How to Blunder Less | Chess Middlegames

[@HangingPawns]

Here's a great tool for learning openings: chessbook.com/hanging-pawns Chessbook allows you to import and practice your repertoire. It focuses on moves people actually play as well as your mistakes. Connect it to your lichess or chess com accounts to correct the biggest gaps in your repertoire!

[@ThisIsMyHandle.]

You call it a blunder, I call it ruining their pawn structure with my queen.

[@boosoofitness255]

😂😂😂

[@waffleuser]

i'm legit paranoid my opponent's gonna sac their queen just to take away my castling rights

[@flyingcod14]

Now that quote should be on a t shirt!!!

[@vecernicek2]

Yeah, classic Botez gambit

[@quackishere7021]

@James Daxton nice work bots

[@gordonmcinnes8328]

The GM Paul Motwani had an acronym C.H.E.C.K. C=CAPTURES (look at all captures), H=Hazards (forks, pins, discovered attacks, etc), E=Exposure (unprotected pieces), C=Centre (and weak squares, etc), K=King (King safety). Easy to remember, easy to use.

[@glitched_bg3344]

Thanks

[@JagmaChess]

I had to screenshot this 😂

[@mcshuffleprince3426]

Look in reverse " check" or you will get mate.

[@mcshuffleprince3426]

CHECK. 1 king safety 2 C capture 3 Exposure 4 hazard 5 centre

[@Hassy171717]

Me: see's title ... "Yep I need to watch this!"

[@CRR-qf4is]

Jason Riff I searched this

[@whocareswho]

@@CRR-qf4is I didn't search it. Life got tired of my playing and just sent me here.

[@CRR-qf4is]

yea this was when I liked to play chess, I might play it soon tho.

[@whocareswho]

@@CRR-qf4is I'm absolutely terrible at it but it's good fun for some leisure hours

[@srn306x]

Welp I click on videos with good thumbnails so...

[@1cathexis]

Here is the golden nugget of this talk: "People say, 'I just missed it!' But you didn't 'miss it,' you just didn't consider it." Beautiful! Says it all. I subbed, thank you!

[@davidwestwood6850]

Just what the chess doctor ordered! Tactician, diagnostician, strategist, and counselor. You are a man of many talents. Honor the game. Thank you again.

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you David:) Glad you needed this and hope it helps!

[@davidwestwood6850]

@@HangingPawns Humans are inherently error prone. Inaccuracies, mistakes, and blunders will happen. We can take steps to increase vigilance and thoughtfulness to improve board vision and reduce error.

[@chloeprice3021]

KZbin: recommended for you Ouch

[@christianjoseph6502]

for real lol

[@aricori21]

I didn't know chloe played chess, what a cool girl she was then, also the game was great almost finished it twice.

[@SnowFlameSupremacy]

@@aricori21 except that she made max destroy the entire town for her

[@hi-dg7sx]

Life is strange 2

[@AstraIVagabond]

"One of the best players ever, José Raúl Capablanca, blundered like... he was rated 1000." I'd like to report this video for my murder.

[@scrumpymanjack]

In the first example, it's basically what Heismann calls "the sanity check": decide on your move and, just before you make it, ask yourself, "is the move I'm about to make totally insane?" ie. am I getting mated, am I losing my queen, am I just losing a piece? It works perfectly every time....Now, if only I could remember to do it every move!

[@yrodro]

Second small quibble: You have the absolute best name pronunciation of any commentator on KZbin. Capablanca! Azmaiparashvili! Zapata! Clean voice and correct... Except for Ruy López (as written in Spanish), which is pronounced LO-pez instead of lo-PEZ. Wonderful videos. Earned my subscription.

[@Rikomer]

spends 30 minutes on a move that pawn : I'mma bout to end this mans whole carrer

[@thegorn]

*career

[@Rikomer]

@@thegorn fuck off

[@kyo7342]

@@Rikomer lmao after 5 months

[@Rikomer]

@@kyo7342 i get notifications

[@ASLUHLUHC3]

@@Rikomer *career

[@rajdeepsingh5498]

Dont Stop this good work, I hope your channel will grow manifolds in the coming months :)

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you very much for the great wishes Rajdeep:)

[@skylergrid4121]

lets make this channel rock. it is really a very good channel to sub in.

