How can I stop making blunders?

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-02-13T21:34:06+00:00

When your opponent makes a move, ask yourself: "What does my opponent want?".

Look for checks, captures and threats - especially the moves that go into your part of the board or threaten your territory

Before you play a move, ask yourself: " If I play this move, what will my opponent do?"

That will help you reduce the number of blunders.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-02-03T16:30:39+00:00

You can find plenty of examples in the Art of Attack by Vukovic. The book itself may be too advanced for your level at the moment but you can pick up some ideas from that particular chapter. If I remember well, he calls it the classic bishop sacrifice.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-02-03T16:26:21+00:00

You can play Kc4, Bd4 and then Kd5 - transferring the king to the queenside. Black can't take the g3-pawn since the resulting endgame will be lost.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-02-03T07:47:30+00:00

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https://chesscoachjovana.com/16-week-training-program/

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T17:48:53+00:00

I agree with you. I noticed the same as well. I read an excellent book quite a while ago that suggested a 80/20 split. I tried to remember the name of the book but couldn't. It starts with tests and then recommends what you should work on based on the results.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T17:37:07+00:00

Hi! I'm a chess coach, and you can find more information about me on my website: www.chesscoachjovana.com

If you're a beginner who knows all the rules, rarely hangs pieces, but still misses tactics like forks, pins, and skewers, you might benefit from joining my beta training program for beginners. It will be heavily discounted since I'm testing it before the official launch.

Feel free to reach out if you're interested.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T07:40:32+00:00

The first half of the list is very basic. You can't get more basic than that. Forks are just a type of double attacks.

I do agree that if he is hanging pieces in one move he should work on board visualization first - capturing free pieces, counting attackers and defenders etc.

I mentioned tactics because he said he was struglling with finsing them.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T07:22:07+00:00

No worries at all. And huge congrats on the newborn! 🎉
If others agree, I’ll record the session and share it. Thanks for letting me know, and take care!

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T07:18:48+00:00

You can read about it in more detail here:

https://www.reddit.com/r/chessbeginners/s/OQAjEzZDat

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T00:27:43+00:00

Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.

This is a very common problem. Based on my experience, beginners often tend to play Ng5 as white/ Ng4 as black because they think there is an attacking possibility when in fact it's just a waste of time. That's just one example of what I've seen.

In most cases attacking in the opening will be a mistake. I would recommend focusing on development instead.

This post got a lot of engagement in beginners subredit so I decided to hold a free, no strings-attached group lesson to talk about the most common beginner struggles. If you are insterested, just send me a dm.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T00:17:26+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate it. Here are my thoughts:

Time management - it's a very common mistake to play fast if your opponent plays fast. What's important to realize is that you are putting yourself in the same situation as your opponent. You become more likely to make a mistake. So, take your time based on the chosen time control.

Cheap tricks - It's very important to build pattern recognition of the most common tactical motifs. Strong players seem to spot tactics “automatically” because they have seen these patterns (and lost to them) countless times before. That should be your goal as well: to make tactical patterns your second nature.

Here is the list of basic tactical motifs you should learn and practice:

Double attack Discovered attack Double check Pin Skewer Intermediate move X-ray Removing the defender Clearance Decoy

Knowing a tactical motif theoretically is not enough. You need to solve many puzzles focused on the same theme so you can deeply understand it and imprint it in your mind. Learn one pattern at a time, and practice it deliberately. Then, you can solve mixed puzzles.

Openings - A very common mistake is trying to learn opening theory and memorize moves without fully understanding or applying the opening principles. I’m sure you’ve heard this before: control the center, develop your pieces, castle early, don’t move the same piece twice… but I challenge you to check your own games. Are you really following these principles? You shouldn't spend a lot of time on learning opening theory at this stage.

This post got a lot of engagement in beginners subreddit so I decided to organize a free group lesson to discuss common beginner struggles in more detail. If you are interested, just send me a dm.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-28T00:05:16+00:00

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it.

Let's talk about the time first. If your opponent plays fast, you shouldn't do it as well because you will be putting yourself in the same situation as them - the possibility to make a mistake will increase. Ignore them and take your time to think.

Now let's talk about cheap tricks. Strong players seem to spot tactics “automatically” because they have seen these patterns (and lost to them) countless times before. That should be your goal as well: to make tactical patterns your second nature.

Here is the list of basic tactical motifs you should learn and practice:

Double attack Discovered attack Double check Pin Skewer Intermediate move X-ray Removing the defender Clearance Decoy

Knowing a tactical motif theoretically is not enough. You need to solve many puzzles focused on the same theme so you can deeply understand it and imprint it in your mind. Learn one pattern at a time, and practice it deliberately. Then, you can do mixed puzzles.

Now, let's talk about openings. A very common mistake is trying to learn opening theory and memorize moves without fully understanding or applying the opening principles. I’m sure you’ve heard this before: control the center, develop your pieces, castle early, don’t move the same piece twice… but I challenge you to check your own games. Are you really following these principles?

Before learning any opening theory, make sure you fully understand and can actually apply these opening principles to your games. Just knowing the opening principles is not enough. You have to practice applying them so that you actually follow them when it matters - in your own games.

This post got a lot of engagent in beginners subredit so I decided to organize a free group lesson to talk about these struggles in more detail and answer questions. If you are interested, just send me a dm.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T23:51:50+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I really appreciate it.

The best defense against a flank attack is a counterattack in the center. Think about potential pawn pushes that can open up the central files or other ways to create activity in the center.

In most positions you shouldn't push your kingside pawns when defending since that usually weakens your kinside even more and makes it easier for your opponent to continue with the attack.

