I have some bad news for you.
You will never eliminate blunders, no matter how good you get:
To help eliminate hanging pieces, do Bruce Alberston's chess mazes. There are two books full of them as well as examples online.
For other types of tactical blunders, make sure you get into the habit of looking for forcing moves (checks, captures, and threats...in that order) for your opponent.
Do tactics that require calculation of multiple lines. You will be forced to think deeply about the opponent's replies. I recommend CT-ART 5.0 software.
Yes, most strong blitz players are so because they have played many slow (normal) games. To reduce blunders you need to do the same. A G30 game is not a slow game either, it's still rapid chess and still too quick really. If you really want to weed out blunders and get stronger you need to be playing longer games.
Tactics training is also good, but if you select from a pool of 99% attacking tactics and you are forced to move quickly, then that's not going to help eliminate blunders either, probably the opposite.
@ kleelof. ok, I know blunders are part of the game. but the frequency and magnitude are a LOT less.
I appreciate the advice. I read as much as I can from Dan Heisman- and he preaches slower time controls, too....
to which I might point out; that just PLAYING a time control doesn't mean your not playing too fast. to others that point out that G30 is still relatively quick chess... yes. but its relaxed and slow enough that I'm rarely rushed. I'm totally willing to lose on time and keep a cautious attitude than habitual rush.
another key to this might be too ruthlessly examine your game. I am going to the next few days and try to figure out WHY I have been blundering. Retained image; not seeing the whole board; backwards and unexpected peice moves.... all are suspects.
@ kleelof. ok, I know blunders are part of the game. but the frequency and magnitude are a LOT less.
I appreciate the advice. I read as much as I can from Dan Heisman- and he preaches slower time controls, too....
to which I might point out; that just PLAYING a time control doesn't mean your not playing too fast. to others that point out that G30 is still relatively quick chess... yes. but its relaxed and slow enough that I'm rarely rushed. I'm totally willing to lose on time and keep a cautious attitude than habitual rush.
another key to this might be too ruthlessly examine your game. I am going to the next few days and try to figure out WHY I have been blundering. Retained image; not seeing the whole board; backwards and unexpected peice moves.... all are suspects.
30 minute chess might seem a lot longer compared to blitz, but it is still rapid chess and still a little quick for the developing player (but better than blitz of course). If you call a typical game 50 moves, 30 minutes gives you 36 seconds per move on average. Not a lot of time, even if you play through the opening relatively quickly.
Also, I don't think you can eliminate blunders 'without the wait.' I think you have just got to put the time in and gain board experience and pattern recognition with experience.
another key to this might be too ruthlessly examine your game. I am going to the next few days and try to figure out WHY I have been blundering. Retained image; not seeing the whole board; backwards and unexpected peice moves.... all are suspects.
I love g30's. But I'd play G60 if anyone else did. I love long, drawn out calculated moves. And I can sit for a long time analyzing. Right now my biggest problem is that i need to learn some strategy so that I can start narrowing down what different calculations i want to make. I'm pretty accurate calculating (I feel that way anyway) but not very efficient. i tend to run out of time. I have to budget time too. i can't burn 10 mins on one move in G30. I've noticed that end game studying has helped me recently to break 1100.
What do you suggest for strategy? Do you think strategy can cut down on the number of calucations needed?
Hi Dennis. I don't want to sound like a naysayer, but saying you make blunders does not match with you saying you calculate accurately. My advice is to not worry about strategy now. Just ensure you take greater care with individual moves. There will come a time to think more about position, but it is probably not now. I made a simple checklist here.
http://becomingachessmaster.com/2015/04/09/how-to-choose-a-chess-move/
I might agree, but 1-2 move tactics are mostly eliminated, and as I have already pointed out that game was a disaster.
@dennis. yeah, I'd like a longer time control as well. but I don't know. recently I have been doing ALOT of studying. barely playing any games at all (except for my turn based chess)- I'm working on improving my play in a database of my own games. there are 94 games in it. sometimes I see improvements; other times I blunder, very occasionally I did better the first time.
I'm also doing a lot of puzzles. this is whats nice about books; they allow you to get it all wrong bc you need to write out the variation. if the variation doesn't match the book; look it over, you probably missed the fact that there's a simple reason why it doesn't work.
that too is a blunder.
my advice to everyone below me is - don't just play game after game espacially if you hanging peices and missing everything. STOP make sure you understand what happened; and go over you technique.
I see people talking about slumps and playing dozens of games a night, and I think. "ouch!" doesn't beating your head like that over and over, hurt? do some tactics; take a break; go over a few of your recently lost games and try to see if you can NOT fall for it the next time.
(on the other hand, if you winning then.. carry on! play like you got lucky dice).
I have a question about blunders... I'm absolutely determined to work on getting them out of my game. but its a tough nut to crack... blunders are blunders because they are easy. If I was to be my own opponent I would see most of them in a New York second and they actually make me embarassed to go over my games.
now, the normal advice is to slow down. take more time. go over your poor games and relieve your awful play- preferably with a PC that sees everything...
BUT some of you strong players, don't play slower times (at all!)- how did you get rid of your blunders? I know some strong players here that never got out of 3 or 5 minute blitz and are scary good- that meaning they NEVER leave easy tactics and hung peices.
in Dan heisman lingo- they play real chess. But they don't seem to take me heisman's advice either (which is confusing)...
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and anyway as you notice, I'm all about the slower game. I actively play the G30 game; and still blunders creep in even in these longer time countrols. sometimes I think I do myself a disservice not to suffer from toiling away on the blitz games.
I mean Blitz brings out the blunders-- but you 1600/1800 blitz players; you must have defeated you blundery ways somehow... Brute determination and a HUGE case of being sick of losing?!?