“Do not stop calculating when you see a gain of material or a promising attack. Calculate until there is a forced checkmate or until the opponent has no useful moves left.”
Igor Smirnov (GM, founder of Remote Chess Academy) emphasizes that most club players stop calculating too early — as soon as they win a pawn or give a check. The right mindset is to visualize the final mating net before playing the first move of a combination.
Many club players operate under the misconception that calculation is an innate talent or purely a function of visualization depth. Smirnov argues that calculation is a procedural skill. The primary issue addressed by the Calculate Till Mate system is the "hope chess" phenomenon—making a move and hoping the opponent makes a mistake—versus "concrete chess," where moves are calculated to a definitive conclusion (mate or a winning advantage).
| Without full calculation | With calculation to mate | |--------------------------|---------------------------| | You win a piece but allow counterplay | You finish the game immediately | | You miss a defensive resource | You foresee all defenses | | You stop at “+2” evaluation | You stop only at “#” | igor smirnov calcula hasta el jaque mate install
“Install” means to embed this rule into your subconscious so it becomes automatic.
Before any attacking move, say aloud (in your head):
“From this move until checkmate — show me the line.”
If you cannot visualize the final checkmate, do not play the move — recalculate or choose a different candidate. “Do not stop calculating when you see a
If you cannot afford the official course, you can still install GM Smirnov’s logic for free using his YouTube content.
Search for: "Igor Smirnov calculation training" on YouTube.
The Free Installation Routine:
Do this 10 times, and you have effectively installed the neural pathways without spending a dollar.
In the realm of chess improvement, players often plateau not due to a lack of opening knowledge or tactical puzzles, but due to a lack of structured calculation. Grandmaster Igor Smirnov’s course, Calculate Till Mate, proposes a systematic algorithm for over-the-board thinking. This paper outlines the core principles of the method, contrasting it with traditional trial-and-error calculation and highlighting the concept of "Candidate Moves" and "Forcing Sequences."