The Trick

 This might well be the most important post from the last years.

So what's the trick then?

Understanding and scenarios are closely related. You can't learn the trick without scenarios. But scenarios are not the essence of the trick.

The trick is to see what a move does. You can find out what a move does by fiddling around with standard scenarios. Take for instance the following scenario:

White to move

r1b2rk1/p1qn1ppp/1p1bpn2/2ppN3/3P1P2/1P1BP3/PBPN2PP/R2QK2R w KQ - 0 3 

In this diagram, you are close to a standard scenario in the Colle Zukertort. It is not winning yet, although Stockfish gives it about 0.5. Black must do a few things wrong and white must do a few things right before you can count a point.

The idea is to open the long diagonal by two tempo moves (Nxd7 and dxc5), then throw the two bishops to the king position to get rid of Nf6 and h7 (again, with tempo) and mate the black king with Queen, Rook and / or Knight.

I was fiddling around and asked myself the question, can't I start the attack a move earlier? The answer is no. I was surprised. But by playing around, it became clear what the problem is: I need the rook. The rooklift is prepared (f4), but the rook isn't in place yet. After 1. O-O it is.

You need to develop a feel for what a piece does in relation to a scenario. The scenario provides the purpose, but the Trick is to see what the pieces do in relation to that scenario.

After white plays 1. O-O Stockfish provides the following evaluation:

The funny thing is that every proposed move for black does something in relation to the LoAs (lines of attack).

• 1. ... c5xd4 takes away the possibility to open the long diagonal with tempo
• 1. ... Be7 takes away the tempo after 2.dxc5 AND protects Nf6
• 1. ... g6 closes the diagonal d3-h7
• 1. ... Rd8 opens an escape route for the black king via f8
• 1. ... Re8 ditto
• 1. ... a5 dunno, I must fiddle around a bit more with this one
• 1. ... Qd8 protects Nf6

The lower on the list, the vaguer the relation to the LoAs become. Sometimes the moves are related to a counterattack instead. A counterattack revolves around LoAs too, but then from blacks perspective.

So the Trick is to learn to SEE how a move relates to the scenario. Then you will notice how little you SEE. I was shocked to SEE how Re8 frustrated blacks mate by providing an escape route for the black king. Again, it is not rocket science. But you must learn to SEE such things.

It reminds me of a Stoyko exercise. But then without the self flagellation.