In short: The moves you pick out to calculate before you decide. Usually you look at checks, captures and threats first.
In an ordinary position there may be 30 or 40 legal moves. No human can calculate them all. So you first pick out a few that look promising, the candidate moves, and then work through them one at a time: what does my opponent answer, and how do I go on? Finally you compare and choose.
How to find the candidates
- Checks, captures and threats. Start with the forcing moves, the ones your opponent must answer. That is where combinations are found.
- What does your opponent want? Look at what your opponent's last move threatened. Sometimes the best candidate is a defensive move.
- Moves for your plan. Which piece stands worst? Which pawn wants to advance? That is where the quiet candidates are.
A few candidates are usually enough. What matters is to finish calculating one before you jump to the next, so your thoughts don't go round in circles.
Try it yourself
Kotov's method
The idea is old, but it was grandmaster Alexander Kotov who put it into words, in his book Think Like a Grandmaster. Strong players had worked that way for a long time, but few had described it. Practice candidate moves in chess puzzles, and read about combinations and the zwischenzug.
Frequently asked questions
Who came up with candidate moves?
The idea was set out by grandmaster Alexander Kotov in his book Think Like a Grandmaster. Strong players had worked that way for a long time, but Kotov put it into words.
How many candidate moves should you have?
There is no right number. A few are usually enough, and in a simple position even fewer.
Updated November 14, 2026