Keep a cool head

Strategy idea, beginner

Also called Tilt control, Composure.

Decide as well after a setback as before it.

A simple routine helps: after a mistake, breathe, name it, and do your normal blunder check on the next move instead of rushing to win it back.

Why it matters

Mistakes tend to cluster: one bad moment, if it upsets you, makes the next more likely.

After a failed pitch or a sharp email, pause before the next decision; the next one is the one you can still get right.

New to chess? The examples here use it. Play your first moves (five minutes), then learn chess from the beginning, one short lesson at a time.

You are behind after a slip. Steady: one pawn move attacks two pieces at once. Find it.

One question, a minute or two. Nothing to finish first.