How to improve your calculation?

[@PatVMurphy]

The first 3 minutes of this video is beautiful. Andras shows, yet again; he is an honest, no BS guy. Straight to the point, doesn't try to sell you on a "magical move", or "the one tip that will elevate your chess to the next level". It takes hard work and lots of it to get better. The more you work, the better you get. Thanks again Andras for another brilliant video.

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Thanks, very kind!

[@PatrickRecordon]

What really hurts is when you start at 25 y.o, do at least 30 minutes of tactics every day (and plenty of other stuff like endgame) for 15 years and being stuck around 1800 while some kids from the club are lazy but get to 2100 in 3-5 years… I don’t ask for a magical pill to improve instantly, I just would love many positions ideal to work with in a book.

[@PatVMurphy]

​@@PatrickRecordonI hear your frustration. I'm sure those young kids have minds like sponges and take in everything. Andras has done some book review videos. My suggestion is to see some of the great books he recommends. Good luck, I'm sure you will break out of that rut soon.

[@rockatanescu]

Chessable says I've been studying for 119 days and, while I have learned a lot of positions, I do see an improvement in my calculation and visualization skill. It's a slow process, but back in May I was unable to visualize the opponent's moves, now I'm getting pretty decent in visualising a move and a half ahead. Still not great, but I feel it's more like a muscle that you slowly develop. I remember when I did my first visualization puzzle a month ago which involved visualizing two moves ahead and I almost had to go to bed after doing four such puzzles...

[@MislavIvkovic-sx8vd]

I like this guy😂

[@MislavIvkovic-sx8vd]

I am relative good in calculation i dont have positional understanding and endgames

[@lucaswinter9515]

The magic that you're looking for is in the work that you're avoiding.

[@Sport-by3be]

😭😭😭

[@jackm4457]

Excellent example! I'm considered to be a strong club player, but I would have gotten fixated on Bxc5 and the ensuing Qb2, with Ne4 coming, and missed White's surprising defensive resource (Qd4!). In fact, this looks a lot like how I would blow a good position. So, laziness is part of the problem, but there's also the problem of "seeing the awesome plan," and then putting on the blinders. Dayum.

[@blundergoat]

Thanks for the no nonsense advice chess coach Mr T! I calculate this video is amazing and pity the fool that doesn't enjoy hard work 💪

[@nickburggraaf3977]

This checkers mentality is a real struggle

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Indeed, but once you overcome it, its all good!

[@askashutosh8667]

Learned a lot sir thankyou ❤

[@ChessCoachAndras]

That makes me super happy! YOu are welcome!

[@sesh7357]

absolutely right about no substitute for hard work

[@pakasokoste]

Im quite good at following some lines. My problem is I don't see the best move down one line. For instance 06:09 I didn't see Qb2. I saw the Bishop takes pawn and the pawn takes pawn lines, but the follow up Qb2 didn't cross my mind. I was only seeing queen takes pawn.

[@heinvijverberg190]

Honestly the best educational channel out there. Much appreciated!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Thanks so much, appreciate the kind words!

[@gregp.4358]

Thanks for this valuable lesson!

[@TikariChess]

My “ultimate piece of advice” is watch Coach Andras (and pause the videos along the way)!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

What a recommendation! cheers!

[@LionChess]

I absolutely love this, I'll save this video for my students who ask me this question time and time again :D Could not have said it better! Keep up the great work!

[@Willyzekid-yn3cf]

This channel is simply amazing - learning every video! Impressive. Actually on this position - had a slighlty different experience :) i got stuck not so much on calculation but after c5, axb4; Qxa8 Qxc5; and Qb7 - the bishop on e7 is hanging so you not only have to calculate correctly but also evaluate correctly that after Qb7, Qb3+; Ke2, Qxa1; Qxe7 you are way better even with a piece down (yeah 3 pawns, very advanced passed pawn etc. but you have to be sure)

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Thanks so much! Glad you liked the video. Your recommended line is vey interesting too!

[@midprogramming]

To me what I noticed helps for practice in game is to use the arrows to track plans and attacks, I personally like this because I'm a visual learner kind of person

[@yahyaj4845]

Great video.

[@MichelHoetmer]

Bedankt

[@maximjussim1024]

Great lesson! I really enjoyed it.

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Cheers! Glad you liked it!

[@john_djr]

Thanks, Coach Andras! When it comes to puzzle solving and calculation, I feel like I struggle to find positions that are at my level or actually occur in (or at least resemble) my games. Would you say this is where a coach comes in? Or are there ways for me to find puzzles that feel like they more apply to my play and skill level?

[@surf2553]

Awesome. One thing I have started doing is mentally saying the ply that I am on. This helps keep track of variations and I always try to count to an even ply (opponent's move). This little trick has really helped me force the calculation. This also makes it easier to mentally go back to a certain position.

[@wellutopia2237]

I beat the 2300 bot after many many tries and broke my best ever on puzzles. Im over 2500 now. I had to run and thank you because my calculations are ridiculous and that 2300 bot is crazy hard and i played the best game of my life. Said i had 8 great moves. Thanks Coach Andras.

[@davidheath5429]

Everybody knows there is no magic method. Great eye-opening video. Thanks!

[@Shachermacher]

coach thank you this is amazing and very entertaining and very inspiring. tank you tank you tank you

[@ChessCoachAndras]

You're so welcome!

