Chess Calculation Secrets: Outcalculate Your Opponents

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00:00 Introduction/Experts do not necessarily calculate deeper than amateurs
01:57 3 Golden Steps When Calculating in Chess
02:58 The First Position/Calculating 2 Short Lines Accurately
07:20 The Second Position/Calculating 3 Short Lines Accurately
09:34 The Third Position/Generating Several Candidate Moves
11:36 Homework Position
Layman thinks that their ability to calculate very deep lines separates a chess grandmaster. This is in fact not supported by scientific evidence. What chess masters are great at is spotting strong candidate moves effortlessly - using their pattern recognition - and the ability to calculate short lines accurately. Most calculation mistakes happen on the very first move in chess.
This video shows the fundamental thought processes in chess calculation by giving instructive positions that demand accurate calculation of short lines, which are 3-ply deep. But most importantly, we need to generate several candidate moves on the very first move, actively search for the best reply by the opponent, and set our goal properly from the initial position. All these concepts are covered in much greater depth in my recent Chessable course Fundamental Chess Calculation Skills:

[@eschiedler]

Homework spoiler ahead: White rook is in an absolute pin. Black 1...Re5 2. Kc4 Qc6+ 3. Rc5 Rxc5+ black queen quards against check on d7. Black 1...Re5 2. c4 Re3 skewers Queen and King. Any other white move and black rook captures rook and black is up a whole rook.

[@dimitrisk8441]

I really like that you seem to understand that most of us can't calculate long lines. Not because we are lazy, or don't want to, but because we just can't! Most masters can't understand this and think that everybody can calculate as they do, or somewhat close to it. They think why???, it is so easy, I can see 10+ moves deep, how someone else can't see clearly for 4 moves deep... impossible

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I hear you. Not all experts become good teachers, as they take so many of their automatized skills for granted...

[@surf2553]

One thing i have started doing is counting the ply for each candidate move/response. This helps ensure that I calculate opponent moves and makes it easier to keep track of where i am in the move tree. I always try to count until an even number so I know I have calculated an opponents reply

[@Dr.CansClinic]

That is a great practice! You thus ensure that you do the blunder check!

[@surf2553]

@@Dr.CansClinic Do you think it is a dumb idea or not useful long term? I am trying to see if there are any drawbacks to this practice once it's more automatic.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I think it is a sound technique so it cannot be harmful. It is good to always finish with a blunder check.@@surf2553

[@manuelfuentes4509]

1. ...Re5 pinning White's rook if 2.c4 Re3 if 2.Kd4 Qa3+ 3.Kd4 Qxd3+ loses the rook on d5 3.Kc5 loses queen on d3 since White's rook on d5 is pinned. 🎉

[@Dr.CansClinic]

1... Re5! wins indeed!

[@outposter7281]

Re5 c4, Re3! getting the Q, if Re5 Kc4, Qc6+ picking up the R

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Short and sweet!

[@Deadeye1967]

Great video, very helpful.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Glad to hear it, thanks!

[@__SanderB]

Very helpfull short lesson! Thank you

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you!

[@CC-ii3ij]

Fantastic!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! Cheers!

[@basilisperis4651]

Thank you Can, i have your courses 😊 and you make good job!!! I wish to see one course on how to play the endgame with your instructive way!!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for your motivating comment and getting my courses :) I hope you will find great value in them. That is one of my course ideas actually, let's see when that can be realized!

[@thechesscoachonline7712]

Thanks for your explanation 👍

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DanielDollinger1959]

Thanks Can. Excellent video that is similar to your calculation course. I have about two weeks to go on your calculation course.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Excellent Dan! Looking forward to your course review!

[@Pierre_16_16]

Voilà! 😃Always a pleasure to learn calculation with you Can! Take care!

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Merci Pierre! Take care.

[@jaimecolodro1588]

Great video. Keep it up

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! Will do!

[@natalyawoop4263]

Great video! I didn't even see the bishop could threaten the queen in position 3, it was only there to defend the knight in my mind.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for this feedback! Yes, most calculation errors are due to not 'seeing' a candidate on the very first move.

[@Socrates...]

Thank you ❤

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Welcome!

[@bluefin.64]

I bought your course and I'll be starting it very soon. If it works like this video, I'm certain it will help me lot, because the video was great for my brain. I need the kind of correction in thinking that you're offering. I found the same lines in the homework assignment as eschiedler.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you so much for getting the course and your comments on this video. Right now the course has an Introductory video, but we are considering extending the video to all the main chapters at some point in the future. Please leave your review on it on Chessable :)

[@kotamity]

Excellent video

[@Dr.CansClinic]

❤️

[@sausage4mash]

hands up i went D4 saw the deflection assumed it works

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thanks for the feedback! I hope you found the video useful to gain awareness about yourself :)

[@ahmedgaafar5369]

I just purchased that course....man you are a gold mine.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Awesome! Thank you so much for your encouraging comment! I hope your chess will greatly improve with this course. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions on Chessable, I will gladly respond.

