Don’t Just Survive, Thrive on the Chessboard!

Hey Impressive Chessers!

This blog is going to go over the phrase that I’m sure you’ve heard from chess teachers/coaches/content creators/etc. say:

“Just Don’t Blunder.”
(JDB, as I’ll call it from here on out.)

This advice really makes my skin crawl because I know the people that say it are half joking and (usually) have good intentions when they give this advice. But it’s really bad for your long term chess development.

What Are Your Goals?

Whenever I work with a student, I ask them to outline both their short-term (~1 year) and longer-term (5–10 years) goals. If your goal is to hit 1400–1600 and coast, or if you plan to eventually switch to a radically different style of play, then yeah, JDB might serve you okay for now.

But personally? That’s not the kind of chess that excites me. What I like about chess is that it seems like not much is going on but you know that at any moment the game can erupt into a chaotic mess. I’ve described this building of anticipation in my previous blog:

Chess and the Art of Anticipation

Okay, okay that’s enough bloviating Craig, let’s get to some chess examples and puzzles!

When “Good Advice” Goes Wrong

Here’s a silly game where the player with the White pieces was told to make sure to:

1. Control the center
2. Develop their pieces quickly
3. Castle to protect their King as soon as possible
4. Make sure that their pieces are defended whenever possible (so as to not blunder)
5. Take the free material offered by their opponent; later they will be able to use that extra material to win easily in the endgame

And usually those 5 points are good advice. But honestly if that’s all you had to do to play good chess, do you think it would be a popular game 1,000+ years after it was invented?! Anyways let’s see the results of blindly following that advice:

Notice how Black broke some “rules”:

1. They never castled the entire game
2. They never developed their c8-Bishop
3. 7…c4 released tension in the center ← usually not a good thing
4. 8…b5 and especially 12…Rxb2 lost material

But they followed the two most important rules in chess: 1. If it works, it works & 2. Checkmate reigns supreme over all other rules!

What Should You Do Instead?

Ok that was a funny game, Craig. I’m somewhat convinced that the “JDB” advice might not be best, but what should I do instead?

I’m glad you asked! So here’s the thing, if there really was a way that you could “just not blunder” then your rating and skill level would both skyrocket! But unfortunately there’s no magic spell that stops us from blundering. You’ll actually never completely stop blundering, otherwise Magnus would never have to slam any tables🙂

The way I’ve found that lessens my blunders is counterintuitive but it’s actually to not be afraid of making a blunder. I (try to) go into every game thinking that I’m not going to blunder. I’m going to be aware of what my opponent is threatening and counter what they are doing by either playing something stronger than their threat (this is ideal), or a move that counters their plan while increasing the utility of my position; in the best possible way.

Puzzle 1: Rashid Nezhmetdinov (“Super Nezh”)

This puzzle comes from a game where the Black pieces were handled by my favorite chess player: Rashid Nezhmetdinov. Supposedly, “Super Nezh” sacrificed pieces at a higher clip than any other top player in the history of chess!

Puzzle #1: How did "Super Nezh" diffuse White's Threats?

Here's the crazy game in it's entirety

I find true beauty in chess is when you play a move that addresses what your dangerous opponent is threatening while also furthering your ill intentions; I think you can see why “Super Nezh” is my favorite player!

Puzzle 2: Jose Raul Capablanca

Next puzzle comes from an even more legendary player than Nezhmetdinov: the 3rd World Champion of Chess, Jose Raul Capablanca. Albeit in a somewhat random, unrated game.

Puzzle #2: What move would you play for White on move 17 and why?

Okay so even a great World Champion like Capablanca blundered, how do we have any hope? Honestly we don't have hope of never blundering but we do have the opportunity to learn from ours or even better other players blunders! So why did Capablanca blunder? I think it's because 1. It wasn't a rated game so he might not of been playing as seriously as he usually would but more importantly 2. He underestimated his opponent's resources, because he clearly didn't see the power of the 18...Qa5!! counterattack. Otherwise he surely wouldn't have gone down the route that he chose when he had such a fantastic position. In order to play strong chess you can't underestimate your opponent, but you also shouldn't overestimate them either <-- Chess is hard!

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Puzzle 3: Craig Clawitter

The last puzzle comes from a distinctively less prestigious player than the first 2: me

Puzzle #3: How did I diffuse White's Threats?

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The Real Antidote to Blundering

In none of these examples did I stop and think, “Don’t blunder!” Instead, I focused on:

• What is my opponent really trying to do?

• Can I do something more dangerous or effective than them?

• If not, can I block or parry it while improving my piece activity?

• If no threats exist, do I have any good forcing moves (checks, captures, threats)? And then if not that then improve your worst placed piece. Good pieces = good forcing moves in the future.

That’s the thought process of real chess improvement.

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Conclusion

Especially at first, you will, most likely, mess this up.
You’ll overestimate your chances.
You’ll miscalculate.
You’ll lose.

But embrace the mess, you’ll learn and grow stronger, I promise!

And unlike the timid “JDB” approach, this mindset allows growth. It teaches you how to play winning chess, not just not-losing chess.

Once you’re around the 1800 level, blunders from your opponents don’t just fall into your lap. You’ll have to apply pressure by countering threats effectively, or even ignoring them if you can prove they don’t work.

So next time someone says “just don’t blunder,” smile politely and play...

…Impressive Chess 
OLM/NM Craig C.
linktr.ee/ChessToImpress

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Do you have your own story of a wild game where breaking the rules paid off? Or totally backfired? Drop a comment below! I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences, or questions! Let’s keep learning (and maybe blundering a little) together.