8 common chess mistakes beginners make

Most beginner chess games are not decided by deep plans or clever openings. They are decided by simple mistakes, usually a piece left where it can be taken for free. The good news is that the same few mistakes come up again and again, so fixing them improves your results quickly. Here are eight of the most common, and how to avoid each one.

1. Leaving pieces undefended

The single most common way to lose a game is to put a piece on a square where it can be captured and nothing can capture back. Strong players call this "hanging" a piece. A knight that hangs is three points gone, with nothing in return.

The fix is a habit: after you choose a move, look at the square your piece is going to and ask whether any enemy piece attacks it, and whether one of yours defends it. If it is attacked and not defended, find another move.

2. Not asking what your opponent's move does

Beginners often think only about their own plan. But every move your opponent makes has a purpose. It may attack one of your pieces, set up a check, or prepare a trap. Before you move, spend a few seconds on your opponent's last move. What does it attack now? What could it do next?

A simple routine before every move: look at all checks, all captures and all threats, first for your opponent, then for you. It sounds slow, but it soon becomes automatic.

3. Bringing the queen out too early

The queen is your strongest piece, so it is tempting to send her into the attack straight away. But an early queen gets chased. Each time a knight or pawn attacks her, she has to move again, and your opponent develops a new piece at the same time. After a few moves you have only the queen out and your opponent has everything ready.

Bring out your knights and bishops first. The queen usually joins the game a little later, once the other pieces have prepared the way.

4. Leaving the king in the centre

At the start of the game the king sits in the middle of the back row. Once pawns are exchanged and lines open up, the middle becomes a dangerous place. Players who never castle often find their king under attack from several pieces at once.

Try to castle within your first ten moves. It moves your king to a safer corner and brings a rook into play in one move.

5. Moving too many pawns at the start

Pawn moves are useful in small numbers. One or two central pawn moves open lines for your bishops and queen. But pushing pawn after pawn leaves your pieces at home and creates weak squares that your opponent's pieces can use. Remember that pawns never move backward, so a weakness you create can't be undone.

6. Grabbing material without checking

A free piece is wonderful, but some "free" pieces are bait. Before capturing, check what your opponent can do after the capture. Can they win back more? Can they check your king? Will your capturing piece be trapped? A quick look prevents most of these traps.

7. Trading when you're behind, and not trading when you're ahead

When you are ahead in material, trading pieces of equal value helps you. Fewer pieces means less chance for your opponent to fight back, and your extra material counts for more. When you're behind, you usually want the opposite: keep pieces on the board and look for chances. Beginners often do the reverse, swapping pieces off when they're losing.

8. Stalemating when you're winning

This one is painful. You have a queen and your opponent has only a king, and then you make a move that leaves their king with no legal move while it isn't in check. That is stalemate, and the game is a draw. It happens most often when a queen moves too close to a cornered king.

When you're close to checkmate, always check that your opponent has at least one legal move after yours, unless your move is checkmate itself.

Practise without pressure

The best way to fix these mistakes is to play many games and look at what went wrong. On Gamesupa you can play the computer on Easy, use Hint when you're unsure, and use Undo to take back a move and see what would have happened. If you're new to the game, read Chess rules for beginners and 10 chess opening tips, or play chess now.