Strategy

GM Igor’s Blunder-Busting Tips From the Remote Chess Academy

Plus 3 Masters’ bonus tips

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I want confidence to enter the middlegame with some clue about what to do next. Most chess videos I came across proclaimed this common theme: forget about strategy and opening theory while you’re still blundering.

I blunder a LOT! It feels like that’s all I ever do. My coach told me that my biggest problem was missing one-move threats. Feel familiar?

While watching videos about avoiding blunders with the usual advice and checklists, I came across these five gems by GM Igor Smirnov of the Remote Chess Academy.

1st GM Gem — Don’t accept gambits unless you know the opening theory

ONE Main Reason Why You LOSE At Chess [And How To Prevent It]

Gambits were something I’ve always felt leery of. If the bait looks too good to be true, it’s probably a trap for the naive novice and best left alone. I’ve heard that beginning gamblers experience a winning streak that lures them to disaster. That’s what gambits are. They only benefit the one offering them.

2nd GM Gem — The A/B Method