Candidate moves
Candidate moves are the small set of plausible moves you shortlist in a position before analyzing any of them in depth, so that your thinking is organized and no strong option is overlooked.
Also called: candidate move
Rather than examining every legal move, a thoughtful player first draws up a short list of candidates: usually two to four moves that deserve real attention. Forcing moves come first, meaning checks, captures and threats. Then come moves that improve a poor piece, fix a weakness or answer the opponent's plan.
The list is what makes calculation manageable. You compare the options, calculate the critical lines, and pick the one that holds up. Without it, many players grab the first reasonable idea and play it, which is how simple tactics get missed.
Common mistakes are listing only moves that continue your own plan, forgetting to ask what the opponent just threatened, and falling in love with the first candidate so that the others get only a glance. Another is a list that contains only captures, leaving out the quiet move that actually works.
A practical habit is to ask the same short questions every turn: what changed, what does the opponent want, what are my forcing moves, and what is my worst-placed piece? Write the shortlist down in practice games for a while, so the routine becomes automatic.
It sits close to Blunder check habit. A blunder check habit is a short, fixed routine run before every move, asking what the opponent threatens and whether the intended move leaves anything undefended, to catch one-move oversights.
A neighboring idea is Chess training. Chess training is the organized, repeated practice of specific skills such as tactics, endgames, openings and calculation, designed to raise playing strength steadily rather than relying on playing games alone.
It sits close to Thinking process. A thinking process is a consistent order of questions you follow on each move, from assessing the position and opponent's threats to choosing candidates and checking your choice, so decisions are less random.
Training ideas such as "Candidate moves" work best with a plan built for you, and the first lesson with George Li produces one from your own games.
Related terms
A thinking process is a consistent order of questions you follow on each move, from assessing the position and opponent's threats to choosing candidates and checking your choice, so decisions are less random.
Calculation is the skill of mentally working out concrete sequences of moves and replies, one line at a time, to judge what a position really offers before committing to a move.
A blunder check habit is a short, fixed routine run before every move, asking what the opponent threatens and whether the intended move leaves anything undefended, to catch one-move oversights.
The worst-placed piece is the piece in your position doing the least, and improving it by rerouting it to a better square is a standard way to make progress when no immediate tactic or break exists.
A tactic is a short, forcing sequence of moves that exploits a concrete feature of the position, such as a fork, pin or unprotected piece, to win material, deliver mate or reach a clear gain.
Counterplay is active play that a player in a worse or defensive position creates, such as a threat, a pawn break or an attack elsewhere, to distract the opponent from their plan and restore balance.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
How much does chess coaching cost?
Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each.
A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
Want to spot this in your own games?
A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.