I Stopped Blaming Blunders… and My Rating Started Climbing

For the longest time, I thought my biggest problem in chess was simple: blunders. Every time I lost a game, I’d say the same thing — “If I didn’t hang that piece, I would’ve won.” Sounds logical, right? But recently, I started questioning that mindset… and it changed everything. Here’s what I realized: Most of my “blunders” weren’t random. They were the final symptom of a deeper problem: Playing too fast in critical positions Not asking “What does my opponent want?” Ignoring tension because I wanted a “simple” position Getting uncomfortable and forcing moves instead of improving my position In other words… the blunder wasn’t the mistake. It was the result of bad thinking habits. So I tried something different. Instead of reviewing my games and stopping at the blunder, I started going 3–5 moves earlier and asking: “Where did my thinking process break down?” That’s where the real lessons were hiding. And honestly? It was uncomfortable. Because it meant I couldn’t just blame a “one-move mistake” anymore. I had to face the fact that my decision-making process needed work. But after doing this consistently for a few days: I started recognizing dangerous positions earlier I slowed down naturally without forcing it My moves began to have actual purpose, not just reaction And the craziest part? My games started feeling more controlled, even when I lost. So I’m curious— Do you guys focus on fixing blunders directly, or do you dig deeper into the moves that led to them? Because right now, it feels like improving my thinking process is way more powerful than just trying to “stop blundering.” Would love to hear how you approach this.

When I make a blunder in a game and when the game ends i go to game review and see what I did wrong and I fix that blunder so next time in a position like this or alike i tend not to make the same blunder

How did you recognize dangerous positions? Can you give an example from a game?