I have been trying to learn chess for about 4 months now and have been doing lots of tactics puzzles to try to make fewer blunders, but I still miss very obvious dangers in pretty much every game. I only won this recent game because my opponent twice missed a (now very obvious) discovered attack on my queen at moves 15 and 16. It took a move from his pawn to refocus my attention on that side of the board and then I noticed that my queen could have been taken twice. There were other blunders on my part as well, but this one was truly my "how could I be so blind and stupid" moment:
en.lichess.org/bBlAPQvu/black#0If doing thousands of tactics puzzles isn't helping me to overcome this kind of board vision blindness, what else will help? Is it just time and playing lots of games and analyzing the mistakes, or is there some other trick or conditioning method that I can research and implement? Thanks for any helpful suggestions.
Progressing at chess takes time, but if you play a lot of games, do tactics every days and work on your endgame you will progress. Don't worry about your rating. Your skill is not influenced by your rating. Just play and you will become better.
Like programme-zero said It takes time to improve in chess.
To help make fewer chess blunders before making a move just check to see if any or your pieces can be captured or any checks that your opponent can do in order to win a piece.
Some inspirational quotes from famous chess players.
Jose Capablanca
"You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player."
David Bronstein
"If you have made a mistake or committed an inaccuracy there is no need to become annoyed and to think that everything is lost. You have to re-orientate yourself quickly and find a new plan in the new situation."
Mikhail Tal
"Of course, errors are not good for a chess game, but errors are unavoidable and in any case, a game without any errors, or as they say 'flawless game' is colorless."
Hope this helped a little :)
yes... I have chess tunnel vision worse than anyone else :/
I like the topic, but you can not reasonably claim to have such knowledge of the ineptitude of others, #4. I only play 2 openings, and still the rating plummets.
Therefore, I win? Hmmm....
You could try playing longer games and at each move going through each piece, checking which of the opponent's pieces are directly or indirectlyattacking them.
It is quite annoying to do, but I've read that you'll do it unconsciously pretty fast then.
However, I don't remember where I read it so it might be complete bullshit, even if it sounds right as playing longer time controls and spending more time on each move is recommended if you want to progress.
@error_state that looks like a fun game you won there. The suggestions above are good.
+1 to play longer games
+1 to stick to what you're doing now eg tactics
+1 to stay patient and enjoy the game
In addition I would suggest,
1. experiment with closed positions like you had there in that game. There'll be fewer opportunities for you to drop pieces accidentally. Closed positions are where the pawns block the center.
2. Strengthen your opening understanding. The more comfortable you are with your openings, less likely it is that you will drop pieces early.
3. Experiment with openings which create closed positions eg the french, caro-kann, catalan, queens gambit. They will suit your strengths.
Play against players above your rating (max +125) to strengthen your most important weak points.
Play more and play blitz to gain game sense. In the beginning it is best to learn by doing. With your rating it is nonsense to study a variety of openings. Pick White D4 and black C4 and you are good!
Play against lower rated players to create complex variations without loosing.
<- my opinion
Just play. Play as much as you can. Once you've played about 1000 games (give or take, that's a number I read in some Russian book, could be 500 or 2000, I guess it depends on the individual) your board perception will improve and you'll stop hanging pieces and allowing cheap tactics. It's just a phase everyone must go through.
Also, I'd play mostly > 15 min games, blitz and bullets wont help you much at this point.
error_state the most important thing is to learn more fundamentals. You played very unorthodox openings and so did your opponent it is not super bad but it is not a good way to learn. Progress is hindered if you do not understand basics. Start with one opening and learn it good. Ask others to help. PM me I would be glad to help you go over games you have played. Also play simuls with better players gives you more time to think.
A lot of minor one move tactical blunders were made. Most important thing is to pick moves that do not lose. A quote made on Carlsen by Radoslaw Wojtaszek said "I noticed that Magnus Carlsen’s playing philosophy is to make moves that are good enough rather than the best. Making the best move again and again absorbs a lot of time and energy. The genius is economical: he plays 30 good moves and two excellent ones. It works. I think that principle applies not only to chess" Direct quote from chess24. Probably the best thing you can do at any level to improve. Play moves that do not lose rather than obscure moves. One way to gain these basics is to watch a LOT of chess videos. Mato Jelic & Chess club of stl. Also play tactical puzzles on easy for 30 mins. Take your time and dont rush with them. Gradually you will get better. When your opponent makes mistakes you should take time and punish them. When your opponent makes a move think about what squares he stopped defending. Play non blitz/bullet. You gotta play long chess first giving time to think. Drill patterns in and make them stick.