well.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That is so motivating to hear for me. Thank you so much. Please don't hesitate sharing this channel so people will become aware of this free content ☺️

[@DanZhukovin]

Such an honest, valuable and grounded video!!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

❤️🙏

[@DanZhukovin]

@ Yup that’s why I like this channel…Doesn’t sell a product by purposely giving incomplete or wrong information to create problems to sell solutions for. A lot of chess instruction channels and sites do that!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

@@DanZhukovin Chess is a very honest game. And a difficult one. There are no easy solutions.

[@DanZhukovin]

@ Couldn’t have said it better myself!

[@ioannisyapitzakis4677]

Excellent presentation dear colleaque! Many thanks!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much, dear collegue! :)

[@normanlove222]

Dude, you have blown my mind by saying something no one ever said, "You are always looking for the best move for BOTH sides. Thats what good chess players do" That changes me forever bro. thank you so much. no one ever just said that, why I never do it. but now I have to do it. Youre the best sir. 🙏

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I am extremely happy to have changed your mental models. Wishing you all the best!

[@milehighslacker4196]

My brain is much different for sure! @11:20, I saw 1.Bc4 Qg6 2.Bxe6+ fxe6 and then if I try to develop and castle: 3.Nf3 Qxg2 4.Qxe6+ Kb8 5.Ke2 (required to defend both the f3-Knight and the h1-Rook). This line, and the line the video followed (1.Bc4 Na5 2.Bxe6+ fxe6) are both about +2.0 in eval, but I dislike the resulting position in the line I saw above - my King doesn't seem safe (even though Black has no light-square Bishop), so I would try to find a better move than 1.Bc4 because that's just the way my brain works. Thanks for making me think here. My trouble is I don't seem to be able to see a position in my head where my King is on e2, and my opponent's Queen is all up in my business, and think - "yeah this is good for me." Sure, everything is defended, but my Queen is about to be hit by ...Rd6 and I can't possibly think beyond 3 moves, let alone 5 or 6, to get any confidence about the resulting position. 1...Qg6 just seemed more complex than I was capable of deciding/deciphering. Would I have found a better move than 1.Bc4? perhaps not, but all the calculation required to look for one would probably cause me to play some fool-hardy move for sure (not being able to convince myself that 1.Bc4 is in fact the best move in the original position because of the 1...Qg6 line).

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I hear you... I think Bc4 must be played anyways, even though you got scared of ...Qg6, simply because White MUST develop the kingside and secure their king as soon as possible (goal setting process). Once you understand how crucial this goal is, you have to bite the bullet and play Bc4 (after properly calculating ...Na5 Bxe6+ line). Besides, I don't think we need to give up the g2 pawn after ...Qg6.

[@adamblomquist5581]

First day watching your videos, you doc are freaking amazing! After your How to tame the knight vid i actually understood, you are an EXCELLENT AMAZING teacher! Thank you sir

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I am so humbled to hear your kind feedback ❤️ There are aroun 100+ long videos waiting for you :) Please also check out my courses for consolidation.

[@stolenhandle]

Very, very nice work Doc. You are doing great work here. Thank you!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

You are very welcome! Thank you so much for your motivating comment! 🙏

[@selti1]

Thanks very much Dr Can for your excellent explanations

[@Dr.CansClinic]

So motivating to hear, thank you 🙏

[@gavinjones8543]

Ouch. Great examples! Cheers

[@Dr.CansClinic]

My pleasure, thank you!

[@Selmonbhoiriyal]

Hey dr can, can you please make a video on how to perform a same side castling attack? I have seen top players fearlessly pushing their kingside pawns and creating an attack by it. It would be really helpful.❤

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That is an interesting idea, thanks! I took note of it ❤️

[@softlux34]

at 6:30 i finally understood what zugzwang really means,thx

[@Dr.CansClinic]

So nice to hear that!

[@xaviergeorgitsis9206]

Thanks Doc, brilliant lesson as always

[@Dr.CansClinic]

It is my pleasure, thank you!

[@CC-ii3ij]

Always fantastic! Exposing my time-wasting tendencies!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Glad that you found it useful and the video raised your awareness of your calculation skills 🙏

[@nomoreblitz]

Good lesson, and nice nod to Dan Heisman! So, if we're being "honest," can you tell us how diligent you have become at looking for Opp's best responses? Or do you still struggle with it?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your kind feedback! Tough question ☺️ I am a human, and I am also prone to these cognitive biases I mentioned in the video (wishful thinking, sunk cost fallacy, etc.). When I look back to my painful losses, they were mostly due to calculation errors, so I have to get better at it myself. And yes, I was missing a strong reply by the opponent, or stopping the line too early. And sometimes handwaving too - I think this is more common for positional/strategic players - but we need more data on it. Looking back, perhaps that was one reason why I created that calculation course on Chessable. To help my own calculation skills too 😄

[@PascalHengster]

I See that e8 can Only be defended by the King...d8 can be also be defended by the knight via c6...also if the White pawns are on dark squares they are defended by our own darksquared bishop. That s why i would play e7...King hast to go to f7 and has to defend e8. 1. e7 Kf7 2. Kb5 Kd5 to prevent Kc7

[@Dr.CansClinic]

1. e7 is correct! At the end of your line, White has Nc7! and the c-pawn queens after ...Nxc7 dxc7.

