Academy | Calculation | Blunder Awareness | Example #6
Solution: 1. Qd4? Ra8! (threatening 2… Qa2#). Now white must sacrifice material to stop the mate, Ie. 2. Bc4 Rxc4.
Observation
The starting point of your calculations should be to understand your opponent’s threats. In this position, Black was threatening 1…Ra8 followed by 2…Qa2#. If it took you a while to see why White’s move was a blunder, the likely reason is that you didn’t fully grasp Black’s threat—a common cause of mistakes.