[@asafalupez4211]

I think what Capablanca missed was that when the queen protects the bishop he is also threatening mate, meaning Capablanca doesn't have the time to take the knight for free (because it's pinned to the g pawn)

[@nukepcr]

I was trying to work out why white doesn't get to take the knight on f6 for free, but I missed the checkmate threat for white. Thank you!

[@DariusKhan]

Same here. Had to check through the comments as was sure I was missing something.

[@drany6707]

"Before meik any move, ask yourself, is move bed?" - Ancient Russian chess proverb

[@vivvpprof]

If it's Russian, it's not ancient, if it's ancient, it's not Russian ~ anonymous Internet user.

[@MCoTEDDY]

@@vivvpprof can very well be both not every countries history is only 250 years old

[@vivvpprof]

@@MCoTEDDY Bruh... Ancient Babylonians, ancient Egiptians, ancient Greeks, ancient... Russians? What, jumping from tree to tree? 😂

[@MCoTEDDY]

@@vivvpprof so what? you belive that the whole russian landmass was unpopulated during all of antiquity? That's very odd considering that the very ancient Greek you mention had trading outpost in the northern black sea and a vivid exchange with the tribes further up north. Who you reckon they where doing business with up there? Tree people?

[@loganblevenson]

@@MCoTEDDY the whole point of ancient civilization is proof of a civilization in a region. egyptians, babylonions, greeks, they all left their mark, be that with structures or texts or archives. the reason there's no 'ancient russia' is because there is not much recognizable history outside of east slav territory, which is strictly not russia

[@kingsgambit]

best chess channel that I found on youtube so far! even ahead of agadmator and SaintLouisChessClub ! Keep up the great work you will grow fast! :-)

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you very much Felix:) That means a lot!

[@Artemis0112-y6j]

We trust the work of people when they dedicate their entire daily routine to improve a skill because of passion. I hope you can be a GM one day.

[@RuggedPanther]

Finally found a video suitable for me! Thank you, for understanding the problems we weak players have!

[@HangingPawns]

Glad to hear the video helped Viraj! Good luck with your chess!

[@immadsadiq697]

Great job! Good content. Thanks for sharing. I use the acronym CHAT (look for any Checks, Hanging pieces/pawns, Attacked pieces/pawns, Tricks for yourself and the opponent) to do blunder check before most moves.

[@shourabhthakur4021]

Everytym i want to leave chess permanently from my life, your videos gives me hope that improvement is always possible. Very nice video mate

[@CosineKitty]

Great advice here. I'm around 1830 on lichess, and working to improve. I was getting discouraged when I lost games because of horrible blunders. Then I noticed something, thanks to using lichess computer analysis after my games are over. Whether I win or lose, computer analysis shows both I and my opponent make at least one blunder, usually multiple blunders, in every single game. This changed my perspective. Now I realize that everyone makes mistakes all the time. It is part of the game. What makes someone a stronger player is that their mistakes are less frequent and/or more subtle. So I'm learning to be not so hard on myself, and just work on improving a little at a time. Seeing these fascinating examples of grandmaster blunders underscores this new perspective. It's a relief that it can happen to anybody!

I didn't know about the square rule. Nice one!

[@doncreepypasta5620]

Great video! What helped me was thinking, before even considering my own move: "what would I move right now if I would be playing the other side?" That often highlights threats you'd miss because you're calculating the oponent's reactions to the variants you're considering. Then usually you'd miss something unrelated and trivial. Cheers!

[@danmcgilldm]

"I spent 30 minutes for my move and he pushed his pawn" lol

[@naveediqbal9450]

After this Lecture, i am amazed that even the strongest players of chess also do the stupid blunder like me. Very Strange. Anyhow very good tip to avoid doing blunder in chess.

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you, Naveed:) Yeah, everyone makes mistakes, even the top players. That's kind of comforting though.

[@12jswilson]

I recognize that Petrosian blunder. I make it all the time

[@MattRowe182]

If you think about it every chess win comes down to one player missing something

[@ich-nuta]

@@MattRowe182 Not really... look at Firouzja 0-1 Carlsen at Tata Steel 2020

[@MattRowe182]

@@ich-nuta what happened there from your perspective?

