Guess-the-Move Training (Improve Decision Making With Master Games)
“Guess-the-move” is one of the best ways to train chess decision making. You pause a strong player’s game, create a short candidate list, choose your move, then compare with what they actually played. This trains move selection, planning, and calculation control without needing perfect memory.
- 1) Safety scan: what is the opponent threatening?
- 2) Candidate list: write 2–3 moves (forcing first)
- 3) Choose: pick the move you would play and write one reason
Do this for 10–20 moves of a good game and you get real improvement in under 30 minutes.
Why Guess-the-Move Works So Well
Many players “watch” master games passively. Guess-the-move turns master games into active training.
It trains decision making because you repeatedly practice:
- spotting threats before you think about your own plan
- generating a short list of candidate moves
- choosing between candidates using simple evaluation
- recognizing forcing moments (when calculation matters)
What Games Should You Use?
Choose games that match your level and your goals. For most players under 1600, the best games are clear, instructive, and not overloaded with engine-only tactics.
Good sources for guess-the-move:
- your own annotated model games (best)
- classic players with clear plans (Capablanca, Morphy, etc.)
- games in openings you actually play
- games with a clear strategic theme (attack, defense, conversion, endgame)
If you often feel lost, start with simpler games first. Then increase difficulty later.
How Many Moves Should You Guess?
You don’t need to do a full game. The best training is consistent short sessions.
Practical formats:
- 10 moves (quick session)
- 20 moves (solid training session)
- one key phase only (opening / middlegame / endgame decisions)
How to Score Yourself (Without Ruining the Fun)
Don’t score only by “did I guess the exact move?” Score by whether your candidate list and reasoning were sensible.
Simple scoring:
- 2 points: exact move (nice, but not required)
- 1 point: your move was a strong candidate and logical
- 0 points: your move fails tactically or misses the plan
This keeps the method motivating instead of discouraging.
What To Do When You “Miss” the Move
This is where the improvement happens. Ask what the strong player saw that you didn’t.
Post-move questions:
- What threat did I miss?
- What long-term plan did they improve?
- Was their move prophylaxis (stopping a plan)?
- Was it simplification (reducing counterplay)?
- Was it a forcing moment (tactics) that I didn’t recognize?
Time Pressure Version (Blitz-Friendly)
If you play blitz or rapid, you can train fast decisions with a timer.
Blitz version:
- Set 15 seconds per position.
- Safety scan → 2 candidates → choose.
- Repeat for 10 positions.
Common Mistakes (And Simple Fixes)
Mistakes:
- Going too fast: you don’t write candidates, you just guess
- Trying to calculate everything: you turn it into a puzzle hunt
- Using games that are too complex: you get confused and quit
- Only caring about exact moves: you miss the training benefit
Fix: keep it simple and repeatable. Candidate moves + one sentence reasoning is enough.
Bottom Line
Guess-the-move training is a simple habit that builds strong chess judgement: you learn what good moves look like, you practice candidate selection, and you discover plans you would otherwise miss. Do it consistently and your decisions become calmer and more accurate.