play tons of puzzles and learn tatics. Pay more attention to your opponent's moves and spot weaknesses that your opponent might have created. DON'T beat yourself up because you missed some easy tactics everyone makes mistakes
Being unable to correct what I KNOW I'm doing wrong!
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May 1, 2021
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#3
You have to make it a habit.
Try untimed games vs a computer opponent (chess.com has plenty of free computer opponents at different playing levels).
Get a notebook and a pen... do your initial calculation as you normally would, but after you feel like you're done, write down a "main line" in the notebook. This will be your intended move and after that how the opponent's most aggressive moves (checks, captures and threats) wont be able to win material.
Do this for every single move.
The longer you do this (let's say every day for a month) the more you'll build up this habit.
I stopped playing chess after I graduated from college. Forty three years later I came back to it and have been playing for about 4 yrs. I just resigned a game against a player about 220 pts higher rated that me. I had the initiative most of the entire game, and was ahead in material, but at the end, I just attacked the opponent's pawn while I simultaneously put my queen enprise. Yesterday, I had a 2 move back rank mate, and I didn't see it, so instead of winning easily, I eventually had to settle for a draw. I feel that my knowledge level is about 300 or 400 points above my actual rating. I'm always giving games away. I KNOW I'm supposed to look at the entire board and check on any threats which I'll face if I make a certain move, and I always do this the entire game until suddenly I don't! I tell myself before every game that I won't commit this type of error, but a lot of the times I do. I know there are plenty examples of grandmasters commiting ridiculous blunders, but for them it's an extreme rarity; for me, it seems to happen every few games. THE WORST PART IS I KNOW I'M DOING THIS AND I WANT TO STOP, BUT IT SEEMS I JUST CAN'T. I've read a lot about this, but can't seem to defeat this problem. If anyone has any mind tricks to stop me from doing this, please weigh in. I think I need a headshrinker!