[Event "Calculation: 2. Skills to be Trained - Candidate Moves & Forcing Mov"] [Site "https://lichess.org/study/6LBo5s0F/2sLYG21L"] [Date "????.??.??"] [White "2. Skills to be Trained"] [Black "Candidate Moves & Forcing Mov"] [Result "*"] [FEN "r5k1/pbp2p1p/2p1r1p1/3q1n2/8/1PBB4/P1P2PPP/R1Q2RK1 b - - 0 17"] [Variant "From Position"] [ECO "?"] [Opening "?"] [Annotator "https://lichess.org/@/psykaac"] [SetUp "1"] [Source "https://lichess.org/study/6LBo5s0F/2sLYG21L"] [Orientation "black"] { This is a good example of the candidate move search and comparing those candidates. Is there a way for Black to win material in this position? When searching for tactics, you should pay attention to the loose pieces in the position as well as the weaknesses around the enemy king. You should always start looking at the forcing moves first. } 17... Nh4 { Hitting g2 and threatening ... Qxg2 mate. } (17... c5? { This forcing move was perhaps more natural to consider first, but there is no direct follow-up after White's best reply: } 18. f3 { And White blunts the b7 -bishop while there is no ... Qc5 + in this position, compared to the main line. }) 18. f3 { This move is forced. } 18... Qc5+ { Loose pieces drop off! The c3 -bishop is lost due to the double attack. Short and forcing! Instead of spending half an hour on the consequences of the 17... c5 variation, Black took a step back and asked whether there is an alternative for the very first move. And this is how Black found 17... Nh4 ! What makes this example instructive is that Black had two good-looking forcing moves to compare from the initial position. The opponent's response was forced against both candidates. Thus, the correct solution was found by a method of comparison. A mistake would be to only focus on the first candidate move that came to mind and analyze it at length or play it without searching for an alternative first move. In this course, we will train this very important ability to generate several candidate moves that fit the requirements of the position. And importantly, we will develop the important skill of always looking at the forcing moves first, as in this example. } *