Chapter 10 · All levels · 3 min
Common beginner mistakes
Common mistakes repeat: free pieces, unsafe king, wandering queen, moves with no purpose. Spotting them already removes many of them.
Explanation
Rookie mistakes come up often, so we can track them down.
The most common: giving away pieces for free, forgetting the king's security, taking out the queen too early, playing without threat, or ignoring the opponent's last move. There's nothing shameful about it: everyone goes through this stage.
The good habit is to correct one mistake at a time. If you try to fix everything at once, you'll just play tense. Start by no longer giving away pieces at once. Already, your level will breathe.
To remember
The classic mistakes: free pieces, king exposed, queen out too early, moves without threat.
Classic error
Telling yourself 'I'm rubbish' instead of identifying the type of error.
Player Tip
After a game, find a single mistake to correct. Only one, but really.