In this episode, I sit down with Candidate Master and Chessable author Azel Chua to dive deep into the intricacies of chess calculation and thought processes.

Azel's Calculation course broke records on Chessable. He shared concrete positions and concepts to clarify his "Burger Technique"—a systematic approach that breaks down calculation into three essential steps. We explored why traditional approaches like "checks, captures, and threats" (CCT) can often fail, and how context-driven techniques provide a more robust, scalable method for players of all levels. Throughout the discussion, Azel showcased several illustrative positions that demonstrated the power of identifying loose pieces, critical squares, and exposed lines of attack. We learned how chess targets—whether pieces, squares, or alignments—can continually expand in complexity as players improve. Azel concluded with insightful exercises on visualization, introducing the concept of "visualization decay" and how to overcome it. He demonstrated that improving calculation involves spotting patterns and expanding one’s ability to recall and connect conceptual similarities across seemingly different positions.

02:01 Why His Calculation Course Was a Huge Success 05:13 Checks, Captures, and Threats: Why It Falls Short 11:03 The Burger Technique 12:10 Position 1 21:00 Position 2 26:24 Position 3 Enters Magnus the Superhuman 29:26 Position 4 38:26 Position 5 42:39 Position 6 50:06 Position 7 54:25 Position 8 58:35 Transfer of Patterns to Different Contexts 1:04:40 Conceptual Patterns - Position 9 1:06:48 Position 10 1:11:30 Visualization 1:31:48 How Best to Learn Patterns 1:33:34 The Endgame Riddle