I can only see 1 move ahead. Any tips?

@DanFouts said in #1:
> ... I can only see 1 move at a time. ...
There is not really much point to this, but, maybe just for fun, consider the position after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 exd4 4 Nxd4 Nxd4 5 Qxd4 b6 6 Bc4 Bb7 7 O-O Bc5 8 Qxg7 Qf6 9 Qxf6 Nxf6 10 e5 Nd5 11 Be3 Bxe3. At the time, after about one second, White played 12 fxe3. In fairness, it was, if I remember correctly, a 10-minute game. If you stop for more than one second after 11...Bxe3, do you see any problem with 12 fxe3 and an alternative that you would prefer?

important to learn to visualize in your head: its a chess skill!

I think a very helpful approach is Susan Polgar's books on tactics, for example the "Learn Chess the right way" series. There's also a chessable course based on the books.

She builds tactics and calculation up gradually starting with one-move check mates, and later she connects them to two movers by combining themes. For example mate-in-one threats combined with a second threat (e.g. piece capture). You start to see the patterns and looking for ways to complete them. That leads you to think of a 2-move sequence.. Its essential that you don't move the pieces on the board, but try to visualize the moves. Its seeing ahead like this which helps makes the right moves in a real game.

@DanFouts said in #1:
> I am rated just over 2000 in puzzles, but that number is misleading, because I can only see 1 move at a time. When I do puzzles online, I have to have an actual board sitting next to me too, so I can play out the moves to see if my guess works or not. I just can't picture in my head how the board changes with each move, so I play it out on a real board, then if it works, I solve the online puzzle. I am very patient, and I will spend as much as 30 minutes on a single 2000 rated puzzle. The problem is, that doesn't work when you are playing a game. I am the guy who times out after 8 moves in a 30 minute game.
>
> I am fairly new to chess, and in my late 50's. I never really played as a kid, but watching many chess videos, it's apparent good players can see the board "in their head". I cannot. I have to see every move in real life before my brain can figure out what to do. Got any tips or suggestions?

Hello Dan fotus what can i say you about calculating combinations of moves ahead, for my opinion is it doesn't matter if a lot of people or everyone says that the way to improve mentally depth calculation is just doing a lot of puzzles, because is not and you seen it by urself. Is a mix of things and knowing the theory it helps a lot. The theorical concepts and principles, also knowing and studying the openings it can help a little, because for example if you had studied for example the caro kann opening, you'll know that there mainly 4 lines/variations, and it help you to have an idea about "if my opponent will play that move is because he want do this and that so i know i have to reply this and that etc etc. And this is already a very little step, then after that as all people says solving puzzles yes it help but not just doing random puzzles, spend a period like few weeks to do everydays puzzle of checkmate in 1, after few weeks when you'll can solve easily also while sleeping puzzles of checkmate in 1 you'll start to add also checkmates in 2 moves everydays, then after a period of time, start with checkmates in 3, always forcing yourself to move the pieces mentally, starting from checkmate in 1 move never use neither your fingers to imagine to move the pieces in the air only mentally. As lonf as you'll be able to do checkmates in 7 moves. But is very very very important if you are a beginner and you know just the rules and how to move pieces to study the end games and stop don't study nothing more, a beginner that the only thing he know is just moving pieces must focus on studying only the endgames, how to checkmate Q&K vs K, to give a quick look at the end game of pawn and king vs king and in a couple of seconds see and know if that pawn will be promoted or not (is just books theory), how to checkmate with rook and king vs king, then 2 rooks and king vs king, after that start to study the more complicated end games, those end games that are not thoeric (for example how to check mate with king, bishop and knight vs king) is very very useless for a beginner to study the openings, and memorize patterns etc etc, and you'll see you'll calculate easily at the least 7 / 8 moves ahead automatically, and another important thing. real chess is not the bullets of blitz games, real chess, the spirit of chess, is building plans, see a positions, analyze with your eyes that positions like "who have the control of the center? who have a better pawn structure? who have the king in safe? not in the middle but castled, and after analyzed the position start to build a plan based on that situation, it can be a short terms plan or a long term plan it depends on the game, is is a closed game or an open game, with this i mean to play games at the least with the clock settled at 1 hour or 30+15. because you have to understand how to build a plan. Hope i helped you. :) have a good game

@DanFouts said in #1:
> I am rated just over 2000 in puzzles, but that number is misleading, because I can only see 1 move at a time

You are 1300-1400, so I'm sure you can see more than one move.

I made a study for this subject a while back. It might help! lichess.org/study/5WxYAxtW

practice the multi move checkmate puzzles in the training section.

@DanFouts said in #1:
The reason you cant is because you have little to no experience.
Dont just dive in the puzzle section. Learn the themes.

A theme is just a specific topic, say, a fork. You will have a puzzle with a fork, then another one, eventually, you will replay so many fork puzzles that you will learn many ways and positions where a fork is possible.

same with pins, 8 rank mates, double attacks etc. Once you have a decent amount of knowledge on each one of them, you will start to see the patterns. Learn about the principles in chess, like not moving the same piece twice in the opening, get the knights to the center, control the right squares, etc.

Once you start getting all that information, you will start to see deeper, as you will see which squares are valuable to control and at what point, once you learn that, it is easy to predict when the opponent will try to control it, and with the given position, he can only control it with so many pieces that it becomes evident which one will do the trick.

Since you want him to prevent him controlling that square, it will become apparent how you can stop him.

Then he will double down, you will double down, quite easy to predict with the pieces that can do so, and so forth.

But you do need to practice A LOT.

So, for the themes, go to puzzles. When the board is set up with one, at the left side, there is a link that says "puzzle theme"
Click there and choose which theme you want to practice in the next page.

Start with the common ones, pins, skewers, double attacks, (but really spam them, like 50-100 puzzles a day, for like 2 weeks each at least) then you branch to whichever you want.

The thing is that if you want to get better, there is no way to avoid the grind. So you either grind it or you dont. But if you dont, you obviously dont get the results you want.

@DanFouts said in #1:
> I am rated just over 2000 in puzzles, but that number is misleading, because I can only see 1 move at a time. When I do puzzles online, I have to have an actual board sitting next to me too, so I can play out the moves to see if my guess works or not. I just can't picture in my head how the board changes with each move, so I play it out on a real board, then if it works, I solve the online puzzle. I am very patient, and I will spend as much as 30 minutes on a single 2000 rated puzzle. The problem is, that doesn't work when you are playing a game. I am the guy who times out after 8 moves in a 30 minute game.
>
> I am fairly new to chess, and in my late 50's. I never really played as a kid, but watching many chess videos, it's apparent good players can see the board "in their head". I cannot. I have to see every move in real life before my brain can figure out what to do. Got any tips or suggestions?
In my opinion , puzzles aren't enough to build up superior vision. I suggest that you play Rapid or Classical games.