During the course of my chess career I have played hundreds of games and amassed thousands of moves. On each move is a separate situation to analyze and decide what to move. I’ve looked back and realized on each move I generally go through three steps on what to think about before moving. On nearly every move I go through this short list to help me decide the best move. If your not already doing all these then I suggest you do, your skill will increase dramatically. Just remember, chess is meant to be fun and you can play chess anytime!
1. What was your opponents last move: Analyze your opponents last move. What did they move? What are they trying to do? Are they looking to fork your queen, or maybe set up a checkmate. Always try and figure out your why they made their last move and what you can do to prevent their plan. A lot of have tunnel vision and focus on what their doing and miss an important move by their opponent.
2. What Am I trying to do: Obviously checkmate, but what are your short term goals. Say moving a knight to an important square or forcing the enemies queen out of your territory. Pick small goals and begin to work towards them and in the end you’ll get your opportunity for check mate. Never ever make a move just to move, always have a purpose for your moves, even its only to put a little more pressure on a weak square.
3. What can my opponent do next: This one is very important and must be done every turn before the move. Switch places with your opponent and assume you made your move. What would you do next? Did you just set yourself up for a fork or worse, mate? Always consider the effect your move will have on the game and never assume your opponent will miss something, odds are they wont. Think this through and take your time. Most people make mistake because they move too fast, so take it slow.
I know these may seem basic, but you would be surprised how many people don’t routinely do this in their games. Some people try, but don’t truly analyze their opponent so make sure you take ample time to truly appreciate the position. If your doing this already great! Keep it up! If not then get started and you will see a dramatic improvement in your chess playing!
https://youtu.be/4jZIYLpZoOg