Candidate Moves and Long Calculations 

Candidate Moves and Long Calculations – The Blueprint for Tactical Precision
by GM Swapnil Dhopade

In chess, true tactical mastery is not about finding flashy combinations — it’s about developing the thinking process that leads to them.
In his new course, Candidate Moves and Long Calculations, GM Swapnil Dhopade reveals how to structure your calculation, organize your thoughts, and identify the critical moments that separate masters from club players.

This course is based on GM Dhopade’s highly successful Tactical Thursday camp but has been significantly expanded — with additional examples, model games, and test exercises. It provides a complete self-contained training program for players who want to sharpen their tactical vision and improve their accuracy under real game conditions.

The Two Pillars of Tactical Thinking

1️⃣ Candidate Moves – The Foundation of All Calculation

In chess, calculation doesn’t begin with moving pieces in your mind. It begins with identifying what to calculate.
Strong players never try to analyze every legal move — instead, they focus on a few promising ones, called candidate moves.

As GM Dhopade explains:

“A candidate move is simply a move that deserves serious consideration. It can be forcing — like a check or capture — or a quiet move that hides a deep strategic idea. The goal is to train your mind to ask: Are there any more possibilities in this position than the ones suggested by my intuition?”

In this section, Dhopade demonstrates how masters systematically shortlist moves using logical filters — such as forcing sequences, key squares, or positional themes — and then apply calculation depth efficiently. You’ll see how grandmasters think before they calculate.

2️⃣ Long Calculations – Developing Deep Visualization

Once you’ve selected your candidate moves, the next step is precise calculation.
Through model examples and targeted exercises, GM Dhopade teaches you how to handle long, forcing lines — positions where every move counts and a single oversight can change the evaluation completely.

As he notes:

“The most critical positions are forcing — checks, captures, direct threats. These often lead to long lines that decide the game. To calculate them accurately, you must strengthen your visualization — holding positions in your mind and following the sequence move by move.”

This part of the course is designed to stretch your visualization muscles, improve focus, and develop the discipline required to calculate under pressure.

What You’ll Learn

✅ How to identify all relevant candidate moves in complex positions
✅ How to structure and prioritize your calculations efficiently
✅ How to calculate long tactical lines with precision and confidence
✅ How to combine intuition and logic in difficult positions
✅ How to maintain clarity under time pressure

Who Is This Course For?

This course is ideal for ambitious club players, advanced tournament competitors, and coaches who want to refine their students’ tactical process.
It bridges the gap between tactical intuition and professional calculation — helping you build a structured, reliable decision-making process in complex positions.

SAMPLE EXERCISE

White to move. Find the best move to exploit Black's uncoordinated pieces.

SOLUTION