[@gerardogarza8841]

Why didn’t Capablanca take the knight (pawn is pinned by queen)? 12:15 @hangingpawns

[@nukepcr]

Queen can give backrank mate on e1. If white takes the bishop on d1 with the rook, then black captures the rook with queen and gives back rank mate again.

[@lionsskyblue442]

sadly i'm rather blind and inpatient so i blunder a lot! but thank you sir!

[@HangingPawns]

Take more time then. Thinking makes your moves better, trust me:)

[@rachelthomas9962]

Very sound advice. Thank you for sharing your experience.

[@HangingPawns]

Glad you think so Rachel. Thanks for watching:)

[@rachelthomas9962]

@@HangingPawns I often do tactical problems on lichess and they are always either mating or taking material. The "best" move is NEVER castling or just improving your pieces. Thinking of your latest video on machines is this unconsciously training me to be aggressive or creating long-term weaknesses in my way of playing ? Do you know of any resources to complement this ?

[@youngcashregisterakalilbro3261]

Bro I found your channel recently and Im grateful for that Very instructive and well explained stuff cheers man

[@AthanasiosJapan]

Usually I blunder when I have better position and try for (risky) tactics. Priority should be given on king safety and on keeping things under control. Also, never underestimate a position and think carefully for moves that you may miss. Similarly, think deeply in difficult, "lost" positions and try to find good defensive or counter-attacking moves. Against "stronger" opponents don't take risks. Let them take risks, and worsen their position. Finally, with perfect play, chess ends in draw. Don't push things too much. Very instructive video, thanks!

[@fxaarchable]

I enjoy your mater of fact approach and clear explanations. Very helpful across he board. Tomic: Some advice... if I may. Put your name on the title. It took me a few search's to find out who you are. Regards from snowy Michigan.

[@stevenbencz1109]

Awesome video again sir! Best chess channel here. I love the way you found a way to use Fischer's blunder to a tactical advantage! I think I speak for many of us watching your content in our eyes you are a GM

[@pedrogonzalez5104]

Really liking the series so far. Could you do a video on strategy when both sides castle on opposite sides? It would be really helpful and it would fit the middlegame series really well.

[@HangingPawns]

Yup. It's coming up on monday:) Glad you like the series so far, Pedro!

[@rajdeepsingh5498]

Race of the pawns xD

[@pedrogonzalez5104]

That's great to hear! Greatings from spain

[@RandomMusik]

16:16 Its a pretty good move, the problem is it allows checkmate in one move ^^

[@kurtnevermind9683]

Thanks a lot! :) Love your videos. I guess one of my main blunders is "undefending pieces". Like when my opponent is attacking my bishop which is defended by the queen. So I think "okay, it's defended, so I don't have to think about that problem anymore" Then I take my Queen and do "something". What helped me at least once was somethig like a temporary mantra in the position. When considering other moves, kept repeating "don't move the rook (which was defending mate it 2)" in my head after each move. Especially in the middlegame I often miss when my opponent takes with check. In the endgame that's a usual theme (maybe because I've seen "Searching for Bobby Fisher"), but in the middlegame I don't really know how to avoid it (if the check is not coming on the first move). I haven't found another way apart from "try to think about it" yet. :) And I guess, I ofter want "too much" in the position, and I don't (!) take the exchange when I can but e.g. the "powerfull bishop". And then everything gets traded, my attack does not work out, and I'm equal in material.

[@HangingPawns]

Yeah, what you mentioned is a common problem many people have. Forgetting about something once the situation on the board changes is one of the toughest things to correct in my opinion. Try to take a minute before you make a move to ask yourself whether anything has changed with your opponent's last move. That might help!

[@matchesarefun]

At my low level, I've found that when I'm at a huge deficit, becoming super aggressive seems to cause most people I play against to blunder, letting me turn things around for a win.

[@leandrobaluyotjr5181]

Thank you very much for this refresher course in chess game ! Although im not a rated player ,im a chess enthusiast and simply enjoys playing with folks around the neighborhood. I appreciate your chess video with its clear narrative that is easy to follow & understand. More success to your personal and professional endeavors sir !

