I'd be quite interested to know (especially from higher rated players) how many moves ahead people think/plan.
Aside from the opening foray which is often (but not always) relatively scripted, how far ahead can/do you plan?
I try to think about 3-4 moves ahead and have occasional 'success' - offset by my usual quota of 2-3 moves/oversights per game of remarkable idiocy! 😏
Lots of lower rated players think experts can see about 10-15 moves ahead, which really isn't the case at all. The experts analyze the board and can usually see quick 3-4 move combos at times, but usually will only make the right move with the right plan that will sometimes set up a combo of a few moves. But anyway, you'll never hear a master make one move and then announce "mate in 34" or anything. 🙂
-Kev
The fact is that when chess program developers invested in the speed of calculations (that is - number of moves thought ahead), grandmasters beated the computers.
Later they understood that computers must "think" by human algorythms, that is each line is processed a little and possible positions are evaluated.
The critical moment here is position evaluation ( it is not calculated, but once again it is evaluated ). All the beauty of chess is that evaluations can be wrong, though made according to the right principles.
So the conclusion is that in copmlicated positions u can't calculate long lines.
Interestingly, most tactical combinations are denied by so-called intermediate moves. That is when the opponent doesn't try to defend against immediate threats, but creates even stronger counterthreat. The fact is that in long calculations we ( trying to save mental energy ) often oversee intermediate moves.
if you get a chance to read a book by Andrew soltis "the inner game of chess" you will find that world class players have several tricks they use when calculating. One such trick is the "bailout". this is when you start an attack that is really complicated but have at least one variation in which you can "bailout" into a draw. So all the player has to do is calculate 3 or 4 moves into the variation, evaluate the position at that point, then bailout or press the attack. Its like attacking in small steps with the option of pressing the panic button if things go wrong.
this is a very common question.
the answer to 'how many moves ahead does someone think' is usually based on the type of position...if the potential move 'tree' is all FORCED then one may calculate several moves ahead...if there are several branches (choices) then it may not be possible to even go 3 or 4 moves deep.
many times it is only necessary to go 2 or 3 moves deep. When someone calculates "12 moves ahead" it is usually a FORCED sequence...branches (choices) make long calculations very hard but they are possible with a lot of hard work.
You're supposed to think ahead? I just look for a vacant square and put a piece or pawn there. If it's occupied, I'll look around some more. I think thinking ahead is overrated. An habitual blitz player said to me, "YOu have three days to make a move?? How do you ever lose, man?" My sentiments exactly.
blitz chess ruins your game. Either lack of patience when playing standard time controls, or expecting your opponent to fall for obvious traps that may work in blitz but not when he has timeon his clock are the main reasons. blitz chess has very little to offer a person genuinely interested in learning how to play good chess. it may be fun for some people to play but the bad habits it induces and the lack of learning value should be considered before playing it alot.