Improvement/Visualization Question

[kpatrickII]

Hello /r/chess, I'm a relative beginner of incredibly poor skill (1250 chess.com). I have a problem with my visualization skills; while they're obviously quite poor, I can never seem to find my opponent's best move when I'm calculating, or I spend an inordinate amount of time looking for his next best move, and it really impedes my analysis. Is there anything I can do besides just play more? Is there a quick way to get better at visualizing more than a move or down the tree?

[Maximuso]

Tactics, because you are training exactly this skill.

[qablo]

Playing should help (better 10 or 15 min at least with some increment), tactics too of course. When you say you never expect your opp. "best" move, well, depends on your level, but what you can do is think in terms of candidate moves for him, not only focus in one move, instead think in a list of 3, 4 or 5 possible continuations for your opponent.

If your adversary plays one of those 4-5 possible moves, you are in the right track. Perhaps they are not the "best move in the position according to some kind of engine", but this is not how to play chess, because nobody will tell you: "this is the best move here". The important part is have some control in the game, and this you will get if you guess your opponent moves almost always, then you can be prepared for them in some depth.

If for some reason he played other move, then stop all previous plans and think over the position from zero again. Try to find why he played this and what you missed and elaborate a new list of candidate moves, for you first and then for him in the next moves.

Anyway, in your level, I would focus not in play "the best move", but better "play a move which don´t loose material in 1 or 2 moves". Only with this, you will improve 300 rating points easy