1 Mistake & it's Over

Lets start with this - I am bad at chess! Just learning but definitely a blunderfest.

Anyone else find that you can be playing well and then suddenly 1 mis move and it swings heavily in the opponents favour?

My last game i was doing great then a mouse slip and bang no way to recover!  Analysis shows i am normally better then wow does it swing. lol

It happens all the time.  To everyone rated below 1200 (or maybe higher . . . I wouldn't know yet).

That's why I've switched, temporarily, to playing bots.  No time pressure, and you can set 3 take-backs.  My goal at this time is not to beat people, or beat bots -- but to learn how to play openings, and -- just as importantly -- learn to reduce my blunders!

yeah i completely agree.  I like playing the bots and somehow i can beat up to about 1400 but against humans i suffer massively.  

I definitely need to study more openings 

Your problem has nothing to do with openings. It has everything to do with terrible middlegame blunders.

Take this game:

https://www.chess.com/analysis/game/live/7383787699

The most interesting part is moves 28-33. How many times did your opponent hang the queen, and you did not take it? How many times did you yourself hang your queen?

Until you stop making these 1-move blunders, nothing else matters at all.

I've "discovered" that, while I obviously lose many many games against titled players (or 1900+ FIDE rated) stronger opponents, if I can play them in a +10 minute game, I can have a decent game without too obvious blunders. And I have decided to explain this as strong players, playing for an advantage and for my inevitable mistake or a compounded set of inaccuracies, but not an outright blunder like hanging a piece or missing a mate in 3 or something like that. And that is what I like the most about playing extremely strong opponents (for my level anyway)... that the game I lose is typically because of a strategical mistake, not because of a tactical trap or a blunder. And that's a way more interesting way to play, because if your opponent isn't likely to blunder, you will also be less likely to blunder. Plus, you can learn more from that type of game.

Agree, forget openings mate. Just develop pieces quickly, try to control the centre, castle your king. After that make every effort to not lose pieces. And if your opponent is letting you take their pieces then do it. You have to see this stuff and be capable of playing game after game after game without losing material trivially. Doing this will get you to a certain level where you beat people who hang stuff all over the place and play weird illogical moves. Once you are at that point it is time to start looking at other things in more detail. Also, play the longest time control games you can fit in and really take your time and concentrate. Doing this will help you form good habits like careful blunder checking, building your ability to analyse.