mistakes and inaccuracies v plan

Nobody can win unless the opponent makes an error.

Having said that... playing a particular move just to trick or distract your opponent is called "hope chess", and gets no respect.

Doesn't really answer the question. blueemu

Are mistakes common even among the winners of Master vs Master games?

Yes.

Thanks. Based on your accuracy and wins I'm guessing that you have been well trained in theory etc or have just learnt through playing ? High accuracy definitely seems to be working for you. Maybe at beginners level and still learning low accuracy to be expected

My first over-the-board tournament was in 1967, yes.

I used to earn a modest living teaching chess at chess clubs around the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

Nice Blue. Seriously your accuracy and wins to losses is amazing.

World-champion caliber players will lose to the computer engines that evaluate accuracy on this site, so all players are making "inaccurate" moves much of the time. Do you analyze your games to see if your opponent just missed strong moves when countering your distractions? The ideal is to play moves that will create problems for the opponent and improve your position while denying your opponent good counterplay.

Tbh mpaetz I have a disability and can't play at a PC. So just use app. It's actually pretty hard to focus through pain but you what. I don't mind losing if it helps keep me occupied. I'm still trying to figure out how the game analysis works and how to navigate in the app. It's pretty tricky. Very small little symbols to press which I constantly miss. But hopefully I'll figure it out. I do know most of the games I lost I saw my blunders immediately. Then I have analysed how awful my end game is but I'm doing the lessons which I believe are helping me a lot to ID checkmates etc. 41 and a beginner.

If you are getting enjoyment and benefit in some ways from playing you are doing better than a lot of players that fill these forums with complaints about how this site is unfair, there too many cheaters robbing them of their deserved victories, etc. Best wishes.

Gildog1,I would ignore any move labeled an error/mistake that did not concern a tactical mistake of 1-3 ply or a catastrophically bad king endgame move. Under 1000 elo games are almost always decided by very simple tactics ( 1 to 3 ply) and game losing king moves in King + pawn endgames; so concentrate on those type of errors and ignore anything labeled a weak move/mistake that are tactically more complex or almost anything positional. Fix the really big errors first.

I watched a game on YouTube between Daniel Naroditsky and the number one expert on the Caro kann in the world. Daniel intentionally made the incorrect move in a middle game position to take his opponent out of theory and subsequently won the game. the point is that between humans it all comes down to how well you can out play your opponent.

Thanks fellas. Badger 🦡 what is a 1 to 3 ply? I will then do my research on it 😁

A "ply" is ONE move for ONE player.

So 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 is four ply.

Ta Blue