Chapter 1 · Step 2 / 168
Read the board: spot the signals
5 focused minutes · Free lesson
The idea
A useful thinking routine starts with the position your opponent just created. Ask whether either king is in check, which captures are legal, and which pieces became undefended. A forcing move narrows the reply, but a check is not automatically a good move. Count what can happen after your idea before moving. Scanning the whole board is a skill: practise it slowly before expecting it to work in a blitz game.
Your board task
Open a recent game and stop immediately after an opponent move. List every legal check and capture for both sides before choosing a candidate.
Use your own recent game or an analysis board. These are guided study tasks; they are not automatic engine assessments.
Open the analysis board ↗Try it on the board
Move your king out of check. Any safe king move counts.
Follow the goal above: select a piece, then its destination.
Boardprint guided example
Before you move on
Observation comes before calculation. Name the squares and pieces that make your conclusion true.
You should be able to name the opponent's immediate threat, at least two legal candidates, and the reply that would make you reject your first idea.
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