Does anyone have any insight to share with me here?

My openning and middle game always seem to cost me more pawns than my opponent; a development I don't pay a lot of attention to until the endgame.  Am I undervaluing the piece?  Should I always look to keep material levels equal if I must lose a piece?  Should I not worry too much about it if my position seems stronger?

Any and all thoughts are welcome.

pQ4 wrote:

I don't pay a lot of attention to until the endgame.

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 Um, pay attention earlier? If you lose a pawn in the opening and never get it back, you'll be a pawn down in the endgame.

 

 When i was younger i would not worry about losing a pawn now and then, but after losing countless games because of that one pawn i learned to value the little guys alot more. Try to pay attention from move one waiting till the endgame can be very costly.

Dude just start with 9 pawns then.  Your opponent will never notice.  I do it all the time OTB.  One of my rooks has a hidden compartment inside where I store the 9th pawn until I find an opportunity to slip it in unnoticed.

The nine pawn strategy.  I think I read about that in a chess book somewhere.  I'll for sure try that.

I wasn't sure what kind of comments i'd get on this thread, but it seems pretty plain I should stop whining, and play the game.  Perhaps even try and capture a pawn if I lose one.

I have 2 rooks....I could actually start with 10 pawns....

tbierig wrote: Dude just start with 9 pawns then.  Your opponent will never notice.  I do it all the time OTB.  One of my rooks has a hidden compartment inside where I store the 9th pawn until I find an opportunity to slip it in unnoticedhahahahaha, you can try it..

Being down a pawn will often bite you in the endgame. You must learn not to hang pawns. But there's much more you can do to improve your game. Have you studied K+P vs K and K+R+P vs K+R endgames? A knowledge of those can help you draw when you're down a pawn and help you win when you're up a pawn.

 

Check my blog--I've written many articles that can help you. Also check the Chesskids lessons page, or pick up a good endgame book.  :)

 

I am always down a pawn too.

 

My openings are: Kings Gambit, Danish Gambit, Scotch Gambit, Smith-Morra Gambit, and as black I play the Center-Counter Defense.

kponds wrote:

I am always down a pawn too.

 

My openings are: Kings Gambit, Danish Gambit, Scotch Gambit, Smith-Morra Gambit, and as black I play the Center-Counter Defense.

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 Hmmmm, I can't imgaine why you might be down a pawn using those openings..... :-D

lol

There is a simple explanation your opponents must be better than you. 

^real helpful.

 

I looked at a couple of your recent loses and I would definitely suggest you pay more attention to your pawns. No need to let your opponent take them without adequate compensation. The pawns can be extremely valuable.