[@RussTay73]

Thank you for another fantastic video. If I may ask, how long would it take you to calculate those lines?

[@doji-san]

How do I get my subconscious mind to just want to start calculating by itself and not force it with my conscious mind?!?! It needs to just want to find lines by itself.... :) That's the key!!!

[@ChessCoachAndras]

YOu got this!

[@Sport-by3be]

Ok notations seem like the language of calculations, as 1600 player i'll try to first learn my notations then dive into some deep calculations. You convinced me of their beauty. Thank you 🙏

[@jimmccann3856]

Good puzzles, but when you fail, then what? Is Woodpeckering the failed position daily until you can do it all correctly, the best use of your time? Or would that same time be better spent on brand new puzzles? Or should you diagnose what ply you failed at, and if say Ply 4 (your opponents best option on his second move), then setting LiChess puzzles at the right difficulty to feed you mostly puzzles at that sort of depth. Or what else? There are a variety of approaches to Calc Failures, and I very much doubt that they pay equally! So what pays the best?

[@ChessCoachAndras]

I think there is no fail! If you get a line wrong, you need to reflect on what went wrong and focus on trying to fix it next time!

[@gavinjones8543]

I have a little visual trick that I employ ..remember when text was occasionally in ITALICS - so it was kind of there, but also not there, ghost like - well, I do the same to a pawn, knight, whatever, that is being pinned against the king, because it is there, but is immobile.

[@timwoods3173]

Thank you

[@ChessCoachAndras]

You're welcome

[@ralphbuschmann740]

Hi Andras, I am currently reading „Master your Chess“ and I think that it is an absolute fantastic book! If you would write a „Master your Chess Workbook“ I would buy it immediately.

[@ChessCoachAndras]

I'll check it out!

[@YtubeUserr]

"If it's easy to achieve, then it's not worthy enough to achieve." -- Some One

[@savanger953]

Doing this I realized that I have a blindspot for tactics even as simple as this mate on f2. When it's on the board I see it right away, but from the distance I couldn't see the coordination of the pieses and at the same time while calculating a×b4 I missed Q×a8 as a possibility, but almost perfectly calculated the other variations. Could you give me some advice to improve at it besides solving puzzles?

[@Brandomonium410]

I find it virtually impossible to “visualize” beyond 2 moves without moving the pieces. In an explorer board all this is possible, but in a static game no. Is it hopeless?

[@michalkubecek]

I have mixed feelings. On one hand I got most lines right to the end, on the other I missed some basic stuff. First of all, I didn't even consider Nxc5 until I restarted the video and heard that we should check not only Nxc5 but also axb4. :-) I also missed Bg3, Qd4 (probably worst) and Qxa8. I guess my problem is not the depth of the calculation but rather the width. And the solution is likely practice and... more practice.

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Definitely right! Practice , practice, practice....

[@BallisticaMetal]

Nice! Do you think Mates in 2 (compositions) work as well?

[@ChessCoachAndras]

I am very strongly against them. I do have a video on this, titled "dont practise this!"

[@emcee5680]

I spent the first 60 seconds confused why axb4 was a candidate move and didn't lose instantly to 2. Qxa8 Rxa8 3. Rxa8+ and 4. cxb6. Then when I realized the a file isn't completely opened yet, I spent 15 minutes looking at 2. Qxa8 Qxc5 and getting stumped on 3. axb4!, allowing the queen and rook to defend each other and renewing the threat on the black queen. 3... Qxb4+ 4. Ke2 Rxa8 5. Rxa8+ Bf8, and I thought my bishop can't join in on the attack, and I would have difficulty cutting the king off on the light squares. Didn't see anything particularly forcing and thought there was a good chance the king runs to the kingside, plays a move like h3 and castles manually and will be okay in the longrun. I'd still go for it in a practical game, but it wasn't clear to me that it was objectively winning. After axb5, I only looked at Qxa8, cxb6, and Qd1 (for only 5 seconds).

[@robinesperoza]

In this video I missed alot of losing lines. I got all the winning ones correct. Qb2 slipped my radar for example. I never if it's my intuition being correct, or whether I'm lazy and lucky

[@personaltrainersg]

😂My 1400 self only got 1/3 of those lines...

[@BrennenChua]

Naruto Principle

[@bababooeu7539]

2 minutes ago, man I'm getting good at this!

[@douwehuysmans5959]

I missed Nd7 and Qd4 :/

[@funga-pz6gc]

Wow. Maybe it’s time to give up on this game, that level of calculation seems impossible 😂

[@dimitrisk8441]

Finally an honest chess coach 🤝. The titles and promises of almost all other chess youtubers are plain disgusting exaggerations 🤪. Would actually loved it, if someone had the courage to tackle this issue and we the viewers were prompted to write in comments the funniest and most insulting ones. You treat fellow chess players with honesty and respect, without trying to get likes and views with bs.

[@ChessCoachAndras]

Thanks, appreciate the positive feedback!

[@wellutopia2237]

My intuition told me axb4 to start and i think i figured it out. I set it up on my board and calculated axb4 Qxa8 Qxc5 and black is winning. But now ill continue vid and see if i missed something. Im sure i did. 😂

[@wellutopia2237]

Yeah i never calculated qxf8 but i felt it was winning with my variation.

[@sausage4mash]

that's depressing im well short on calculating ,saw both ideas did not go deep enough to get to the truth

[@ChessCoachAndras]

YOu know what to work on then!