I hope I'm not the only one who does this.  If I am, I feel more stupid then I already do.  Here's the scenerio.  It is your move.  You easily notice that if you move piece A, your opponent will swoop down and snatch piece B either putting you in checkmate, or in a position which will lead to checkmate in a few moves.  You tell yourself not to move piece A, survey the board for your best possible move, then move piece A not realizing what you have done until its your turn again and you see the banner saying So and So won by checkmate.  How stupid is that? 

I truly believe the best way to improve your game is to play many games against people of all rankings and share those games with your friends allowing them to tell you what you did right, and what you did wrong.  But how do you fix stupid?  I saw it, knew I shouldn't move it, and then moved it!  I think I'm going to drink a bottle of Capt'n Morgan's Rum and stick my head in the oven.  Just kidding about the oven, but I think you can guess my frustration level.

I guess the only thing to do is to continue to play and try not to be so stupid in the future....Jake

All I can say is I have done it :)

Been There Done That, too many times   

I think the format leads to that maybe more then playing against a clock real time-- so many games going, such a different sense of momentium when you sign on at different times.

why couldnt you do that when were playing ?

Ah, yes! Even as I was laughing while reading your story, I remembered many, many times I did exactly that myself. At times, I even graciously laid my queen right in the path of my opponent's pawn -- "Here, take me!" -- realizing my mistake only after hitting the "submit" button! I do think, though, that there is a better word for this than "stupidity", though I'm sure "intelligence" isn't it, either. Can anyone come up with the perfect word to describe making a move that the player knows darn well is not a good move, but does it anyway, forgetting that he/she just discussed with him/herself why that was not a good move?

My Achilles Heel: The Reveal.

It's not what the attacking piece does to me, it's what the passive piece that is now uncovered does to my game. Six times this week, a fianchettoed bish has nailed my rook cross-side. So, cross-eyed, I stare in amazement: why can't I see this?!

I've come to realize that chess, like a painting, is as much about negative space as it is the positive lines of attack. When I move a piece, I ask myself , "What hole have I just created?"

I'm learning slowly to apply that look to my worthy opponents. Clinters has a knack for exploiting my weakness in exactly that way.

Strangely enough, I recently beat him (finally) while his tunnel vision was focused on Mate in two: He had left a hole open to close for the kill. Instead of panicking, I managed to exploit the hole for a very satisfying Mate.

He killed me the next two games, but still, having realized my own weakness and actually doing something about it, I felt like I had made some progress after stalling in rating in the mid 1300s.

Look for these frustrations in your game, find the repetitive ones, and don't hit SUBMIT until you are happy you're not being blind to your own fatal flaw.

Cap

oh yes many times have i made a move knowing that it could potentionaly lead to the capitulation of my army, and yes i consider the fact that there is a slim chance that my opponant has not seen what i have seen but as soon as i have hit that submit button, there is this familiar sound of someone being flatulant! then i sound off like hommer (doh!) and slap myself on the forehead (sometimes a little to hard for my own good). I then awake to  the realisation that my opponant has got to see what i half expected he may or may not have seen (if that makes sence?) hence i go on to be capitulated and all i end up with is a lesser rateing and a red hand print on my brow!!  why do i never learn?