Chess lessons › Good chess habits
Playing with nerves
Keep the same calm way of choosing a move when a surprise, a threat or a mistake shakes you.
The idea
Keep the same calm way of choosing a move when something shakes you.
- Black’s queen and knight look frightening, aimed at f2.
- But nothing protects the queen on h4.
- A calm look at checks, captures and threats finds Nxh4.
In a game: When a move shocks you, take a breath, then look at what it really threatens.
How the lesson begins
Every player feels nervous at times: before an important game, when the opponent plays a surprise, after a mistake, or when a win is close. You cannot switch the feeling off, but a fixed way of choosing a move helps. Look at every check, capture and threat for both sides, then choose. Do it the same way in calm moments and tense ones.
When you feel shaken, take a slow breath, sit back, and do not move quickly just to make the feeling stop.
Find the move
Your opponent suddenly gives up a bishop with check: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.Bxf7+. A shock like this makes many players nervous. Black to move. Count, then decide.
A hint
A piece is offered. Can White win it back?
Show the answer
4... Kxf7
Kxf7 takes the bishop. White hopes for checks and pawns in return, but the engine says Black is clearly better after the capture. A sudden sacrifice is not always good: count what you get, and look at what your opponent can do next.
In numbers
Blunders in real games
| Rating | Value |
|---|---|
| Under 800 | 6.6 |
| 800 to 1199 | 4.2 |
| 1200 to 1599 | 2.8 |
| 1600 to 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 and up | 1.3 |