Avoiding Bad Decisions in Chess

“One bad move nullifies forty good ones.” – Horowitz

Sometimes you evaluate the position, and an idea springs into your mind. "I should attack!" Or... "I should sit back and develop." But as the game goes on, your plan slowly crumbles, and soon you end up in a worse position. Why? Because you did not make the right decision. Making bad decisions can happen to beginners and grandmasters, so here I'll give some tips on how to avoid them.

Have Evidence

One of the best ways to avoid bad decisions is play according to the board, not according to what you like (i.e. attack.) In the following position, White wants to attack with an aggressive sacrifice of the exchange, but this soon causes his downfall.

White decided on this attacking sacrifice, but wasn't well prepared. Sometimes, you should look for proof that your plan will work. In the following game, White does an aggressive sacrifice.

White had enough proof to know that this would work:

• The Black king would be terribly exposed.
• White's two rooks can easily line up against the Black king.
• The White queen is there to help.
• The kingside is open, giving the attackers flexibility.

Play Risky Moves

The other way to avoid mistakes is to not fear risky moves. Playing it safe isn't always the best idea and can lead to missing a winning move. Sometimes, a winning sacrifice is shrugged off because there's an easier move that doesn't need calculation. In the following game, the move Qxh7+ required a lot of calculation, but it won the game.

Some people take their rating too seriously, which stops them from doing risky, but winning moves like the one above.

I hope you enjoyed this blog! If you enjoyed it, it would make my day if you could give

it a like. Thanks for reading!