My ongoing battle with Chessmaster characters

Well, I am no longer playing the "wild lady" in Chessmaster. But I seem to be slipping backwards from characters with a certain rating.

I am too embarrassed to tell you where I am now. But I will say this. Each time I play one of these characters, I put the game time on infinite, so that I have all the time I need and then I can do a  Ctrl-F to make my opponant play. So I am not rushing.

I am taking most of their pieces. This is the way it starts out. I am careful and try to protect my pieces. And I am ahead.

Then all of a sudden the black screen of death comes on and says "black has won." And I look and I have been checkmated by a queen! I never saw it coming.

The analysis appears and says how well I was doing before my dreadful blunder. Rating was good before I goofed.

And then the chessmaster suggests a rematch or (horrors) a new character who has an even LOWER rating than the one I was playing.

At this rate I will soon be playing little children...

Now I study. Do tactics training. Read Purdy. All kinds of books. And I love it.

But for some reason, even playing slowly, I just do not SEE the threat that is coming which will checkmate me. But I do see things to capture my opponant's pieces. But I do not see what is going to happen to me.

I feel humiliated by what those little characters in Chessmaster do to me when I least  expect it.

I don't know why I don't SEE that threat before the black screen of death pops up and says "Black has won." And all the time I thought I was winning...

Huge blunder and chessmaster says I played well up to then.

I will not give up, but I do not feel too encouraged right now.

stwils

huh?

Before making your move, play the move in your head and then think as if you were black. Flip the board if you must. If you dont miss mates in 1 as white, you shouldnt miss them as pretending to be black. Hope that made sense

under your nose, black is doing his own plan, and you're totally missing it. these mates did not come out of nowhere. after each move of your opponent's, think to yourself "why did he move there?"

you are focusing too much on your own plan and not thinking about how you can also restrict your opponent's plan.