[@namanziu4211]

I read these books, but thank you for explaining these concepts

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you!

[@scottmartin9041]

I think the biggest thing I learn from this video is dont forget pawn moves!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Good takeaway!

[@greatdanelegend7001]

The homework position is really tough. I thought d7 works due to Nc6 (to try and stop the pawn) Bc7 (to try and queen the pawn to win the knight) Be5+ to force the bishop trade, but after the king takes back the bishop, it is out of the square and the knight can't stop both pawns. With e7 I didn't see how to get the pawn to queen after Kf7. But then I read the comments and saw that the knight doesn't have to stop the pawn after d7, the king can do so as well, so now I have no idea. In a game I would have probably played e7 because it "looks safer" but that's probably not how you're supposed to play chess lol

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That was a hard one and I went wrong and chose d7 and lost the game after Nc6 Bc7 Kxe6 d8=Q Nxd8 Bxd8 Kd7 and the bishop got trapped!! e7! wins. with Nb5 + c7 idea, supporting the promotion square.

[@pakasokoste]

Fantastic video as always!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you ❤️

[@amanbadone9462]

thank you it is very helpful

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Glad it helped 🙏

[@anthonyjaglal]

Great information 👏💯 being coached one tends to measure position by concepts and chess principles an make judgements based those ideas,this video has really highlighted the need for other in-between ideas and possibilities that may arise , where we may have to change ones algorithm 🎉 great video 👏

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your feedback! Glad that it was useful! ❤️

[@Joe-y4e2p]

white has to push to d7 beacause that pawn which if the black king takes on e6 then the pawn promotes but if after pushing to d7 he tries to defend with his knight to c6 then whit can play bc7 defending the pawn promotion and black king would probably take on e6 then pawn promotes causing black to take with his knight and white recaptures back with the bishop and is up a knight.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That is exactly what I did. But I stopped too early. Because after Bxd8, ...Kd7 trapped my bishop!

[@ThortheMerciless]

I spent 5-10 minutes on d7, thinking that a check such as Bd6 or Bc7 would get me home, but I simply couldn't make it work. Then I switched to e7, spotting that it forces Kf7 in reply and then you have Nb5 with the idea of Nc7, hitting the e8 square. I couldn't see any adequate defence to this; best seems 2. ...Nd5 3.Nc7 when 3...Nxc7 4.dxc7 and queens, or 3...Nf6 4.e8=Q Nxe8 5.d7. Finally, most accurate seems to be 3...Nxe7 4.dxe7 Kxe7, but after b3 White should eventually grind Black down, with N vs 2P.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Excellent analysis, thanks! 1. e7! wins. 1. d7?? loses. I lost after 1. d7 Nc6 2. Bc7 Kxe6 3. d8=Q Nxd8 4. Bxd8 Kd7! and the bishop got trapped! I stopped that line too early.

[@Mikejones011990]

1. Nb5 Na6 prevents 2. Nc7. Having the N in the corner is a weakness, but how can white capitalize? I'm starting to think promoting is not the right idea , but it's a complicated position.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

But 1. Nb5 allows ...Kxe6, no?@@Mikejones011990

[@Mikejones011990]

​@@Dr.CansClinicmy mistake, I was starting after e7 Kf7.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Yes, e7! Kf7 Nb5! is strong!@@Mikejones011990

[@Sooosooostoned]

Another awesome episode! Does anyone else find themselves clapping between puzzles 😅

[@jonnyjansson7320]

Yes!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your kind words ❤️ Do you mean edit clapping or clapping for appreciation? 😅

[@R.Akerman-oz1tf]

@@Dr.CansClinicMore like slapping Myself to wake up.But slowly, I am learning. (My 1st view of Ur channel) Thanx.

[@timwoods3173]

Thank you

[@Dr.CansClinic]

You're welcome 🙏

[@FredPlanatia]

8:55 nice puzzle. i saw f5 traps the queen with threat of Rh6, but then i saw h4! This gives the queen a safe square on g5 which is covered only by my queen, and so it becomes a queen trade. I could then try R8f6, but i still don't see how to win material. p.s. i played a long game yesterday and lost due to Kotov Syndrome! It was just such a long calculation that caused me to play the next best thing after i couldn't make it work. And its not the 1st time i did that!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your honest feedback! We all suffered from Kotov Syndrome! Now you have a name for it and you gained awareness on this issue. Give it time, and hopefully those mistakes will reduce! I believe we have ...g5 against Qh4 in your line.

