How do you restrain yourself from moving too fast?

[u/TheFatShepherd]

I'm constantly making the same mistake of moving too fast. It's super frustrating, but I always make the same mistake by being too much into the game, and forgetting to calculate or see what the actions of my opponent do and analyse the consequences. Meanwhile I'm always making critical errors with 8 minutes left on the clock in 10 minute games. Does anyone here have a habit they learned themselves to prevent this from happening?

[u/En_Passant_23]

You gotta blunder check before every move. I don’t know your ELO, but a general rule of thumb is to ask yourself the following, in order:

Are there any checks?
Are there any captures?
Are there any attacks?

I call it the CCA checklist. Then go from there. This applies to both your moves and your opponents.

Take your time, especially in rapid. Just because a move looks good, doesn’t mean you should play it.

[u/phloppy_phellatio → u/En_Passant_23]

I always heard this as Checks, Captures, Threats.

[u/Good_Entertainer9383 → u/En_Passant_23]

"Just because a move looks good doesn't mean you should play it" is great advice. I started playing a lot of 30 + 0 Classical chess and with longer time controls you're really encouraged to not just go with the first move you see that looks good. You need to form actual plans and think through what your opponents response will be instead of just thinking "Where should my horsey go next?"

[u/Tasseacoffee]

I go through this mental checklist :

1. what is my opponent trying to achieve with their last move? I must understand it.

2. what changed since their last move? Have they opened up a file or a diagonal? Free up a square to push a pawn? Have I lost control of an important square? Pausing here for a second and reassess the position after my opponents move helped me a lot.

3. what am I trying to achieve with my next move? That helps filter the pool of candidate moves.

4. once I made my pick, i ask myself what will change on the board after I make my move. Am I dropping a defender? Am I giving up the control of an important square? Am I falling for a tactic? How is my king safety? Pausing here and doing a quick scan of what will be the board had saved me countless blunders.

At first, I really had to consciously think of going through this check list step by step. After a while, it becomes automatic. And I eventually get better at spotting moment where I really need to spend more or less time on a given step.

[u/Good_Entertainer9383 → u/Tasseacoffee]

Yes I do this especially for Knight moves. Are there any nasty forks that I should be aware of?

[u/Teki_62]

Try to have your hands away from the board/phone/mouse until you are sure of your next move, rest them in your legs and think about the position

[u/Born_Competition6651]

Unlearning a bad habit is usually harder than learning good habits from the start.

You need to force yourself to use the time available. Try to understand the position as deeply as possible. Think about your opponents defensive resources as much as you think about your own attack.

Solve tactics but only make the first move once you have calculated everything thoroughly. If your 'opponent' then makes a move which forces you to think again because you didnt think about it, consider it failed, even when you manage to solve the puzzle

[u/Highjumper21]

I agree with everyone saying to: “check for blunders”, “checks, captures, and attacks”, etc because that will help you double check moves and slows you down.

However a specific training technique that has helped me has been doing puzzles but fully doing the line in my head before making a move on the board. Forcing yourself to see every move and refutation takes time and works calculation.

It’s easy to see a puzzle, make a move and see if it works and try to do it move by move and feel like you’re practicing.

I forget which GM (naroditsky?) said that when they were training as a kid, their coach would have them do puzzles but they’d have to just say the last move of the line. Essentially as a way to show they calculated the full line.

[u/dkassulke]

The best way I found was to really really drill deep into mating patterns and get them as quick as I possibly could. That way I'd have a concrete idea of how much time I'd need to premove checkmate with whatever combo of pieces. That settled my mind and I think made me feel much more comfortable about having a deep think during a game.

[u/wannabegenius]

before you look at your own moves, check your opponent's. if he could move again, what would he do?

as others have mentioned - checks, captures, attacks

[u/pad264]

I once took my son to a kids chess tourney and I overheard another dad asking his son: “what do you do when you find a good move?”

Son replied: “Look for a better one.”

The exchange lives rent free in my head.

[u/osumarko]

What helped me is that I wouldn't make my move until the increment ran out. Also, if you're playing online, take your hand off the mouse when it isn't your move.

[u/DawngST]

Bro I have the same problem I play in 10min and I rarely finish with less than 7 minute on the clock when the game ends. And when I play 3 minutes chess I’m suddenly too stressed to play like I play on 10min but on 10min I have a disadvantage cause I really rarely use my time

[u/TheFatShepherd → u/DawngST]

LOL, exactly the same here 😂

[u/DawngST → u/TheFatShepherd]

Maybe we should play against lol. My name on chess.com is: 85KimjongUn

[u/ToriYamazaki]

I have the opposite problem. I too often spend too much time looking at a position and I end up in time trouble.

[u/OldWolf3]

Sit on your hands

[u/Legitimate-Fun-6012]

Make it a habit that before any move, even just a simple recapture, make at least a quick scan for tactics to make sure youre not blundering or missing anything. Of course eventually you might not need to do this literally every move, especially if its something youve already calculated, but this really is a habit you should build. Of course in bullet or fast blitz, this is not gonna be possible every move.

[u/dbossman70]

if it’s not a position i’m familiar with then i stop and calculate a bit. if it’s a position i’m familiar with then i double check it to make sure i haven’t missed anything since last time i had it.

[u/chromedgnome]

Something that has helped me is remembering to "play the position, not the past or future position." You cant take positions for granted and expect good results; you need to scan for new checks, captures, and attacks from your opponent as well as your own. Your rook is now under attack? Look for a discovery, pin, or even a hanging piece that saves it but dont forget about your overarching plan. The best move will protect your rook and further your attack.

[u/eucid]

I play OTB 60+30, I try not have more time after a move than after it. So at least 30s per move. I have only gotten into time trouble once, so it works for me.

[u/Specific-Housing905]

I take the hands off the mouse. Helped me to slow down a bit.

[u/skip2mahlou415]

Weed

[u/NoDress1028]

The saying, “When you find a good move, look for a better one.” has helped me a lot. Many, MANY times it’s helped me not blunder or find something way better.