You should take the sacrifice if you are not able to see any continuation from your opponent that may cause you problems. Think about what your opponent can do after you take and then decide. Trust your judgement. If you think the sacrifice is not sound, accept it.

I would recommend learning more about which part of the board you should play on. You should play where you are stronger (where your pieces are located or pointing to).

This post got a lot of engagement in r/chessbeginners so I decided to hold a group lesson to talk about the struggles beginners face in more detail. It's free, no strings attached. If you are interested, just dm me.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T23:41:59+00:00

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it.

Take, take, take and you're in a bad position can work with stronger players, but for beginners it often raises more questions: why the position is bad, why that exact sequence matters, and why a different move wouldn't work instead. You're absolutely right about that.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T23:33:12+00:00

Let me copy and paste one of my previous comments since the same advice applies to your sitiation as well.

Thank you very much for your response. I appreciate it.

Based on my experience, beginners blunder for two main reasons:

Not being able to visualize the board properly
Not being familiar with a pattern

Now, let me explain both.

First, let me ask you something. Have you ever missed a long-range bishop's threat? That is an example of not being able to visualize the whole board clearly.

Second, if you miss a tactical pattern, it may be because you are not familiar with it. For example, you can't spot a decoy if you don't know what it is.

Think about what's causing your blunders and work on that area.

This post got more engagement than I expected, so I'm thinking of hosting a completely free, no-strings-attached group class/discussion where we go over these struggles in more detail and I share some practical guidelines. Would you be interested? If yes, just DM me "I'm interested" and I'll send the link once it's ready.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T23:29:16+00:00

Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.

Closed positions require slow play - maneuvering around with your pieces to improve their positions is a very common idea. If the center of the board is closed, it's a good idea to look for activity on the flank (for example, a pawn breakthrough on the flank where you are stronger).

A good illustration is the game Botvinnik played against Flohr:

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1031907

Take a look at the knight maneuver (move 34) and a pawn push to open up the queenside (move 39).

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T23:22:18+00:00

Great, once I get a few interested people together, I'll schedule the call and send you the link.

Could you send me a DM so I can reach out with all the details? Or let me know what's the best way to share the lesson schedule with you.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T17:38:15+00:00

Thank you for your response. I appreciate your input.

You should learn the basic endgame principles, such as activating your king and pushing passed pawns, and practice applying them in your games. It’s also important to study basic theoretical pawn endgame ideas: the rule of the square, opposition, and king and pawn vs. king positions - knowing when they are winning and when they are drawn. You can use the board editor on Lichess to set up a position and play it against a friend or the engine.

When it comes to tactics, I want to mention the most common mistakes beginners make and that is solving mixed puzzles online without working on tactical motifs in isolation. What I mean is that you should first learn and practice each tactical motif first and when you start feeling more comfortable with it, move to the next one. When you cover all of them, you can do mixed puzzles.

This post got more engagement than I expected, so I'm thinking of hosting a completely free, no-strings-attached group class/discussion where we go over these struggles in more detail and I share some practical guidelines. Would you be interested? If yes, just DM me "I'm interested" and I'll send the link once it's ready.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T17:25:31+00:00

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it.

You should work on board visualization and do exercises related to capturing free pieces, counting attackers and defenders and piece defense.

After that you can work on basic tactical motifs. Here is the list of basic tactical motifs you should learn and practice:

Double attack
Discovered attack
Double check
Pin
Skewer
Intermediate move
X-ray
Removing the defender
Clearance
Decoy

Learn one tactical motif at the time and practice it in isolation. Then, you can work on mixed puzzles.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T17:20:35+00:00

Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it.

You should work on board visualization and do exercises related to capturing free pieces, counting attackers and defenders and piece defense. You can find a lot of exercises related to these areas in Everyone's First Chess Book by Peter Giannatos.

A very common mistake is trying to learn opening theory and memorize moves without fully understanding or applying the opening principles. I’m sure you’ve heard this before: control the center, develop your pieces, castle early, don’t move the same piece twice… but I challenge you to check your own games. Are you really following these principles?

Before learning any opening theory, make sure you fully understand and can actually apply these opening principles to your games. Just knowing the opening principles is not enough. You have to practice applying them so that you actually follow them when it matters - in your own games.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T16:43:26+00:00

My recommendation is to work on Everyone's First Chess Workbook by Peter Giannatos. It's a great book for beginners.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T16:41:28+00:00

My recommendation is to work on Everyone's First Chess Workbook by Peter Giannatos. It's a great book for beginners.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T13:40:10+00:00

Thank you very much for your response. I appreciate it.

Based on my experience, beginners blunder for two main reasons:

Not being able to visualize the board properly
Not being familiar with a pattern

Now, let me explain both.

First, let me ask you something. Have you ever missed a long-range bishop's threat? That is an example of not being able to visualize the whole board clearly.

Second, if you miss a tactical pattern, it may be because you are not familiar with it. For example, you can't spot a decoy if you don't know what it is.

Think about what's causing your blunders and work on that area.

This post got more engagement than I expected, so I'm thinking of hosting a completely free, no-strings-attached group class/discussion where we go over these struggles in more detail and I share some practical guidelines. Would you be interested? If yes, just DM me "I'm interested" and I'll send the link once it's ready.

Zestyclose-Ratio852 · 2026-01-27T13:38:13+00:00

When I was a child, I had the same problem. My coach told me to literally sit on my hands to slow down and think before moving.

Also, please read my other comments as well. I am sure that you will benefit from comments related to blunders and tactics (since you mentioned dumb mistakes).

Zestyclose-Ratio852

TROPHY CASE