Help with a peculiar weakness

Hi everyone. I've diagnosed a rather odd weakness in my game and I'm looking for help in trying to overcome it. It has plagued me in a number of my recent OTB contests.

I seem to overestimate the opponent's supposed threats and take defensive measures where there are none needed. Last night, for instance, I committed most of my forces to defending a pawn that really wasn't very important. A post-mortem of the game with one of our club's strongest players showed that had I instead activated my pieces and let the pawn fall, I would have had a good game and it is likely that my opponent would never have taken the pawn anyway, because it was simply a distraction from their real plan. By committing all my energy to the defense of this phantom threat against my pawn, I gave the opponent opportunities to create real threats elsewhere on the board, and those threats did me in.

What causes this bizarre weakness? I know a lot of players who fail to perceive real threats that their opponent is working up, but I don't personally know anyone else who has this very opposite problem like I do.

Any strong players out there have some advice on how to strengthen this part of my game?

Not sure I would define myself as a strong player, but ... I'll dare to comment anyway.

First, your observation is interesting and matches my anecdotal observations regarding typical amateur chess player foibles: we tend to miss real threats more often (or to a greater impact) than we overestimate them.

2nd, - to your post's query more directly - my thought was that a greater understanding of the plans and strategies peculiar to the opening being played would lessen the likelihood of attending to issues that were not of high importance (assuming the tactical implications were not serious, only the strategic ones). I believe this is one of the greatest weaknesses in amateur play: having a less-than-adequate understanding of the ideas and themes for both players in the openings we play.

Just my few thoughts on your excellent question.

I have the same affliction, especially on the clock, and too-frequently lose because I spend too much time reacting to my opponent's sometimes-crazy aggression.

Look for ways to counter threats with threats of your own.  That's pretty general, but it often pays off.

First off, thanks to everyone for your insights. They are all valuable.

I do see what you're talking about, DrawMaster, however in my case I have a very firm grip on the opening systems I play. In last night's battle, for instance, I had the Black pieces in a Sicilian Dragon that I have played literally a hundred times before. This trouble of mine comes up over and over again well into the middlegame, when I am left "to my own devices" so to speak.

I have done some thinking throughout the day while I have been away from the computer, and I came up with the following:

1. My tactical awareness has become rusty. Part of tactical awareness is recognizing the opponent's possibilities, not just my own. I haven't seriously put my nose to the grindstone tactically in over 6 months.

2. My self-induced paralysis is largely the result of "seeing" enemy sacrifices and combinations that are just plain unsound and thinking they are sound. Again touching on tactical awareness.

3. I have somehow slipped into playing very timid, fearful chess. I overcame this tendency a little less than a year ago. I don't know how I have let myself slip back into it.

I have decided, upon review of my own thoughts and the ideas provided here, to force myself to get back into playing aggressively, but this time with a total disregard for the enemy's plans/ideas/etc. I will go for the opposite extreme. There will be times when I have to heed simple tactical ideas like winning a piece by force or mate in one, but other than that, I will go about my own plans aggressively and push through. Certainly I will lose more than I win, but that is a price I'm willing to pay because when I go over the games after the fact, I will be able to see what kinds of threats need to be reckoned with and which ones don't.

Also, naturally, I will get back into tactical training ASAP. I used to be able to recognize combinations much more easily!

Thanks again, everyone, for your contributions. Keep 'em coming!

Maybe I wasn't clear earlier. I can see weaknesses in my opponent's game when they exist. The problem I'm having is that I'm hesitant to take advantage of them because I have what I think is a bigger weakness in my own camp. My supposed weakness turns out usually to not be a weakness at all! Meaning that if I had just gone ahead with my plan I would have at least had counterplay, and perhaps even a better game. Instead I shut down my potential counterplay before I even get started because I feel like the enemy can bust me first - whether it is actually true or not.

The following is an example of what I mean. This was a game I played OTB about 3 weeks ago. I should have played 32...Qxb2 but didn't because I hallucinated a Q + N attack on my king that just wasn't there.

There is an error in this diagram. It should say Black to move. Anyway, I am down a piece, but obviously the a1-h8 diagonal is very weak for White and I should have played 32...Qxb2, which gives me a fighting chance. However, I thought that 33. Qc7+ was very dangerous and could even lead to mate, so I didn't play 32...Qxb2. I was afraid to. I gave unnecessary credence to my opponent's non-existent threat. This happens to me consistently.

My problem is not that I can't spot a weakness... Rather, it's that I think I have weaknesses in my own end of the board that just aren't there. Or if they are there, they aren't as big as I make them out to be.

You're right that I need to learn to evaluate positions better, but I think it would be best right now to focus on not playing such timid, fearful chess.

Well you shouldn't worry so much tbh =), at least you have an idea were the problem is. Personally i reconize some problems i had too with otb chess not so long time ago. I had problems calculating long variants and was sometimes a bit stressfull on the board too. Sometimes I played very strong and sometimes because of those two reasons i played like a child and made a terrible blunder.  At one moment i realized I start playing too defensivly because i was afraid for messing up =).

Anyway all you can do is work work work, it is that easy =). Replay your games with the computer and think back about that game. What went through yourself when you played that game ? Why did you made that move ? Was it because of stress, concentration or was it tactical too complicated, does it always happen in the middle game ?. Try to write down these things and think about it what you can do to improve then step by step.

Last thing i want to say: If your improve your tactics you get a lot of confidence when calculating and otb play on amateur level is all about tactics. Also don't be afraid to miscalculate, if you think all the time i'm not sure about this and that you won't make the strongest move for sure and if you fail it is ok. You go back to your work improving again and so on..

Anyway just some thought.