[@JustMe3.1415]

Another great one.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much ☺️

[@manuelfuentes4509]

I cheated on the homework. Couldn't decide between e7 or d7 (and read the comments with the solution). 😬 But I got the others right including Bc4. Dr. Can: This is the most underrated channel out there! Yours loyally, Manuel

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Super happy to hear your honest feedback! Please do not hesitate sharing the channel with your chess friends & chess platforms, so we can reach more people ☺️

[@ramisobi5647]

Amazing ❤❤

[@Dr.CansClinic]

❤️

[@patrickpercefull8278]

Homework: pushing the white pond next to the black king should equal a queen. If i push the other one the black knight will make me sad.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Yes. But how do you win after e7 Kf7?

[@boredash4020]

i would play 1.d7 ke7 2.bd6+ kd8 3.nb5(idea e7 kxd7 nc7) nc6 4.bc7+ ke7 5.nxc6 nd8 6. bxd8+ kxd8 7. nc6+ +-

[@Dr.CansClinic]

But what if Black goes ...Nc6 after 1. d7?

[@boredash4020]

@@Dr.CansClinic oops, this completely slipped my mind. bc7 kxe6 d8=Q nxQ bxN kd7 and my bishop is trapped ...

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Mine too...@@boredash4020

[@commandercakecat]

Homework :- d7 does not work, Nc6, Bc7, Ke7,Nd5 Kxe6,d8=Q, Nxe8,Bxe8,Kxd5 ( There is no way to remove the dark square blockade ) e7 forces Kf7, Nb5 (threatens Nc7 to threaten e8=Q) Na6 Nc7 Nxc7,dxc7 and there is forced promotion ( Nc6 does not work either as thr Knight cannot control e8 square on time)

[@commandercakecat]

e7, Kf7, Nb5 Bf6!? Nc7 Bxe7 dxe7 +- (Line with most drawing chances for black)

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Nice!

[@BMotivation205]

Is evaluation and goal setting the same thing?

[@Mikejones011990]

Is that 'Cutoff' Syndrome, or some other spelling? I'm so guilty of it. It's a time management issue. All of my candidate moves suck, but I have to move. This one doesn't obviously suck. Actually it does, but it takes about 30 seconds to see it. I need to work on creating candidate moves. Thanks! It's easier said than done. It's one thing to ID threats and checks, but another to balance defense and offense. Using all parts of the board, being creative (or maybe just looking at all legal moves briefly), and giving the consideration to opponent moves. Those take time and mental flexibility, but we're here to solve tough puzzles. Thanks for the content. I appreciate the scientific methodical approach.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Many thanks for your feedback! It is "Kotov Syndrome", named after the GM called Kotov. Generating good candidate moves will be easier as you grow stronger and learn more chess patterns and chunks. So keep on studying, analyzing, and immersing yourself with the game!

[@TrueBlueAndrew]

Honestly, I saw g3 and said to myself “that seems like a pretty good move”😁

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Very good intuition then! No phantom fears! ☺

[@KenFullman]

Homework. My first consideration was e7 but after black responds with Kf7 I can't see any way forward. The king is covering the promotion square on the E file and there's no easy way to push the king away. The pawn on d6 is stuck defending e7 so can't move forward either. Considering d7 black can follow up with Ke7. The king is now covering the promotion square of d8 but we can neutralise this by playing Bc7. But then there's blacks deadly follow up of Nc6. This reinforces blacks defence of d8 Personally I think this is a lost cause either way. Is there a winning strategy at all?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thanks for the reply! 1. e7! wins! 1...Kf7 2. Nb5! is the key idea, with Nc7 to follow, supporting the pawn promotion!

[@KenFullman]

@@Dr.CansClinicbut after e7 Kf7 Nb5 we have Nc6 then if white plays Nc7 black takes the pawn on e7 with Nxe7 From here white could take the night with the other pawn but would instantly lose it (King takes). If instead the pawn moves forward to d7 we have Nc6, once again covering the promotion square.

[@thetheater7610]

21:24 so where is the right move?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

...a6 is probably the best.

[@CC-ii3ij]

I see d7 as bad as the king enters. But e7 looks better because the N can support queening square. Positionally, I would prefer to keep my pawns on white squares, but calculations say this is bad.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Absolutely! That is why I handwaved and played d7 here. 1. e7! wins while 1. d7 loses.

