In chess, a blunder is a very bad move which is quickly recognised as a very bad move by the player who made it, typically before or after his opponent has made his reply move. They are usually caused by some oversight, whether from time pressure, overconfidence or carelessness. While blunders may seem like a stroke of luck for the opposing player, some chess players give their opponent plenty of opportunities to blunder. Chess is an abstract strategy board game and mental sport for two players. ...

What qualifies as a "blunder" rather than a normal mistake is somewhat subjective. A weak move from a novice player might be explained by the player's lack of skill, while the same move from a master might be called a blunder.

In chess annotation, blunders are typically marked with a double question mark, "??", after the move. When annotating chess games, commentators frequently use question marks and exclamation marks to denote a move as good or bad. ...

One technique formerly recommended to avoid blunders, by authors like Simon Webb in Chess for Tigers, was to write down the move on the scoresheet before making it. However, FIDE banned this practise in 2005. ... The Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation is an international organization that connects the various national chess federations around the world. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Grandmaster examples

There are instances where strong players, even International Grandmasters make elementary blunders. The title International Grandmaster is awarded to world-class chess masters by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. ...

Tigran Petrosian vs. David Bronstein

Tigran Petrosian v. David Bronstein, White to make his 36th move

This position arose in the 1956 Candidates Tournament in Amsterdam. Petrosian, playing White, enjoys a clear advantage with strong knights, active rooks and plenty of mobility while Black's position is congested and hardly able to move. In fact Bronstein, playing Black, has for the last seven moves been making only apparently aimless knight moves, Nc6-d4-c6-d4, and now has played ...Nd4-f5, threatening White's queen. White can easily preserve the positional advantage by a move like 36.Qc7, but overlooking that the queen was en prise, he played 36.Ng5?? and resigned after 36...Nxd6. Tigran Petrosian. ... David Ionovich Bronstein (born February 19, 1924) is renowned as a leading chess grandmaster and writer. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... 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Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... 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Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Tigran Petrosian. ... David Ionovich Bronstein (born February 19, 1924) is renowned as a leading chess grandmaster and writer. ... 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Candidates Tournament was an annual chess tournament in which various chess players play against each other. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 742,951(1 January 2005) Demonym Amsterdammer Coordinates Website www. ... The knight moves in an L shape. ... A rook (borrowed from Persian رخ rokh) is a piece in the strategy board game of chess. ...

Alexander Beliavsky v. Leif Erlend Johannessen

Alexander Beliavsky v. Leif Erlend Johannessen, White to make his 69th move

This example, from a game played in Linares in 2002, is one of the very rare circumstances where a grandmaster makes the literally worst move on the board, the only one allowing mate on the next move. This is a balanced queen endgame, but Beliavsky playing White is careless. After 69.Kf4?? he had overlooked the response 69...Qb8 checkmate. A. Beliavsky, at 35th chess olympiad Bled 2002 Alexander Beliavsky (born December 17, 1953) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. ... Leif Erlend Johannessen, born 1980, is a Norwegian chess player, and Norways fifth International Grandmaster. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... 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Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... A. Beliavsky, at 35th chess olympiad Bled 2002 Alexander Beliavsky (born December 17, 1953) is a Ukrainian chess grandmaster. ... Leif Erlend Johannessen, born 1980, is a Norwegian chess player, and Norways fifth International Grandmaster. ... A number of places are called Linares . ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... In chess, the endgame (or end game or ending) refers to the stage of the game when there are few pieces left on the board. ... Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a situation in chess (and in other boardgames of the chaturanga family) in which one players king is under attack and there is no way to meet that threat; it is a check from which there is no escape. ...

Murray Chandler v. Susan Polgar

Murray Chandler v. Susan Polgar, White to make his 54th move

This example, from a tournament in Biel in 1987, did not lead to a loss for the blunderer, but an embarrasing draw for the British GM Chandler. Susan Polgar has just played the wily trap 53...Ng8-h6!?, and Chandler realizes that after 54.gxh6+ Kxh6 he will be left with the considerable material advantage of a rook pawn and bishop against a bare king. However, since the bishop is unable to control the queening square h8, Black will draw if she is able to get her king to control h8. But Chandler realizes that it is he who will win control over the h8 square after 55.Kf6, and thereby win the game. ^[1] Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960, Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born chess player and grandmaster who now represents England internationally. ... Susan Polgar Grandmaster Susan Polgar (born April 19, 1969 as Polgár Zsuzsanna) is a Hungarian-American chess player, and one of the strongest female players ever, having been Womens World Chess Champion from 1996 until 1999. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... 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Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Image File history File links This image is used in the standard chess diagram template. ... Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960, Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand-born chess player and grandmaster who now represents England internationally. ... Susan Polgar Grandmaster Susan Polgar (born April 19, 1969 as Polgár Zsuzsanna) is a Hungarian-American chess player, and one of the strongest female players ever, having been Womens World Chess Champion from 1996 until 1999. ... Place du Ring in Biel/Bienne Biel/Bienne is a town in the Canton of Bern in Switzerland. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In chess, a draw is one of the possible outcomes of a game, the others being a win for white and a win for black. ...

Therefore Chandler played 54.gxh6+??, but instead of the expected 54...Kxh6 came 54...Kh8! This is in fact the same king + bishop + rook pawn v. bare king situation as Chandler had calculated that he would avoid, and the fact that White has two rook pawns rather than one makes no difference. Black controls the h8 square, and White cannot queen his pawn. After 55.Bd5 Kh7 56.Kf7 Kh8 the players agreed to a draw.

Complete game scores of the examples

• Tigran Petrosian v. David Bronstein, Amsterdam 1956
• Alexander Beliavsky v. Leif Erlend Johannessen, Linares 2002
• Murray Chandler v. Susan Polgar, Biel 1987

References

• ↑  Andrew Soltis, Chess to Enjoy in September 1997 Chess Life
• Hooper, David and Kenneth Whyld (1996). The Oxford Companion To Chess. Oxford University. ISBN 0-19-280049-3.