How to Find the Best Move
A repeatable process, not a guess — with an engine to check your work.
Step through it
White to move. Run the checklist: is White in check? No. Any checks available? Yes — capturing on h4 also happens to be check. Captures? The queen on h4 is undefended. That's already the strongest candidate — confirm it below, then verify with the engine.
Find the best move.
Hint
Look at every capture available. Is anything undefended?
Tap a piece, then tap where it should go.
Now verify with the engine
Have a position of your own to check? Analyze it directly, or upload a screenshot.
Strong players don't find good moves by staring until something looks right. They run a mostly-automatic process: notice what changed, check the forcing moves, build a short list of candidates, calculate the sharp ones out, then pick. This page walks through that process on a real position, then lets you verify the result with the same Stockfish engine that powers the rest of this site.
This is about analysis, review, and training — checking a position after the fact, studying a puzzle, or preparing — not about finding moves during a live rated game, which every chess site's fair-play rules prohibit.
The process
1. What changed after the opponent's move? 2. Am I in check? 3. Checks — mine, right now. 4. Captures — mine and anything my opponent threatens. 5. Threats — bigger than a simple capture. 6. Hanging or undefended pieces, on both sides. 7. Build a short list of candidate moves from the above. 8. Calculate the forcing lines (checks and captures) all the way out. 9. Compare candidates by their resulting position, not just the first move. 10. Verify with an engine once you've decided.
Why this order
Forcing moves come first because they limit your opponent's replies, which makes them far easier to calculate accurately than quiet moves. Checking for hanging pieces on both sides catches the two most common practical mistakes: missing that you can win something, and missing that you're about to lose something.
Verifying with an engine
Once you've picked a move, checking it against an engine isn't cheating in analysis — it's how you find out whether your calculation was right, and more importantly, why it was right or wrong. The explanation matters more than the raw evaluation number.
Frequently asked questions
Is using an engine to find moves considered cheating?
Only during a live rated game, which is against the fair-play rules of every major chess site. For studying finished games, reviewing puzzles, and training — which is what this page and this site are for — it's a completely normal and effective part of improving.
How many candidate moves should I consider?
Usually two to four. Fewer and you risk missing the best option; many more and calculation becomes unreliable — you'll lose track of lines instead of evaluating them accurately.
What if I can't calculate a line all the way to the end?
Calculate as far as you reliably can, then trust a general assessment of the resulting position (material, king safety, piece activity) rather than guessing blindly further ahead.
Is it free?
Yes. The board is read and analyzed right in your browser, there is no sign up, and you can do it as many times as you like.