Candidate move

A candidate move is a legal option worth placing on a short list for examination. The list need not contain every possible move, and a candidate is not yet the final choice. Its purpose is to prevent the first attractive idea from taking over the entire thinking process.

Candidates may come from the opponent's immediate threat, from forcing moves such as checks, captures, and threats, from tactical ideas seeking an immediate gain, or from long-term improvements such as activating a piece. The useful number depends on the position and available time; a simple position may have one serious option, while a complex one may have several.

After making the list, the player performs calculation: mentally follow each option against the opponent's best replies and compare the resulting positions. If a new resource appears inside a variation, the list can be revised. This method separates two different tasks, finding possibilities and testing them.

A candidate need not be brilliant or aggressive. An accurate defense, a piece exchange, or a quiet move may be a leading candidate if it solves the position's real problem.