Tactical, Positional, and Opening Mistakes

Tactical, positional, or opening mistakes? What is the difference? Are they not all the same? No. The differences are radical, and paying attention to the differences is important. Therefore, we will consider the different natures and causes of the three types of mistakes one can make in chess: tactical, positional, and opening and see how each of them may be prevented.

Tactical mistakes are most common on lower levels, and the simplest to notice. When a player misses one of his opponent’s moves, or does not take into account one of his own, this can mean he has committed a tactical mistake. This kind of mistake is often easy to notice because the oversight leads to a decisive and conspicuous change in the evaluation of the position. For example, a tactical mistake may result in the loss of a piece, or forced checkmate. You might make these mistakes if you experience a lapse in concentration, time trouble, lack of recent practice, or a combination of these factors. Solving tactical puzzles may help reduce the number of your tactical errors, and careful time management is a valuable tool in avoiding time pressure, a common source of these mistakes. Players on every level make tactical mistakes, from time to time, so do not worry; the strongest grandmasters occasionally hang their pieces too. Only the mistakes’ frequency and severity set apart strong tactical players from others. 

Meanwhile, positional mistakes hide in the shadows. On lower levels, they often go unnoticed; the importance of severe tactical mistakes eclipses their importance. However, on higher levels, positional mistakes are much more relevant, as they become much more common than tactical mistakes. Positional mistakes are generally more subtle than tactical mistakes, because a positional mistake is an error in evaluating the position; often, it is not easy to evaluate each side’s chances in an unbalanced position objectively. Even computers often have trouble evaluating a position accurately; the importance of the many different factors contributing to a position’s evaluation depends entirely on the nature of the position itself. It is hard to prevent most positional mistakes, but studying the standard plans in common positions helps, although such work can be very time-consuming. Generally, experience is also a very good asset in reducing the number of positional mistakes. 

Opening mistakes are less common than the other two types. The opening is generally a fleeting stage of the game, usually not lasting longer than a third of the game. Moreover, most games do not feature new moves until after the opening. In the opening, you memorize theory, because theory has been tried and tested by stronger players many times. An opening mistake, as the name suggests, is a mistake happening in the opening, caused by a player not knowing, or simply forgetting, which move is the best. As it is sometimes hard to “reinvent the wheel” after forgetting which move is best, opening mistakes can have disastrous consequences, especially in complicated and therefore dangerous positions. An important rule is to never lose your head in these cases. If you think about fundamental rules, like developing your pieces and castling quickly, you are much more likely to make a strong move anyway. In the end, you can make opening mistakes less often if you look at your openings again and again and again. 

Whether the goal is to improve tactically, positionally, or in your openings, it is necessary that there be variety in your study, because strength in one field often helps little if another area is too weak. Remember: in chess, a well-rounded player is a solid player.