The Pre-Move Checklist & Diagnostic
The ChessLogic Pre-Move Checklist is a one-page printable that walks you through the Dimitrov Method’s two-phase architecture — perceptual scan first, priority calculation second — on every move you make.
To get the checklist and a personalized diagnostic showing exactly which step in your thinking process you’re skipping, take the free Chess Logic Diagnostic. 8 questions, 90 seconds. We’ll email you both PDFs.
Take the Diagnostic & Get the Checklist →
What’s on the checklist
- Phase 1 — Perception: the lower-L-first scan. L1 (direct lasers to king), L2 (lasers through one intermediate), L3 (direct lasers to pieces), L4 (chained L2 setups), L5 (chained L3 setups). Both directions.
- Phase 2 — Priority: classify each identified threat with its suffix (#, *, d#), then sort into tiers from T0 (must respond NOW) to T4 (deferred).
- The Cross-Track Priority Rule: when to ignore your opponent’s piece threats in favor of stronger king-track moves.
- The Capture Gate: the four “must respond” moves to scan for before any capture. Eliminates the largest class of capture blunders.
- The Pre-Move Gate: against-self check, blunder firewall, final priority resolution.
Why we gate it behind the diagnostic
Every chess player has different skip patterns. The same checklist helps everyone, but knowing your specific skip pattern — whether you’re a Reactor, Collector, Attacker, Defender, Hunter, or Gambler — tells you exactly which steps of the checklist to drill first.
The diagnostic is 8 questions. The personalized PDF that comes back identifies your archetype, explains the specific step you’re skipping, and gives you four targeted drills. Combined with the universal checklist, it’s the most efficient way to fix your blunder pattern.
The Method behind the checklist
To understand why the scan order is what it is, read The One Outcome and How Do You Even Begin?. To understand the full vocabulary, see the Glossary.