Decision making: when to look for more options

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1

Hello @JacobAagaard, I have a question about today’s calculation class. Some days ago you mentioned this simple approach to decision making:

(1) Find the options.
(2) Analyse the options.
(3) Choose the best one.

Today we had a look at this complicated position with the menacing black queen on f3. Black has the ideas …e3 and bringing a rook to the h-file. The right move is Re1, preparing Qd1 to drive the black queen away. But how can we find such a move? It’s not an obvious option (1), and it would come to mind only after analysing the obvious options (2) for some time. So shouldn’t the decision making in this case be more like (1) → (2) → (1) → (2) → (3)?

How can we know when to pick the best of the obvious options and when to look for more options?

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2

Yes absolutely. And I did underline the importance of flexibility and always put an emphasis on being intelligent and never dogmatic when approaching anything in chess. Our starting point is only the starting point :slight_smile:

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3

We have continuously been flexible enough to look for more ideas, if somehow we get stuck. Also, there are ideas we can only find if we have found the deficiencies in other approaches first.
This does not change the order. Only, mechanical thinking (Kotov) is not the most effective way to use the fantastic tool, which is the human brain.

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