Exercise 1.1Find the move
White to move
White to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
1
Practical Chess Psychology · Kapilash Chess Academy
Why We Lose Games
The mind at the board
In this lesson you will learn
- The four ways club players lose points
- Why strong players also blunder
- The first habit: ask what your opponent wants
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
1.1 Most games are not lost to brilliant moves
Look at any club tournament and you will see the same thing: very few games are decided by deep strategy. Most are decided by one or two mistakes, and most mistakes have nothing to do with chess knowledge. They come from the mind: hurry, fear, overconfidence, tiredness or simply not looking.
This course is about the player, not only the position. You will learn how to think at the board, how to use your clock, how to stay calm after a mistake, how to fight in bad positions and how to prepare for a tournament.
1.2 The four thieves
- Blindness
- You did not see what your opponent threatened. The most common reason for lost points at every level below master.
- Hope
- You played a move and hoped your opponent would not see the answer. “Hope chess” loses against anyone who checks.
- Hurry
- You moved quickly because the move looked natural, because you were short of time, or because you were impatient.
- Emotion
- You were upset about a mistake, too happy about an advantage, or afraid of a stronger opponent, and your judgement left the board.
1.3 The first habit
Before you think about your own plans, ask one question every single move: “What does my opponent want to do now?” Look at the last move. Which pieces did it attack? Which squares did it open? Is there a check, a capture or a threat coming next?
The most important habitIf you only learn one thing from this course, learn this question. It will save more points than any opening book.
Diagram 1.1Black to move
Diagram 1.1 · What does my opponent want?
Your opponent has just made a move with a hidden threat. Most players would continue with their own plan here, and lose material.
Find the move that meets the threat.
Only this move keeps the balance: 11...♗e7 12.♗xe7 ♕xe7 13.♕xd7+ ♕xd7. Before you make your own plan, look at your opponent’s.
Remember
- Most games are lost through mistakes, not brilliancies.
- The four thieves: blindness, hope, hurry and emotion.
- Every move, ask: what does my opponent want to do now?
Exercises · Lesson 1
In every position your opponent has a threat. Find the move that stops it.
What does your opponent want?
Exercise 1.2Find the move
White to move
White to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.3Find the move
White to move
White to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.4Find the move
Black to move
Black to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.5Find the move
White to move
White to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.6Find the move
Black to move
Black to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.7Find the move
Black to move
Black to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.8Find the move
White to move
White to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Exercise 1.9Find the move
Black to move
Black to move. Your opponent has a threat. Find the only move that keeps the balance.
Questions
Exercise 1.10Question
White to move
Which is the most common reason club players lose games?
Exercise 1.11Question
White to move
What is “hope chess”?