Thinking outside the box

Go through the comments in the game to read more details, but the interesting message is this: in the position before my last move I didnt immediately see that possibility of Qa7. At first I was checking "normal" moves as Rhe1 and so on. Sure, a "really good player" would have noticed Qa7 in a microsecond. But since most of us are not really good players  no offense!  we have to take that kind of possible chess blindness due to "automatic play" into account. My rating is relatively stable around 2000, so I think I can say that "thinking outside the box" is a topic for all amateurs in order to not miss too many of such opportunities as Qa7 in my game.

Very nice article! Before Be4, I was focused on the obvious d6 square as an outpost for the white pieces, so I was also guilty of automatic ideas.

hi trackdad, thanx for your nice comment! yep, the d6-square definitely is a candidate for what i mean here. especially since blacks dark-squared bishop is gone. a white knight on d6, protected by a rook behind, and black almost cannot move anymore.