Skip to content
TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • iChess
    • ChessTeacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman`s Chess Lab
    • Foxy Series
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

5 Things to Avoid in Your Games

Yury Markushin
Yury Markushin
06.05.2015
Category: Middle Game
Tags: avoid things in chess, chess,
5 Things to Avoid in Your Games

Chess is a very complex game. It is based on certain rules, or principles if you wish, that can significantly simplify your job as a chess player. Today we will cover five things that you should avoid in your games to stay out of trouble. Each of these things was time tested and if applied correctly will save your many games and rating points. Here there are.

 

1. Avoid advancing pawns next to your king

Generally speaking, advancing pawns that protect your king makes the monarch much more vulnerable for an attack. Weaknesses in the king pawn’s structure are easy to create, but much harder to patch. During the game, you will have a temptation to push a pawn, kicking one of your opponent’s pieces. Carefully evaluate the position and think if that is absolutely necessary. If not, avoid random pawn pushes.

In the position below white just played 1.g4. The logic behind that move is simple, white wanted to chase away black’s light squared bishop. The problem with that move is that it significantly weakness white’s king side.

Due to the absence of white’s own light squared bishop, the e4, f3, g2 and h1 squares are weak.

5 things to avoid in your games

Black to move

Tip

If you want to improve your positional chess and start converting more middle games into wins, you should give a try to our training course which covers most important middle game positions in a step-by-step easy to follow and understand way.

start chess training

2. Avoid overloading your pieces

Overloaded piece is defined as a piece that is assigned to more than one task at the same time. That term is typically applied to a defender that protects more than one piece at a time. Having an overloaded piece can easily lead to tactics from your opponent’s side and material loss or some other disadvantage.

The position below is a classical example of exploiting an overloaded piece. The rook on a8 is assigned two very important tasks: protecting the back rank and guarding the queen.

White exploits the overloaded piece concepts by playing 1.Rd8+ sacrificing the rook and winning the queen next move.

5 things to avoid in your games

Black to move

3. Avoid unexpected checks

“Check” is one of the most forcing moves in the game. If your king is in check, your first priority will be to postpone your plans and get the king to safety. Often, unexpected checks lead to other tactical motifs such as forks and double attacks. That makes checks especially dangerous. To stay out of trouble, it is a good practice to keep your king safe preventing random checks.

In the example below black did not follow our advice a lost a material due to a simple checking fork.

5 things to avoid in your games

Black to move

4. Avoid spontaneous sacrifices

A well calculated sacrifice can win a game. A badly calculated sacrifice will most likely lose. Unfortunately, second type of sacrifices is the most common in games of amateur players. Unless you are Magnus Carlsen with extremely well-developed intuition you should always calculate all of the sacrifices thoroughly. Ideally, you should do it not just once, but at least twice. Better be safe than sorry.

Let’s take a look at the example below. White just played 1.Nxh7 thinking that he has an attack and an upper hand. However, he missed a well calculated sacrifice by black that tuned the table around. Black responded with 1…Bxh2+ and after 2.Kxh2 Qh4+ 3.Kg1 Ng4 wins the game.

5 things to avoid in your games

Black to move

5. Avoid exchanging fianchetto bishop

A lot of players nowadays play so-called modern chess openings fianchettoing one or both bishops. Fianchetto provides a valuable resource positioning the bishop actively and controlling the diagonal. However, we also should keep in mind that fianchetto pawn structure is weak without the bishop guarding the squares around it. That’s why it is best to avoid exchanging that bishop.

In the position below black made a mistake and allowed white to exchange the important g7-bishop. Notice that black’s bishop cannot avoid the exchange because it is pinned to the more valuable piece – the f8 rook.

5 things to avoid in your games

Black to move

If you want to learn more about positional chess I suggest you to sign up for our intensive training course, where we focus on all elements of chess and systematize improvement process provides real over-the-board results. Don’t wait until tomorrow. Start your training today.

Find this post useful? Share it?
Become a Chess Player You've Meant to Be!
TCW Academy is the fast, fun & convenient way to become a MUCH better chess player.
Join Academy Today!

Related Posts

  • 10 Reasons to Train with Chess Coach10 Reasons to Train with Chess Coach
  • 2020 Recap and What to Expect in 20212020 Recap and What to Expect in 2021
  • 1.e4 Fianchetto System with FM Zaur Tekeyev [TCW Academy]1.e4 Fianchetto System with FM Zaur Tekeyev [TCW Academy]
Related Products
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Login
2 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Yury
06.11.2015 01:00

Yes, you can, good point. That was just an example to demonstrate overload.

0
Reply
Punit Easwar S
06.06.2015 14:44

2. Avoid overloading your pieces

Instead Of 1.Rd8+ and losing a rook for queen, Just you can play 1.Qxa7 and if 1… Rxa7 2.Rd8#

0
Reply
Join more than 30,000 subscribers and get access FREE Chess Study Guide!
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
TheChessWorld.com
http://pogonina.com/
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us support@thechessworld.com
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2022 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz
wpDiscuz