Chess move by move

If you had your opponent’s pieces, what would you have played?

This is not as easy as it sounds. It means you have to stop being possessive/subjective of your pieces. You have to objectively look at the position, imagine that your opponent is going to make two moves in a row: the one just played, and the next one. Since we are lucky that we don’t endure that in Chess, we have a chance to intervene! How are you going to intervene if you don’t see what’s coming?

A trick you can use is to think about what you have played before in a similar position. For example, most of us have played 1.e4 and we know a bunch of moves that come regardless of what Black plays. However, when we are playing Black, we freeze after 1.e4 as if we have never seen it. All you have to do is choose one reply. When the next move comes, look in your mind to see if you have played that move before. If you have, what were you looking for? Could it be that your opponent is looking for the same thing? etc.

So, there is a tip - Think: “If I had his pieces, what would be my next move?”