Stop! What’s Their Threat?

Before you go for glory, make sure you're not about to walk into disaster.

One of the most common tactical blunders — even at intermediate levels — happens when we get so focused on our own plan that we forget to ask the most important question in chess:

“What does my opponent want to do?”

A strong player doesn’t just calculate forward — they look backward too. That means seeing your opponent’s threats before they become real.

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🔍 Ask This After Every Move:

After your opponent plays a move, pause and ask:

“If I do nothing, what are they threatening?”

• Is a piece hanging?

• Is a fork, pin, or skewer coming?

• Are they planning to push a pawn and open an attack?

• Did they just vacate a square to create room for a tactic?

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♟️ Interesting ... 

🧠 The 3-Second Threat Scan

Before every move, train yourself to quickly scan:

1. Checks — Can they check you next move? What would happen?

2. Captures — Are any of your pieces hanging?

3. Threats — Is your king safe? What’s their most active piece?

If something feels suspicious, pause.

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✅ Wrap-Up: Play Their Moves for Them

Great players think like this:

“If I were them, what would I play next?”
“Would that cause me a problem?”

Do that every turn — and you’ll stop blundering, start anticipating, and win more games.