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Beginner lesson 20/20
Build a plan and avoid blunders
Turn position evaluation into a simple plan for your next moves.
Learn this chess concept step by step, then practise it on the interactive ChessRivo board.
Open interactive lessonAbout this lesson
When no tactic is immediate, improve your worst piece, address the opponent’s threat and create a realistic target.
Key ideas
- First ask what your opponent is threatening.
- Look for checks, captures and threats before making a quiet move.
- Improve your least active piece and play toward a weakness or favorable pawn break.
Coach tip: Before releasing a piece, do one final blunder check: what can the opponent capture, check or threaten after my move?
Test yourself
What should you ask before almost every move?
- What is my opponent threatening?
- Can I move a random pawn?
- Can I avoid looking at checks?
Show answer
Correct answer: What is my opponent threatening?
Practise this lesson interactively
Open the ChessRivo Academy board exercise for this exact lesson. Your progress is saved when you are signed in.
Open interactive lessonHow to use this lesson in a real game
Turn the idea into a repeatable decision process.
- Before moving, name the position feature this lesson is about.
- Find one candidate move that follows the lesson idea and one alternative.
- After the game, return to the critical position and compare your choice with the lesson.