The candidate move is perhaps the most elusive concept in chess theory. First introduced by Alexander Kotov in his famous book Think Like a Grandmaster, it seems clear and methodical enough: when considering a move, you make a list of "candidates" in your mind, compare their merits, and make your choice. But how do you determine what a candidate move is, and how do you proceed from there?

In this book, based on a Chessable course, chess grandmaster Sipke Ernst and chess psychologist Karel van...