[@doji-san]

The main skill I would like to learn is how to get my subconscious mind to "move" the pieces for me automatically to give me 2 to 3 lines maybe 3 moves deep for my "conscious" mind to evaluate. Once I acquire this skill I think i will hit 1500, but right now, when I look at the board, I have to "force" my subconscious just to see 1 move one line at a time!! lol

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Chessable has a nice series called "Visualize" that may help tackle this issue. Also Step Method 2 Workbook: Thinking Ahead may be what you are looking for. Solving calculation puzzles in a slow medium where you really try to "see" a couple of moves ahead surely helps!

[@eschiedler]

Thanks for the calculation exercies. I missed all three!!! hah, oh well, back to the study board

[@Dr.CansClinic]

My pleasure! More important than missing those, did you see why you missed them? Was it about not generating enough candidates on the first move, not looking at the strongest reply, or not setting the goal right at the beginning?

[@eschiedler]

@@Dr.CansClinic On some not seeing all the candidate moves at all. On another seeing two candidate moves and choosing the wrong one, not seeing why the correct one was the complete calcuation and correct one.

[@mizioblack1103]

i just found the channel and this instructif videos, i didnt play chess for 2 years, i forgot all that and when return to play , i play a lot of tactics and strategies but i feel frustated because i was good on finding a good move directely but now its very diffcult, but wth your videos remember me the foundamentals and all the important way of thinking in chess, another advice for those who read the comment look also when you openent made a move, if he take a weakness lke unprotecteded piece or a square that we can do some tactics or a weak square for an outpost etc etc or if he exchange a bishope and take a color of square weak that we can manuver and attack in this color easly etc, and do the same for you if you make move what can openent can do for you too, if its dificult to vsualze openent perspective turn the board and play in your head like if you are the openent , and with practice it will be so qicly to see all that , so thanx a lot for this vdeos, and dont give up just practice tactics learn strateges from games and book lke kramnc move by move of strategies etc , and it wll be ok sorry for my english too i hope that my comment is understandable hehe +1 suscribe for ths fantastic channel . +1 le for ths cool master ❤

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you sooo much for your detailed comment and feedback! I really appreciiate you took time to write this message. Motivated to produce more content for my subscribers! :)

[@mizioblack1103]

@@Dr.CansClinic you are welcome , thanx to you for your generosity to share all those informations and instructive content with a clear and cool way to explain all that informations too , its very helpful for me too :)

[@ajvalv]

Very nice video, btw.

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thanks!

[@ManojKumar-yl3hx]

1... Re5 2.c4 Re3 wins queen or after 1. ..Re5 any other move wins the rook coz of the pin

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! 2. Kc4 Qc6+ is the other key line.

[@ajvalv]

Re5 was my option, but I could not see the posible response Kc4 (always afraid of commiting the king in such ways...)

[@SpicyFoodsAndVlogs]

After Re5 Kc4, Qc6+ wins. If Kd4 then Qxd5# and if king goes anywhere else, you win the rook.

[@growing367]

0:30

[@siddharthjain2799]

How to contact you for coaching lessons?

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Hey! You can contact me on chess.com (username on the description of the videos).

[@ghjkyj]

Re5

[@Dr.CansClinic]

I like it. What are the 2 short and key lines after that move?

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

I noticed the B c7 move, but I am definitely not a great player

[@Dr.CansClinic]

You have the eye for it, that is great! It is mostly about "seeing" the existence of that move than calculating in depth.

[@vivekdahiya9297]

Lesson to take from the video - quality over quantity

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Absolutely!

[@vivekdahiya9297]

@@Dr.CansClinic thanks for the quality video keep up the good work Mr. Can👍🏻

[@davidbatchelder85]

When you play everyday for yrs, I mean yrs. Not that you can calculate that deep. You have seen the position over and over and over. Or something like it. So you know automatic . I was a general contractor for 43 yrs. Everyday, I could calculate a project in thirty minutes to with in a few hundred dollars. Why, because I had seen everything so many times you just knew it. So play play play. Then look over your games and find out what you could do better rather than what you end up doing. You will see the same formations again and again. My thoughts

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you! Yes, accumulating those recurrent patterns and chunks through years of experience is the key behind chess expertise.

[@jimmccann3856]

Cunning examples! My homework answer, found independently, agrees w escheidler"s...

[@Dr.CansClinic]

Thank you for your input!