[@TooHotGaming]

Thank you so much for your videos. You’ve been releasing some high quality content that is really helpful for me. I am trying to improve my game lately and have been playing and analysing my games. Would you have a couple of amazing book recommendations for someone around 1500 rating? Please keep doing what you’re doing :)

[@HangingPawns]

I am currently working on it. I will post it on the community tab soon. Until then, I would recommend John Nunn's middlegames and Kotov's Think like a gm:)

[@flyingcod14]

The amount of blunders I make when I get excited when I think I'm winning. Love your merch, deffo buying a t shirt. 👍

[@montesycats]

Excellent video!!!!! I blunder a lot in my games!🙁 Very useful video!

[@MsMastress]

Omg I know Zapata! He works at KidChess with me here in Atlanta. This game you listed here with him vs Anand is always a topic of discussion amongst my coworkers. 😂 I've played him a few times and the speed with which he makes incredible moves that take me so long to think through, only to blunder something I didn't see is incredible

[@AxelAlexK]

Really enjoying your videos man. Great job. Very helpful as someone who used to play in chess tournaments growing up and looking to get back into it.

[@TheAnubhab]

New subscriber here. In the 4th example, I started laughing like I am watching some stand up comedian. Either I love this game or your content is just amazing. Maybe both.

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you Anubhab! You should be writing or speaking for a living. You have a great style and sense of humor:)

[@TheAnubhab]

Thank you. Keep doing this as long as you want to, I have a feeling that your channel will become much bigger. Already invested. :)

[@HangingPawns]

@@TheAnubhab Thank you for the good wishes:)

[@allancao6158]

I literally can't thank you enough! I beat someone 1500 as an unrated player!

[@HangingPawns]

Great job Allan!

[@stephen0793]

That blunder by Beliavsky is very instructive, thanks a bunch. Don't be quick to move your king up the board with queens still on!

[@HangingPawns]

True!

[@GeneralBlorp]

I quite like the thumbnail style On this channel and the stop-motion has a solid nostalgic quality prolly good for the algorithm. 👍

[@muskyoxes]

My way of blundering less is to get the opponent's knights off the board. I miss their forks all the time, far more than any other tactic

[@michaelmolz8037]

Excellent pointers - thanks very much🙂

[@TCS088]

I am definitely a player trying to improve. I am about 1100 level. I heard you on PCP and hoped these videos would help me. I will watch some others.

[@ninjamitcherz]

10:34 - I don't understand how bishop-takes-rook is winning for black. Isn't white up in material +2 at the end of that line?

[@unixtreme]

"this example is fairly clear" Me after not having seen it: :O

[@LockeLeviathan]

Thanks for the content! Just been getting back into playing after years, and I'm finding myself blundering an embarrassing amount.

[@Ken-vq7df]

At 12:11, the bishop can take the f6 knight and the g pawn cant take it because of pin and the opponent will then have to deal with checkmate by moving the pawn or queen

[@traxler4855]

Love your videos!

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you:)

[@gergelyadamhorvai3020]

For those, who are like me: meaning no opening knowledge / calculation capacity. The last position where Anand resigns 25:10, I thought defending with the queen on e7 was maybe possible. But then the knight can attack the queen on d5. With the undefendable idea of nxc7 next. I mean, there are more complications, but it is pretty convincing even for me. It is interesting to look into this from black’s perspective, if anyone is in a masochistic mood. Playing out every single move trying your best and cry (like a grandmaster :P) at the end of each line.

[@gergelyadamhorvai3020]

Okay, he basically explains the line right after -.-'

[@TVV-04]

This is a great channel! Please do keep these videos coming they are amazing!

[@cyberneticbutterfly8506]

A more general principle could be to check your own weaknesses. I find this an easier thing to think about than to ask myself what the opponents plan is so it helps there too.

[@joselewis2733]

Thank you very much! My favorite channel.

[@hotelalphalima7325]

at 12:05 the f6 knight is hanging? Wouldn't Capablanca be ok?

[@HangingPawns]

He is threatening Qe1#. If there weren't for that, yeah, Bxf6 would win the knight.

