1 Immediate Threats
- What would my opponent play if it were their move right now?
- Is anything of mine hanging or under attack?
- Am I in check, or could I be given check?
Tip: the Threats button checks this for you.
2 Tactical Possibilities
- Can I win material with a capture, fork, pin, skewer, or discovered attack?
- Is the opponent's king exposed — any checks or mating ideas?
- Does the opponent have a hanging or undefended piece?
3 Position Improvements
Only once the board is tactically quiet — no threats, no captures either way — shift to improving your position.
- Worst piece first. Improve your least active piece before moving an already-good one.
- Centralize knights. Aim for d4/e4/d5/e5 — best of all, a protected outpost.
- Free a bad bishop. Blocked by your own pawns? Trade it, or reroute to an open diagonal.
- Rooks on open files. Open or semi-open files, or the file where a pawn break is coming.
- Fix the center before pushing. Pawns can't go back — lock a space edge, or prepare a break (c5/f5) if cramped.
- Free your queen. Off the back rank, centrally placed — never tucked in a corner.
- Think prophylactically. "If I passed, what would they play?" — take or control that square first.
Still unsure? Trade your bad bishop for their good knight, or centralize your king in the endgame. A move that improves two pieces at once (like connecting rooks) is usually strong.