A Simple Method To Play Better Chess

One of the primary reasons you make errors and blunders is because you fail to take into account your opponents plans and you fail to sense transitions from offense to defense, from strategic to tactical, etc.

If you find yourself making an unusual amount of blunders or fail to see simple tactics, try to eliminate your main weakness. Underestimation of your opponent.

After every move by your opponent, ask yourself what his threat is.

Then ask yourself what the consequences of the move is.

Every move has it's pros and cons.

Can you live with his move? What is your response? Then what is his follow up move going to be?

Try to examine at least 3+ move candidates as a minimum. The most logical, the wildest, all checks...

If you come up with a sequence, but it doesn't work for some reason, see if you can change the move order around.

If you have problems visualizing try just picking up a piece, in your head, and placing it anywhere you like on the board.

Where do you want the pieces to be and how many moves will it take to get those pieces in place? Can you afford to waste that many moves? Can you gain moves with tempo?

Try it out. What's there to lose?

I totally agree. I used to make lots of mistake when I was little by not following this rule when I was little.

Playing this on-line chess is very differant for myself . I liked your post and will try to take your advise. Thing that I have seen being a newbee is, WHEN to sit down and play. Such as early in the morning or when I come home wrecked from work. I'm a goofey kind of guy where everything has to be just so, like the coffee has to be at such a degree and the desk cleared off with 2 sharp pencils in arms reach to the right da da da  to play my best. I had that going when I first started to play . Was doing ok for just starting out with this . Then I got away from how I need to be and started thowing pieces around the board in differant games now and making some will bone-head mistakes . Yes I liked your post, look at all angles ...  

Thanks for the help.  I find that I play decent chess when I remember to take the time to ask questions such as these. My main problem in making "bone head" moves comes from the failure to ask these questions -- largely because I am either multi-taking and/or simply rushed to make a move.  Perhaps another "rule" to add here would be when playing turn-based chess, allow yourself a minimum of minutes prior to making a move. 

...its kind of like trying to lose weight.