Objectively checking your position once opening moves end.
Why it matters
When the opening ends, somebody has to decide what the position is about. Doing that properly — material, king safety, structure, activity — is what turns a set of developed pieces into a plan.
The order matters. Material and king safety are checked first because they are concrete; structure and activity come after, because they only decide the game when the first two are level.
See it on a board
The opening is over. Material level, both kings castled, White with slightly more space, and the question is which pawn break comes first — that is the whole evaluation.
Checked: the position really has the feature described.
How to play it
- Count material. Then check both kings: castled, airy, exposed.
- Look at the pawns alone: weaknesses, majorities, open and semi-open files.
- Compare piece activity, and finish by naming the worst-placed piece you own. Improving it is usually the move.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Bishop · ages 5–7
When you finish developing, stop and check: material, both kings, the pawns, and which of your pieces is doing the least.
Rook · ages 6–9
Evaluate before you calculate. Knowing what the position is about tells you which candidate moves are worth the time.
What goes wrong
- Calculating variations before deciding what the position needs.
- Evaluating on material alone, when king safety and activity are what most games turn on.
Questions people ask
- How long should evaluating take?
- Under a minute, most of the time. It is a checklist, not a meditation, and its purpose is to tell you which two or three moves deserve real calculation.
Learn next
- Prophylactic ThinkingOne question every move: what does my opponent want to do next?
- Transitioning to MiddlegameThe moment nothing is forced any more, and what the first real move should be.
- Open vs. Closed GamesWhether the pawns are traded or locked decides which pieces are good and how fast it goes.