  We point out a caveat in the proof for automatic O(a) improvement in twisted
mass lattice QCD at maximal twist angle. With the definition for the twist
angle previously given by Frezzotti and Rossi, automatic O(a) improvement can
fail unless the quark mass satisfies m_q >> a^2 Lambda_QCD^3. We propose a
different definition for the twist angle which does not require a restriction
on the quark mass for automatic O(a) improvement. In order to illustrate
explicitly automatic O(a) improvement we compute the pion mass in the
corresponding chiral effective theory. We consider different definitions for
maximal twist and show explicitly the absence or presence of the leading O(a)
effect, depending on the size of the quark mass.
