Hi 👋 there chess ♟️ buddy
When I forget what I did and mess up my moves. Oopsy daisy!
When I don't see my opponent's sneaky moves and they get my piece. No fair!
When I count wrong and think I'm winning, but I'm actually losing. Oopsie!
When I don't understand the situation and my plan falls apart. That's not fair!
When I get trapped and don't know how to get out. Help me!
I think 1-4 can be remedied with more practice and play. I have these issues once in a while, and I believe it’s because I’m more of a casual player nowadays. #5 might be helped with an analysis of those games. You say you were in a good position, but a reevaluation might prove otherwise.
Maybe a super short checklist might help, which I can run through mentally before each move ...
Heh, I was thinking of your checklist, and your problem number one. What came into my head was “Making a list, checking it twice…” Are you Santa?!
Heh, I was thinking of your checklist, and your problem number one. What came into my head was “Making a list, checking it twice…” Are you Santa?!
The problem I've had with checklists is that even in longer time controls (15, 30 mins) is that it often takes up so much time to run through each item on the list that I fall into time pressure later in the game. It also becomes repetitive and boring, making me lose focus.
I think a checklist can only work if it is very short and simple.
What would you have on your checklist?
I guess my checklist would vary depending on the situation I’m in. If I have the time, and the board still looks somewhat “calm” I would be doing vision checks by scanning the entire board, and then a quick blunder check before making my move. If there are exchanges to be made, I would instead count the attackers and defenders to see if the exchange would be equal, good, or bad. Then there’s also the decision of what to trade and what to keep. When I’m developed and looking for a plan, I’m scanning for weaknesses in the enemy camp. Also, the “checks, captures, and threats” shortlist is always active.
All this is a bit easier for me through experience and play.
I hate it! Mostly i get so annoyed when i accidently click the wrong move and blundering my queen on accident
I hate it! Mostly i get so annoyed when i accidently click the wrong move and blundering my queen on accident
I put move confirmation on to avoid that after doing it a couple times
I guess my checklist would vary depending on the situation I’m in. If I have the time, and the board still looks somewhat “calm” I would be doing vision checks by scanning the entire board, and then a quick blunder check before making my move. If there are exchanges to be made, I would instead count the attackers and defenders to see if the exchange would be equal, good, or bad. Then there’s also the decision of what to trade and what to keep. When I’m developed and looking for a plan, I’m scanning for weaknesses in the enemy camp. Also, the “checks, captures, and threats” shortlist is always active.
All this is a bit easier for me through experience and play.
Same
I can teach you EXACTLY how to think during the game (opening, middlegame and endgame). Your chess understanding will never be the same and you will improve a lot. I charge $10/h, but if you can’t afford too many lessons, don’t worry. I can teach you a lot in an hour. Here to help if you are interested.
If you want to study by yourself, read ‘Logical Chess’. It is really instructive book. You have it on youtube as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eTB7oHeRgM&list=PLUrgfsyInqNa1S4i8DsGJwzx1Uhn2AqlT
So, in thinking about what leads me to lose at chess, the following seem to be my most usual failings:
1) Instant Forgetfulness: I'll look at the board and see that if I make move X, then they will likely do Y - and then after Y I think Z looks good and will be a good move. But at the point at thinking about Z I will have somehow (oof) clean forgotten that I 'made' move X (resulting in a change of board position), and thus not realising that Z would actually hang my piece or something. Basically, when trying to think a move or two ahead I'll forget a consequence of one of the moves and blunder.
2) Vision Failure: I'll scan the board and think if I move my piece there it'll be safe, there's no threats. And yet I will have totally missed that my opponent has a bishop or queen or something, often the other side of the board, that is more than able to take my piece for free. Big ouch! I simply didn't percieve it even though it was visible and clear in front of me. My brain just didn't register the threat.
3) Counting Error: I'll see an exchange (often near the centre of the board) where if I take, they'll take, then I'll take, then they'll take etc. And I'll count - I have three, they have two, I win a piece! Only I'll have miscounted - they have three or four! I missed a pawn or something. And now I'm losing ...
4) Bad Evaluation: Less common than the three above, and somewhat harder to define, but it seems that in some games I will scan the board and think - I'm winning, or my pawn structure is sound, or now we enter the endgame, or if I do such-and-such I can claim the centre ground or weaken their defence or whatever ... And it turns out my evaluation was off. I hadn't understood the situation at all. And the strategic plan I thought was sound very quickly falls apart and I'm into back-foot reactive chess again.
5) Being Trapped: Often at the end of the opening stage, it'll seem that I simply have no good moves whatsoever. That wherever and whatever I move will either result in a lost piece or lost tempo or in some other way be bad. And I often have no idea how I ended up in such a trapped position - up to that point I believed I had been playing well, not losing material, developing my pieces and so on. But all of a sudden the net is closed around me and I have to struggle to get out of it, and usually don't!
So those are my 5 re-occuring issues.
Are there any good methods for dealing with each specifically?