Good thinks come in threes

Good thinks come in 3s. (Did you think that was a typo? Did you notice?)

That's a fact.

It shouldn't matter. In chess, good thinks come in 3s. Especially when we think about candidate moves and thinking ahead. I like to use the short hand of 3x3 to remind myself of the power of both.

My students frequently ask, do I have to come up with three choices for every move?

And the answer is, "yes."

"Even the first move?"

"Yes."

"Even if I can win a Queen?"

"Yes."

"Even if I have a mate in three, and I only have 5 seconds left on my clock, and my mom just said I had to go home for dinner, and..."

The point is simple. If you are looking for an excuse not to find possibilities, search for opportunities, and analyze the position, "I'm disinclined to acquiesce to your request."

What my student is really looking for is permission not to think, just to play. Feel free to do so in any non-serious, non-training, B (ultra bullet, bullet, or Blitz) game you like. But when you want to get better, no excuses. You have to actually think.

And along with 3 candidate moves (that means 3 GOOD choices), you should also try to think at least 3 moves ahead. When you're finding those three good moves, and then picking the best one for the given situation, you should be looking at least three moves ahead.

So, 3x3.

If you are just learning, I'd be happy with a 2x2. It's definitely better than 1x1 or no thinking at all.

I have to ask (too often) why my student is reaching for a piece. I'll play a practice game with her and before I've written down my move, she's already reaching for a piece.

That tells me, very clearly, that she's not thinking. She's just moving.

We're all guilty of it. And sometimes we just want to play - no thinking required,

And that's Okay. But please save it for the B-games.

When you're trying to improve, slow down and remind yourself to use the 3x3 matrix.

3 Good Moves and 3 Moves Ahead