[@SviatikKitUkrajinomovnyj]

GM Naroditsky sayed: looking for all forcing moves, even if they seems irrelevant

[@Dr.CansClinic]

With the big caveat of not losing on time while doing that (if the search is completely random, then it is inefficient). This means you have to smell when to look for all forcing moves.

[@Phurngirathaana]

I calculated and thought Ne6 maybe playable in the first game missing Qh2#😂

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Oops! 😅 Thanks for honesty!

[@MarkPersoonlijk]

Hi Can, thanks for this great video lesson! I've a question about the Kotof Syndrome & Sunk Cost Fallacy puzzle 16:06 What is the best move? Or did I missed the solution haha! I was thinking about d7-d5. The white squared bishop is first and foremost finally free. Yes, white pawn can go to e6, but we can chase away the white knight on g5 with a simple pawn move a6. The only con is that white can take the black knight and create a double pawn. If you find time to answer I will be very happy! 😀

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your feedback! I forgot to mention the best move ther :) I very much like your idea of ...d5. That is a very good move for Black for the reasons you mentioned. But after e6 White threatens Nf7, so Black should capture the knight on g5 at that moment and Black gets a better version in the endgame I showed after Qh5+. Hope it helped!

[@MarkPersoonlijk]

😀 By the way, I will start your Fundamental Calculation course soon, as I do miss important candidate moves (and opponent's best moves). And my blunder checkscould use a nice upgrade too hehe. Still, I am already having much better ideas about what to do (goals) by your Chess Crime and Punishment course (finished) and by The Art of Exchanging Pieces course (not finished yet). I've noticed a positive change in my chess play recently. So happy about that. Thank you!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

@@MarkPersoonlijk That is such fantastic feedback to hear, gives me joy as an author and a coach. I am producing those courses to help improve people's games! Thank you and please keep me posted on your future progress after studying the calculation course! And please do not hesitate telling them to your chess friends or writing a review on Chessable. Those are really helpful for me!

[@eschiedler]

I still fall into every mistake category available. It's like learning a new language, some repeat mistakes get stuck over and over. homework spoiler - no engine d7 Ke7 Bd6+ Kd8 and black knight, bishop and king control the dark squares c7 d8 and e7 preventing promotion e7 Kf7 Nb5 Nd5 Nc7 Nxc7 dxc7 Kxe7 c8=Q edit add: in the winning line, black's dark square bishop is unable to help in the defense. In other words, it helps to find an endgame line where one of the pieces cannot defend. edit two: calculation errors. In the e7 line, Black gives up the knight yet white wins. In the d7 line, Nc6 before Ke7, not after, defends correctly.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! I liked your 1. e7 line! In the 1 d7 line, Black goes 1...Nc6 and after 2. Bc7 Kxe6 3. d8=Q Nxd8 4. Bxd8 Kd7 traps the bishop! That is how I lost this game!

[@eschiedler]

@@Dr.CansClinic That is a tough line for sure!

[@rtymbrt4175]

Hi U from turkey?

[@petercohen3966]

8:15 I like Nh2... just 'cos they can't take it.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

:) But we are playing chess, not checkers!

[@petercohen3966]

@@Dr.CansClinic still a fun move. You probably don't like the bong cloud either.

[@דורוןאבני]

07:00 white lost.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

White has a chance to survive if. they play Kh2 there.

[@TrueBlueAndrew]

Thank you for the video. You’re the best ♟️

[@Dr.CansClinic]

❤

[@ramisobi5647]

Where is the vedio next this please?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Have you checked my Chessable course on calculation? ☺️ You can also see the playlist "Calculation" on this channel for more videos.

[@joshuasenengo4148]

E7

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Correct!

[@anthonyjaglal]

Self coached

[@mrnelgin]

Good info but can do without the clapping. tbh.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Noted! Clapping can also wake people up and refocus their attention to the new topic.

[@mrnelgin]

@@Dr.CansClinic If they're not already engaged, you're doing something wrong :) I am there to learn. It is my job to keep engaged and focused. That's just me though.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thanks for the feedback!@@mrnelgin

[@rv706]

The crow silhouette that you have behind you... Is it inspired by that of SCI-HUB (cf. Alexandra Elbakian)?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

No, it was an artist who read our Science publication on raven's cognitive abilities and created it out of inspiration. Our whole article is inscribed on the raven, you will see the text when you look closer.

[@jonatanjohansson2496]

I'm probably missing something, but at 3:00, why do you take using the black knight first and then the rock rather than the other way around (getting the fork at the end, picking up either the c4 bishop or the f1 rook thus eliminating the double threat at the f7 pawn that you mention)?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Good point! I think ...Rxe3 allows d6 again, activating the bishop on c4 and shooting at f7.

[@on-the-DL]

I saw bishop takes BE6 with check but I missed the knight fork had there been no check 😅🥲

[@Dr.CansClinic]

On what minute?