How to find candidate moves

First of all, what are candidate moves?

Candidate moves are nothing but the moves that you consider given a certain position. Let's say that you have a position in game, that sounds like there might be a tactic hiding behind a move. How will you find it? Is it all only a matter of luck finding these moves since millions of other moves could be considered into playing as well?? Candidate moves are the moves that eliminates the most obvious "not right" moves and focuses on the rest that are left.

What are candidate moves for?

Candidate moves is the name given to the technique used to spot tactics once they're on the board. As said above, candidate moves can't be found if you are looking for every single possible move. It's unthinkable to build a plan if you can't see where the real problem is. Candidate moves are the only ones that you consider on that position, and by spotting the problems on the board, you play the move that manages to solve all of them. So called, best move.

How do i find candidate moves?

Candidate moves are sort of easy to pick up once you understand what they are. First, there'd be no way so you could find them, if you can't yourself spot any problems on the position. Either it be problems on your side or on your opponent's structure. Once you stare at the board and understand all the issues, you start picking up moves that could be in a way or other exploiting that weakness, or even, the result of a weak move made by your opponent. The moves that you consider are what are called candidate moves. Because they're the ones you're considering to play and only one of them may be the strongest one.

Candidate moves: all about improvements

If you are a beginner, you have no need to worry on to learn how pick up candidate moves because you are eventually going to learn when the right time comes. First, you have got to understand the problems of a position so that you can work further on more complex ideas that will have to order for some more imagination. Hence, you will have to pick up the moves that might be the best ones and know why they're the best ones, and try out what you thought would be the theory. Candidate moves turn down to be about calculating. The best you can calculate ahead, the best you will be able to pick up candidate moves. Independently, playing puzzles are the only way you can improve one's abillity to calculate further on without comitting any mistakes during the path.

How trustable can puzzles be?

Puzzles can be highly trustable. And i can show why;

Puzzles are originated from real games. Only by that, you already know that the number of puzzles available will never run out since they're not made by real people. But by players itself. Whenever you're playing a puzzle on Lichess, you are always playing someone else's game, but not from scratch. Only the most important part of it. Another reason why puzzles are a trustable tool to get better, is that depending on how difficult the puzzle is, it'll require you to have to calculate a few moves ahead in order to notice the right move from the beginning of it. That makes you go through many other variations, until you find one that is sound enough to try. When playing these puzzles, only the top engine moves will be taken as the right answer. This means that, even though you still have to pick up candidate moves so you can solve these puzzles, only the top engine move will be considered. So there is no space to fail and if you do, you'll be punished with either losing puzzle rating (that defines how difficulty one will receive), or just getting a message saying that you failed but you can still try on. It's undoubtably the best and quickest way to evolve at chess. If you really want to understand more about candidate moves, head to puzzles here on Lichess and start solving some. Eventually you'll easily learn that candidate moves are not a so tough thing to learn and how essential they are. One last reason that could be proving once for all how essential puzzles can be, is that there are no puzzles where the opponent didn't make any mistakes (or even blunders). Once they make it, the puzzle requires you to notice why that move made by the opponent was a mistake and the right way to counter strike it.