a small question that changed my thinking

Lately I’ve been trying to do something new in my games to better understand what my opponent is actually trying to do.

After every move they make, once the position changes, I pause and ask myself: If I could skip my turn and they could move again immediately, what would they do? What would they try to set up?

I don’t remember where I first heard this idea — maybe from a book, maybe somewhere else — but that one small thought has really shifted the way I process positions.

Before, I would see a move and think, “Okay… what does that do?” Sometimes it felt obvious. Other times it felt like they played something that didn’t really do anything, at least not immediately. I’d assume maybe there was some in-between move or some idea I just wasn’t seeing yet.

But imagining that they get another move right away forces me to look at the position differently. It gives me a quick tactical lens.

For example, if they move a knight to the edge of the board, my first reaction might be that it looks strange. But if I imagine they get another move immediately, maybe that knight is actually defending an important square, or supporting something I hadn’t noticed yet. Maybe their pawn structure makes more sense than I initially thought. Maybe their bishop is already active and that “weird” move connects to it somehow.

This has really only clicked in the last month or so, but I can already feel the difference. Now when they play a move that seems harmless, instead of brushing it off, I ask: What happens if they go again? That question helps me wrap my brain around the position more clearly.

It’s been surprisingly helpful in my last few games.

I’m curious to see how much further this one idea can take me.