[@hotelalphalima7325]

@@HangingPawns looks like I should have followed your advice more closely ;)

[@-dash]

My problem is visualization. I’ll see a combo or sacrifice that I’m sure leads to advantage, until it plays out and there’s a move that I couldn’t envision, and I don’t get an advantage or even compensation I’m going to try puzzles and setting up the pieces on a board when I consider solutions

[@indranujdatta9774]

9:05 The subtitles are crazy.

[@luisalbertomorenor2434]

Hi, thank you for this interesting exposition. I think, I have learned how to avoid blunders. Greetings from Mexico.

[@ld8339]

Thanks! Your videos are great.

[@petergregory7199]

Not sure about the well meant advice at 12.40. It reminds me of a golf tip from Padraig Harrington. When asked how to improve the short game, he said ‘Don’t hit so many fairways’. Meaning that if you put yourself in a sticky situation you have to find a way out, and by doing this repeatedly you will definitely get better at it. Simply avoiding complex positions will cause your positional analysis skills to decline, not improve. In other words don’t be scared of pressure. Apply it to yourself and learn the ropes of self reliance! In the wonderful world of chess the only failure is the failure to learn.

[@YGO-Shant]

Is this the most instructive chess channel on youtube?

[@hickorydragon8114]

Your videos are excellent, That much is clear.

[@masquerade0133]

2:32 How is b7 a weakness if its protected by the rook and bishop ? Question from a chess rookie ✌️

[@Gamer-uf1kl]

If no pawn cover square, square is weak.

[@tesshu2me]

Good video, Stejpan - very informative :-)

[@michielsmissaert]

Nice and good video! In Anand's game: how about Qe7 after white's Qe2? If white plays d3 after that .... the knight is no longer pinned so black can simply play Knight takes on c3 or another move. Oh now I see it, after Qe7 white can play knight d5 threatening to take the queen and also threatening to check on c7 ... this is the reason why Bf5 was a blunder, not simply playing c3 after Qe7.

[@mharing]

@hangingpawns : Thanks for making this video! Do you know of any commentary Fischer gave re: his specific blunder?

[@ossamawilson8804]

Why haven't I found this channel earlier? good content mate keep it up

[@mehdila6144]

the exemple number 4 remember me the dubov vs carlsen game on this last online tournament 2021 when carlsen blundred with his rook thank you for this video :)

[@TheMooninvader]

the last blunder in the italian game was made once by Joshua Waitzkin when he was 6 years old, and the game is well described in the pc game chessmaster grandmaster edition

[@cyansaber0779]

hanging pawns great work I'm impressed

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you Ninja boy:D

[@remcohartevelt1648]

This vid was good fun to watch, ty

[@kennethc4391]

I've been playing Pelikan for a couple of months now, I was playing white and this happened: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxe4 8. Nbc7+ Kd7 9. Qg4+ Talking to the guy after, he mentioned that he saw an undefended pawn on e4, and after Nbc7+, he did not want to lose the queen and played Kd7. Two lessons here, undefended pawns might be just decoys and that saving a piece might not save checkmate. As I heard from a FM once "This is not pacman, the one who captures the most is not the one who wins, is the one who mates"

[@kareandersson]

A common reason for blunders is that a player is doing advanced calculations on a delicate move, which in the end can't be made working. Then they might either do it anyway or playing another move without any greater foregoing analysis.

[@robertobriganti8063]

Thank you! Very instructional for an amateur like me!

[@CameronLast]

At 12:02 the pawn on G7 is pinned. Why not just take the knight on f6 with the bishop?

[@toeshoes]

The production quality in your videos is far greater than your chess KZbin peers

[@HangingPawns]

Thanks Isaiah:) I will try to improve it in the future. I'm still between apartments and fixing some stuff.

[@rickb2076]

thank you for your videos you are very professional

[@mauriceboyle6923]

Another excellent lecture.....many thanks.....have I made any funny blunders ? No , my blunders have been hilarious ! Blunders can be drastically reduced if players perform a pre-move checklist routine , no ? Still cannot believe the Petrosian "oversight"......and what about Kramnik's mate in one ? You wouldn't see Alpha Zero make these human faux-pas ( ha ha ha )

[@HangingPawns]

Yeah, we all blunder like that sometimes, even the greats:) AI doesn't make mistakes... that's frightening.

