10 best 'what NOT to do' tips in Chess

don't overlook the "sick and the weak"--both on offense and defense.

avoid trades with pieces in poor position... e.g. don't take a poorly positioned  bishop with a well-positioned knight on trade.

a useful rule of thumb for beginners is to avoid moving a piece twice in the opening

Also important for easily distracted checkers players.

don't play the Fred defense.

go wikipedia here is the link:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chess

1. Don't make the first good move you see. When you see a good move, find the problem with it and sit on your hands until you see a better move.
   
2. Don't ever confuse a better position with a winning position or a winning position with a won game. All a winning position means is that if you play perfectly, your opponent can't defend. You still need to find the best moves.
   
3. Don't think about the last move you played. If you missed a better move, move on and play the position in front of you.
   
4. Don't play moves that try to make it psychologically difficult for your opponent at the expense of playing the move that the position honestly calls for.
5. Don't let your opponent get too far ahead in the clock.
   

Don't rush.

Don't Panic

Your bad move is probably not as bad as you think. Your opponents attack is probably not as dangerous as it looks. Take a few deep breaths, relax, think through the situation carefully.

[edited for spelling]

A really good article for us , starters. after some games i realized that u must make a plan , even if it is bad , even if u lose u start get used to the ' plan ' idea that is really important.

Faraz.

Don't drop or hang pieces!

Don't ignore a pin once it is established - you may find your pinned piece suddenly under attack by a pawn.

Don't not have a plan. :)

Don't take any of the "rules" you come across as "rules". Suggestions like "Don't trade pieces when you're down in material." are generally good tips to follow, but there are always exceptions to the rule.

1. Do not play without a plan of attack, do not change your plan unless the new one will pay off very soon.

2. Tactical combinations can be exciting, this does not mean your rate of play should speed up when playing through one.

i follow Capa's principle of "one should never sacrifice anything if one seriously wants to win"  he said that but its obvious in his games that if he spotted a tactical line that involed a sac but he ended up material or with a mating attack then he would sacrifice away!

Don't quit the game if you lost a lot.

Don't move without a purpose (even if it's a stupid one).

Don't rush the move (screw time control).

Don't waste moves in the opening.

Try to avoid poor competition, if you play trash, you may become one too...

Try to avoid master level competition, it may discourage you.

Don't get angry if you blundered, it's normal.

Don't play if you have priority issues, it may effect your game.

I think there are some other don'ts, but the #1 DON'T to get you become a possible champ is:

Don't make the same mistake twice, play 24000 games,(always steer the game to the same opening) you may be a candidate to play for world championship. 

consider initiative vs static play.

check out my sea cadets mate in 8 moves available in my games, sacing my queen - sometimes things are not as they appear, as a do not do for an opening.

don't ignore your opponents move,think what (s)he is trying to do ,f its not obvious look again.

never assume just because you have a piece guarded your opponent wont take it

1. Dont try to always protect your queen, lots of players make that mistake and end up losing other important peices. A lot of experts know when to sacrifice their queen.

2. Dont get frustrated because it will delay you thinking and you will make bad moves.

3. Keep an eye out for future possible moves, if you depend on one plan, your opponent has a high chance of figuring it out and blocking.

4. Think while your opponent is thinking, it makes your moves look faster.

5. Something people don't understand that pawns are important! Don't risk them in the beginning of the game! One of my opponents took out all my pawns near he beginning and even though i had his important pieces, pawns are the equivalent of any piece so he won!

6. When you're facing some better than you, don't be a situational player. It's better to make moves that work no matter what you're opponent does, knight forks are usually helpful because in a proper one there is no way your opponent can avoid losing material.

7. Don't withdraw from a game just because you lost material. There are lots of ways to win with only a few strong pieces.

8. Winning is important but if your playing a friendly game, having fun is important too!

1.g4

one maxim I always liked is knights before bishops, so I guess the not to do is the inversion of that, so don't move your bishops before your knights, typically