How to Calculate in Chess? [Find Tactics in Your Games]

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Really like Igor's way of explaining chess. He does an excellent job.

Took me a while, but I believe the winning continuation is 1.Nc7+ Qxc7 2.Bxf7+ Kxf7 3.Qd5+ Ke8 5.Qe6+ Be7 6.Qxe7#

I love this: pause the video, try to solve the puzzle and then get coached through it. You do it really well, please make more of these!

Sacrificing the white queen on d5 is the way to go. If the black queen captures, knight to c7 is a check mate. If the white queen is not captured, queen to f7 is a check mate.

GM Igor Smirnov is by far the best chess coach I have ever encountered. Thanks for the effort, sir. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the great video! Solution to final puzzle: 1.Nc7+ Qxc7 2.Bxf7+ Kxf7 3.Qd5+ Ke8 4.Qe6+ Be7 5.Qxe7# I used all your tips to solve it! (I hope I'm correct.)

This is an excellent video, thank you! And I was able to get the last one! (thanks to your video on the King's gambit --> you mentioned a similar bishop sacrifice). VERY satisfying! thank you!

► Chapters 00:00 How to calculate in chess? [5 tips] 00:28 Example-1 00:51 Tip-1: Evaluate material 01:17 How to find candidate moves in a position? 04:09 Example-2 05:00 Tip-2: Calculate till the end of the forcing line 05:39 Example-3 (this is how Grandmasters think) 06:28 Tip-3: Use your positional understanding 09:18 How to improve your positional understanding? 09:59 Example-4 10:11 Tip-4: Don't let your opponent's king escape 11:57 Example-5 12:57 Tip-5: Try to make tactics work somehow 13:52 Test your calculation skills with this puzzle

Yes solved first one. 2nd Bishop sacrifice followed by Queen check and Knight follow up. Great stuff.

Thank you so much for this lesson GM Igor

I learn a lot from this channel and it is the BEST teaching channel on YT. Thanks Igor!

This is so useful for practicing puzzle! I solve tactical puzzles easily but the positional puzzles are very hard to be solved, so this video is worth to watch!

There are some truly amazing chess teachers on youtube, but I find my chess improves the msot when watching your videos.

Great information! Love the way you explain it. Also, after doing a lot of puzzles the last few days, I figured out that first position checkmate in about 10 seconds. Puzzles aren't everyone's cup of tea but they really get you in the right mindset... my humble opinion.

Awesome timing of this video 👌👍😊 Truly appreciate your help.

The solution to the puzzle at the end of the video is as follows: 1.Nc7+ Qxc7; 2.Bxf7+ Kxf7; 3.Qd5+ Ke8; 4.Qe6+ Be7; 5. Qxe7 mate. I'm happy to say that I solved all the problems quickly. I must be getting better. Thanks, Igor.

Final position is interesting. Looks like a Sicilian, Sozin variation where Black has played ...b4 to chase away the Nc3 and then grab on e4. The solution is quite fun: 1.Nc7+! (forcing move, King cannot move) Qxc7 2.Bxf7+! (forcing move, again only one reply) Kxf7 3.Qd5#. Interestingly, I think Black saw this. In the diagram, the last move was Qc7-c6, trying to cover d5. It looks like Black could just take the knight with ...axb5, but that would allow Bxf7+ and Qd5# immediately. So Black saw the threat and tried to stop it, but 1.Nc7+! pulls the Queen away from d5 immediately. Must have been very satisfying to play as White!

Fairly easy and straightforward examples with a clearcut one viable line worth calculating.

on the second puzzle I calculated every variation, as you teach, and Black can defend (doesn't need to take the bishop with the pawn), meaning it's not necessarily mate.