[1][2][3] Although in theory the idea of candidate moves can be applied to games such as checkers, go, and xiangqi, it is most often used in the context of chess.
Many beginning players are taught about candidate moves as soon as they learn to play the game, and there are numerous references to the idea in other chess books.
Kotov, as well as other teachers, recommend using a system of pattern recognition, looking at the elements of the current position to determine what might be a feasible move.
For example, if a player notices that his opponent's king is on the g8 square, and that his knight is on f3, then a candidate move might be Ng5, a fairly common beginning to a sacrifice.
The ability of humans to find candidate moves remains one of the main differences between them and computers.