[@michaelleroi3732]

i played a game on Chess vs random right after watching this video and won!! thank you

[@nerokota]

Tell if I did any blunders? I can make a 10 hour long video and still not cover them all lol. Nice video btw and very painful that I can think of an example in each category you mentioned (except the Korchnoi one, somehow, I'm very careful with the stalemate rule. In fact, I often pulled stalemates when it was clear that I would lose and the opposition blunder was the most common way I would take a draw out of a losing game).

[@drakehopkins5931]

DANG!!! Last blunder against Italian is great ❤️

[@cdbcgaming3790]

Your the man. Thanks for your videos.

[@QuCaNi]

22:29 Nh6 works right? If 1.Kg5 h3, else we play Nf5 defending the pawn

[@j.thomas1420]

Yeah that's the other (and more simplier imho) way to win the game. After Kg5 you don't even need to bother with ...Nf5, just simply push the pawn and that's it.

[@Yonatan..]

Wait...minute 12:12. Capablanca...bishop takes knight...gpawn can't take caus leaves king in check, right??

[@RedGaming23]

when you naming all the moves you could play its helpful if you draw the arrows. By the time I've found the 1st move you said you've already said 3 more. The people who most need this video probably cant follow that fast either. other than that its a great video :)

[@yogeshgarg2212]

12:16 Why not bxf6 and the g7 pawn is pinned. It also creates a checkmate threat.

[@darklibertario5001]

because the next move was Nh5, thus preventing this.

[@bobyorke]

Thank you, excellent advice for an improving 1500 player like myself 👍🏻🇬🇧

[@hareesh99]

Watching your videos is my Chess Study.

[@SarveshParakh]

at 11:03 isn't it better to take black rook with bishop than to take the black knight with rook?

[@ishval7978]

Your a good and kind person I learned 100% more😃

[@HangingPawns]

Thank you:) I'm glad you learned!

[@yusufdadkhah7561]

the funniest thing you said at the time was in the middle game it all comes down to being good at tactics and wherever you are blind or not

[@roepathshala5484]

Best advice...👍👍

[@Hopefully2025]

At 12:07 after Bishop takes f6 threatening mate, why is white losing?

[@staysmuth]

not blundering sounds so obvious but it's crazy how much keeping that conscious helps. finegold has some great lectures on it too. you can play 37 perfect moves in a row but one blunder ruins your game. a game of mental stamina for sure.

[@td904587]

I don't understand your evaluation at 10:50 or so... how could black be almost winning? The material is the same, symmetrical pawn structure, white to move, and white has the bishop. Unless there's a tactic I don't see, I'd rather be white and I think white has a slight edge.

[@Blue-nt3uy]

td904587 if you look closely, you can see that black’s knight does much more than white’s Bishop. Black can play f6, Rb8, and Rb2. White grabbing the c7 pawn would be followed by Nxc3. Imo I think the knight outweighs the Bishop here, but I could very much be wrong.

[@Kk-fj5tn]

I have looked at thia video many times and I don't see it. To be fair, I haven't seen engine analysis. Yes, black will be a pawn down after ...Bxc7 Nxc3 and Nxa2 and the black king is probably faster to the queenside to protect the a pawn but the a pawn will need to queen on a dark square and the bishop is dark squared. I don't see how black is winning outright. Sure, there is a clear pawn advantage, but an outright win? White would definitely have their back against the wall, but thats about all I see. in a blitz/rapid game, Bxe5 does not seem the worst (while Rxd6 is the best move, obviously)...

[@bomaobomanu348]

Please can someone explain to me @13:31, if he plays Qd2, why can he not take the knight on f6 because the pawn is pinned?

[@c0br1tzA]

was asking the same thing

[@c0br1tzA]

because the black queen could deliver mate on the back rank ...

[@SC-vt4sg]

Great vid thanks!

[@brasileirosim5961]

Anand blundered because he followed a game published in the Informator. In this game the players wanted to agree for a draw, but black didn’t get the right move order and white didn’t punish him (the player with the white pieces played another move, but touching slightly the Queen in the process, to show that his opponent messed up.) The Informator didn’t show the blunder, and Anand copied the moves without checking them.