Is my brain faulty??

Regularly when I am playing chess I make a move that I think is correct and almost immediately after making the move I realize I have made a terrible mistake. And this doesn't happen only in blitz, but over the board and even in correspondence. At times this has happened even after 10-20 mins of looking at the position! 

Another problem with faulty thinking I have is seeing 'illusionary' positions. In a recent game I was convinced my opponent was threatening to fork my Queen and King, so I moved my Queen, throwing away a completely winning position, when in reality there was no fork at all!

Or in another game my opponent blundered by using his Queen to check my King - I could have taken the Queen with my Knight, but I didn't see this and thought the only move was to block the check with my own Queen! Again I saw the right move immediately afterwards.

Why does this happen??? Does anyone else have these problems, and how can I correct this faulty thinking?

you have faulty wiring-not fixable

The last comment here is partially true but this is definitely fixable. I have had similar issues. You have faulty wiring, yes, but there is a solution.You simply have to replace the faulty wiring, just like changing the spark plugs and wires in your car so it performs at its best. You need to hook up with a good coach, mentor, etc and you have to be dedicated to change your way of thinking asap!!!. This takes a ton of effort but in time you will see a change. 

One thing my coach tells me is that every move is a potential mistake. Look for ways to exploit abandoned squares. I know you mentioned that you looked for 10-20 minutes and made a move but afterwards it was a mistake. There definitely is some faulty wiring going on there. You need to have someone examineyour games, and if they are reallya good coach, they will immediately pin point your weaknesses, and help you correct them. Alot of times we think we know what the issues are but are unable to correct them unless someone else helps you identify the root cause.

Good luck

Also, a huge pointer for me was my coach telling me that I have to emotionally detach myself from my pieces, and to look for tactics. Every move your opponent makes has to leave something else behind, thus creating some sort of weakness. This may/may not be explotiable but really focus on finding strong moves.

Also, if your a premium member, study the tactics and chess mentor lessons. Those have helped me out quite a bit but really there is no substitute for a great coach.

Good luck again.

"faulty thinking" - more like you are either distracted or confused or rushed a move. Stop thinking you are doing it wrong. You just have to adapt and change until it starts working for you. Familiarize with the patterns and keep your concentration levels a bit higher. Focus is very important.

I sometimes do this too.  I find that using a mental checklist really helps - are any of my pieces being attacked; do I have any hanging pieces; do I have any checks, captures, forks, pins.  If I'm in check can I take the piece, can I block the check, if so with which pieces, which is better, or do I have to move the king.  Which squares can this piece move to.  Will it be hanging.  In the 'illusionary' position problem you mention, I even might say it out loud - 'they can move their knight to x y z squares.  On x square it is attacking a b c squares, on y square it is attacking d e f squares...etc etc'  Although it sounds laborious it actually isn't - it saves a lot of time on imaginary analysis because it concretises the position.  I don't know if I've explained this very well but I find when I do tactics trainer for example when I use this disciplined approach I solve many more correctly and quicker too. I'm sure once I have been playing a bit longer I will start to do this more automatically and easily.

"Snapshot" is a perfect way to explain it. My coach likes to call it "Freeze framing". Good stuff here. Also, calculation exercises will help too. If you can train yourself to go the extra 1 or 2 ply, maybe 3, that very well may be enough to correctly access the position.

Focus focus!!

The solution is simple:

And as for richb888, his rating proves his ignorant comment that faulty wiring is notfixable.

Godd stuff here. Keep it up!

I notice you have a much higher Online Chess rating. So it would appear, that at least when you have a long time to look a things, you do OK.

Perhaps you should work more in ONline Chess to develop good habits. It is difficult to develop good habits in the bullet and blitz environments.

Thanks for the comments folks, I like some of the ideas here. Also, I have been thinking of finding a coach now for some time, as I am only self-taught. Kleelof - I think you are on to something. I am going to take a break from blitz and bullet, as I play far too much in relation to long games (over 4000 fast games as opposed to 90 long games on this site.) I'm probably (and subconsciously?) reinforcing bad habits with too much speed chess, rather than improving good practice with long games.

Sounds like my chess, but how did you get to over 1900 if you're that bad?

I wonder if people stop feeling this way no matter how good they get.

I mean, look at Carlsen. he doesn't always win. Surley he looks at some of his lost games and thinks 'What the hell was I thinking?'

Mine's a CONSTANT thing.

I started playing chess 10 years ago, when I was 31, so I can play a half-decent game, but I still manage to make horrendous blunders!

Hilarious!

"Pawn Structure Chess" by Andy Soltis.... best book ever, it takes time to go through thoroughly though.  It really teaches you about squares, strategy and planning and how the pieces should work in various pawn structures.  With every chapter, find master games in those positions as supplements.Please be relevant, helpful & nice!

Konan, any chance you may be overthinking? I only ask because of your example of the Q blunder and illusions.