Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Do not blunder! (or, Check for threats!)

I have recently found that when I loudly (in my head) remind myself 'Do not blunder!' after my opponent moves, and right before I move, it seems to actually work. I seem to make fewer blunders when I do this, as the admonition forcefully reminds me to look for tactical possibilities before worrying about subtle strategery, and to blundercheck before making my own move.

Note added 2/25: for those who prefer to put things positively, 'Check for threats!' is a good one. I've switched to that.

6 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

You know, I never thought about that technique, but there is an old verse in the Bible that says "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he."

Ok, so. . ."I am not a blunderer, I am not a blunderer, I am not a blunderer. . ." [grin]

Seriously, I gotta try your technique and see if I can do better in blitz games with my blunders.

2/24/2007 11:54:00 PM  
Blogger Temposchlucker said...

Be careful with that technique. I said to myself "I'm going to be a grandmaster, I'm going to be a grandmaster". And look what happens, I can't stop with chess anymore. Since I have no talent, this is going to be a looong walk:)

2/25/2007 02:53:00 AM  
Blogger Frank Sträter said...

I found that in almost any position you can blunder. If you ever stalemated your opponent in a K+q vs K endgame, you know what I mean.

I think this is a valuable technique to find resolve. I also use "stay focused" when it is clear that I am winning and counteract narrative thinking like "I am the better player, therefore I should win" by a big "So what? I still have to win".

2/25/2007 06:50:00 AM  
Blogger Blue Devil Knight said...

Tempo: thank goodness avoiding blunders is a more reasonable goal.

2/25/2007 10:54:00 AM  
Blogger Liquid Egg Product said...

Before the game, you could ask your opponent to let you write "Do not blunder!" on his forehead. You'll never forget it...

2/25/2007 08:42:00 PM  
Blogger BlunderProne said...

Dang... I have to change my name

2/28/2007 06:33:00 PM  

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