Blunder Taxonomy
I keep blundering is a vague complaint that is impossible to fix. To stop making mistakes, you must first identify *why* you are making them. Is it a vision error? A calculation error? Or psychological panic? This Blunder Taxonomy categorizes the most common types of chess mistakes, helping you diagnose your specific weaknesses and apply the correct training cure to fix them.
Different blunders have different causes. Hanging a piece is not the same problem as miscalculating a tactic, and time-trouble blunders need a different fix again.
How to Use This Blunder Taxonomy
Categorizing your mistakes is the first step toward eliminating them from your game.
- Look at your last 10 serious games
- Find the move where the evaluation swung sharply
- Match the mistake to one category below
- Work on the most frequent category first
The Main Types of Chess Blunders
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Type A: Hanging Material (Unprotected Pieces)
What it looks like: a piece is simply left en prise, or a defender is removed and you didn’t notice.
Common cause: incomplete threat scan, moving too fast, tunnel vision.
Micro-fix: before moving, ask: “What did my move just leave undefended?”
Note: A dedicated “Hanging Pieces” deep-dive page can be added later (link intentionally omitted until it exists).
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Type B: One-Move Tactical Oversights
What it looks like: you miss a fork, pin, skewer, discovered attack, or simple mate threat.
Common cause: failing to check forcing moves (checks/captures/threats) for both sides.
Micro-fix: quick “CCT scan”: Checks, Captures, Threats — for your opponent first.
Note: A dedicated CCT routine page can be added later (link intentionally omitted until it exists).
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Type C: Calculation Collapse (Wrong Line, Wrong Conclusion)
What it looks like: you “saw” a tactic, but the line doesn’t work, or you missed a defensive resource.
Common cause: skipping candidate moves, stopping calculation too early, assuming opponent cooperation.
Micro-fix: list 2–3 candidate moves, then calculate the most forcing reply to each.
Note: A “Calculation Mistakes” deep-dive page can be added later (link intentionally omitted until it exists).
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Type D: “I Didn’t See the Threat” (Opponent Plans)
What it looks like: your opponent plays a move that was predictable, yet you’re surprised.
Common cause: only thinking about your own plan; not asking “what is their idea?”
Micro-fix: every move, ask: “What changed? What is now threatened?”
Note: A “Spot Opponent Threats” deep-dive page can be added later (link intentionally omitted until it exists).
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Type E: King Safety Blunders
What it looks like: castling into an attack, weakening dark/light squares, opening files toward your king.
Common cause: pawn pushes without considering squares and lines; ignoring attacker coordination.
Micro-fix: before pawn moves near your king, ask: “What squares become weak forever?”
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Type F: Opening “Time Loss” Blunders (Development Mistakes)
What it looks like: moving the same piece repeatedly, early queen adventures, random pawn moves — then getting hit by tactics.
Common cause: neglecting development priorities and king safety.
Micro-fix: in the opening, ask: “Does this move develop a piece or fight for the centre?”
Note: A “Development Blunders” deep-dive page can be added later (link intentionally omitted until it exists).
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Type G: Endgame Blunders (Technique Errors)
What it looks like: missing opposition, pushing the wrong pawn, inactive king/rook, trading into a lost pawn ending.
Common cause: not knowing a few key endgame rules and methods.
Micro-fix: activate the king early; avoid pawn pushes that create new weaknesses.
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Type H: Time-Trouble Blunders
What it looks like: the position was fine, then everything collapses in the last minute.
Common cause: spending time on low-impact decisions; panic; no time budgeting.
Micro-fix: decide quickly in simple positions; spend time only when the position demands it.
Note: A “Time Trouble Plan” deep-dive page can be added later (link intentionally omitted until it exists).
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Type I: Psychological Blunders (Tilt, Fear, Overconfidence)
What it looks like: you rush after a mistake, avoid good moves because they “look risky”, or force attacks that aren’t there.
Common cause: emotional state overriding calculation and evaluation.
Micro-fix: slow down immediately after a mistake; switch to damage-control mode.