How to Calculate and Win
Do masters methodically cut their way through the branches of a tree of analysis? Is it true that attacking players calculate a dozen moves ahead, while positional specialists rely on abstract principles? What exactly does it mean to “calculate,” anyway?
In The Inner Game of Chess, GM Andy Soltis shows that the key to good calculation is good visualization of the position in front of us and then after the moves we’re considering. Being aware of tactical motifs; knowing when to stop looking; and verifying your chosen move are essential, but they all depend on the basic requirement to see clearly what’s going on. The author discusses common obstacles to clear visualization and offers techniques to overcome them in your own play.
This 21st-century edition of Soltis’s celebrated work features new material and revised diagrams and analysis, while retaining all the insights that made The Inner Game of Chess an instant classic.
About the Author(s)
Popular Chess Life columnist Andy Soltis is the author of numerous other classics of chess literature, including Pawn Structure Chess, The Art of Defense in Chess, and Rethinking the Chess Pieces. A 2011 inductee into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, he received the International Grandmaster title in 1980.