Chess.com for Tigers: 2. How to catch your opponent in a faux pas

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Probably this isn't new for most of you, but at least for the newbies here (as I had been not so long ago  ) it might be worth explaining a bit the use of the Chess.com Explorer. The explorer often is called an opening database, which it is, but it contains full games of (master) players, so it leads also into middle- and endgames. However, its biggest use is for openings. (I will tell you something about its use in endgames in another posting.)

Just for those who do not know how to get access to it: Go in Daily chess on the tagline where your chosen (current) opening is named (by the system). If you click on that name, you just get a standard opening position; but via the small compass icon right of that name, you get immediate access the present position of your game within the opening explorer.*

By clicking on that, another window should open in your browser, with a new board with your current position. You can use this just for testing - but the explorer will show you additionally in how many games this move has eventually led to a win for white, a draw or a win for black. (Number of games with this position and move in numbers, outcomes in percentage.) Usually, at least in an opening, you would just like to choose one of the moves given there (in favor of your color) - and not a move that has not been played in a master's game of this database before.

Regularly you would follow the move with the best rating for you – at least, if it still is common. You always have to wager: chose the more popular move, which may be not the best rated, or chose the better rated, which may be less used – and lead earlier to a point where you leave the common lines. (Or a move which you favor personally, for whatever reasons.)

Generally, I would recommend not just to look at the next, but also the second and third next move(s), and chances for both. Are there more positions, or significant changes or differences? Who can “steer” the chances – can black turn the tide in his favor with his moves, or white? An example: 50% winning chances for black is not as good as just 40 % if in the former case white can easily choose a move with for example 90% chances for white (in the next move, yet in the latter white had only the choice between 35 % and 45 % for black.

Yet at a certain point, your opponent might have made such a move that leads to a position which is not in the database anymore. When this happens first, you may not be that far from a common line. Maybe there is just another order of moves – so after your next move, there will be positions present in the explorer again. But it’s also possible that your opponent (and you) will necessarily leave the common lines then.

However, the earlier this happens (and the more games were in the archive with the previous position, but other following moves), the higher is your chance (and his risk!) that the chosen move is a not-so-good move as the moves chosen by the masters. Usually I'd say leaving the database-positions around move 5 (or even earlier) is very likely a mistake. After 10 not necessarily.

Also, if he leaves the line with 15 or even (much) more archived games with this position, the chance for blunder is much higher as if you might have come down to five games or less. Yet even if it is not a clear mistake, it might still be a dubious or at least risky move.

Even if there is just one game left, with one move, and he (or she) leaves it, it might have been the only good move in this position.

So do not panic because you can't follow a given line any more - but check carefully if you can detect a sudden weakness in your opponent’s position. (I mean, you should check that always, but your time is rarely so well invested as in such a moment.) Even if with your next moves you come back to a common position, the change of the move order may have caused a temporary weakness in your opponent’s position.

I must say in most of the games where my opponent left a given line around the 5th move or even earlier, his move showed a real weakness, at least in post-play analysis. (Once more: Do not analyze ongoing games with Chess.com analysis or another engine, nor finished games while games with similar positions still are ongoing!) Often a piece, sometimes even an attacking one, becomes not or badly protected. I also must say that I often I did not detect that weakness at once, because I did not look carefully enough, just stuck to the (my) usual line, or simply was impressed (and slightly panicked) because of an aggressive move, which would have proven as a massive blunder after a thorough check.

But always, really always when I missed a good answer on such a move, the consequences were very negative – or at least I missed a pre-decisive opportunity, and had to fight much harder than would have been necessary. And when I found a good answer on such a move, it typically helped me to win the game quickly.

So take your time then, and (particularly as black) do not chose the first defensive move that comes into your mind, but have a look if you could not find a more aggressive move, exploiting the (presumable) weakness of the non-archived move.

What might give you an idea: Go back to the previous positon and have a closer look at the archived moves your opponent did not chose. What would they have prevented? Is there a weakness in his position because he did not make one of these moves? Did he maybe leave a piece uncovered, or at least a square from which you can start an attack? And which moves would have been suggested for you if he had made another (archived) move? Is there something which you can still use – or which will be even more effective now? 

It might also happen, that your opponent did NOT make a mistake, but just made an excellent, masterly move (which he might have found in another, legal way, because the explorer is neither 100%-complete nor perfect.) However, this would be just more reason to look carefully and consider your answer very well.

And maybe your opponent always follows the moves in the explorer, even if there is just one game left. Then you should consider such a different move – particularly if you have come to a point where the ratings of the proposed moves are not in favor of your color anymore.

But do not leave the moves given in the explorer too early. And if you are the one who leaves the given lines first, be careful – the more, the earlier you do this. Because your move might be a faux pas as well.

Good luck!

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* Edited and updated on April 28th 2021, due to a recent change by chess.com