I wonder what some of the techniques are for avoiding those moves one gets to kick oneself for....I try to stand back and analyze moves until I am happy, and those games I succeed in doing that for go quite well, but I still make too many moves in haste for my liking .....

Any one got some tips for us still quite newbies?

Usually these speed-chess blunders occur when you start playing one-sided chess....you get wrapped up in your own plan, because time is short, and you forget that your opponent is trying very hard to take you out!  One tactic is to take one second after your opponent moves, to see if he really IS attacking something with his last move! It really is painful to get mated, one move before you give mate yourself.....

Is this blitz or long play you are talking about frankiek ?

In OTB games, I hear chess coaches tell improving kids/munchkins to sit on their hands (literally!) until they do a safety-check on all of their moves. The impeccable NM Dan Heisman simplifies all of your troubles with his verdict that if one starts playing "real chess" instead of "hope chess", the problem you describe is completely solved...i.e. no more rash move-making.

What is hope chess v. real chess?

Well Hope Chess is making a move

 - WITHOUT Looking at your opponent's checks, captures and threats (All of them)
 - Even if you did look at them, you are "hoping" you can deal with it when he plays it instead of calculating any forcing line to quiescence.

This good chess habit is as necessary for online chess as it is for OTB.

To borrow NM Heisman's own words, I can walk into a room full of Grandmasters and convincingly argue that this habit is the most important thing you need to do with your chess before you start playing like the grown-ups :)

Hope this helps!

Shiv

long play KCO

When your opponent makes a move, do not try to find a way to defend against his thread, but instead try to find a way to ignore it.