This was originally posted on blogger.

Here’s how I decide which moves to play in chess.

1. Think of a handful of non-stupid moves to play
2. Broadly look at how each move would advance my position
3. Short-list to one or two moves I like based on:

• The opponent’s position
• What I’m familiar with
• My gut feeling (this may be the deciding factor)

1. Before you move, calculate a few moves ahead to make sure your chosen move isn’t a blunder.

• If it is, go back to your initial list or short-list and repeat this step.
• If it isn’t, play the move.

There are some situations where this algorithm isn’t necessary, and you can choose a move much quicker:

• You need to get out of a situation like check or prevent a checkmate at all costs.

• There’s a major opportunity on the board that would be game-changing. Taking a queen or rook, for example.

• Or controlling the center of the board. This has no immediate material advantage, but actually provides benefits later on.

And here are some stylized facts from this framework:

• Every chess game is different.

• No matter how sure you are of your strategy, your opponent’s moves have a huge impact on the game. So you can’t feasibly think 10-20 moves in advance.

• Advice has limited value. There may be some general principles, but those are often overshadowed by the specifics of the game. Advice can also be overshadowed by your style of playing chess and what you feel comfortable doing.

• The goal of the opening is to set up for a strong middle game.

• Although there are some situations where you can checkmate in two or four moves, those situations extremely rare.

• So don’t get greedy. In the beginning, carefully develop your pieces rather than gunning for a check-mate.

• There is no one right opening. It depends on how you like to play.

• But know that your opening will, in an unpredictable way, affect the rest of your game.

But what positions are worth striving for? How do you choose which opponents to face? These questions are out of the scope of this post.