A good meditation technique is to count breaths, inhale = 1, exhale = 2. Go to 4, then start again at 1 so you don't get caught up in counting and lose concentration on your breathing, which is where your focus should be. The counting is just to give your conscious mind something to do, rather like giving an unruly child a toy to play with.  ;-)

hope i can lean from all your advices he he he he cuz id o also have same problem of nervousness sometimes when i play with rated players

Same thing here, I always sweat during play, but I noticed that I'm nervous after the game, somethimes I start shaking, and my hands are cold.

One way to deal with it is not wanting to win too bad, you will be still nervous, but not THAT much

How difficult is it to create the "move list" with the embedded what-ifs?  Do you have a tutorial to learn it?

It has been a long time since i have played any otb tournaments. I think that a little bit of nerves is a good thing. I think it is an indication of being ready.  I enjoyed the game. I like to play the dragon. I have some trouble following the new chess notation. When I was playing seriously I was only about a class B player in the uscf ratings. I have played S. Reshevsky in a simultanous match.

I lost of course, but he signed my game notes.

nice!!

"Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Jesus Christ

the best way is to grow some

I have never actually tried this as I've never been to an OTB tournament, but it theoretically might work. Perhaps it would be good to imagine yourself in a calm place, somewhere you feel safe and completely free to relax.  It could be the beach on some tropical paradise or it could be in the warm embrace of someone you care for. Medition might help to locate this place but the idea is to try to "imprint" this "place" in your memory so that it  becomes familiar and easily accessed in times of stress. And while the feelings of butterflies and nervousess may feel overwhelming and insurmountable, it may help to identify them and to remind yourself that, like most every thing, this too shall pass.

Another idea is to try to take a step back and to realize what your purpose really is in attending a tournament. Does your identity hinge on the results, or are you there simply for the wonderful experience.

Ok I have more to share but this seems a reasonable length. Thank you Mr. Jeremy Silman, and as always I thoroughly enjoy your work. Keep it up :)

If you feel nervous look at your opponent eyes. try to make an eye contact in that you can read if she o he is nervous too. treat the game as a practice one, dont be hesitated to move what you think is best.

When I get upset about chess blunders, sometimes it is a relief to realize that I am not making similar blunders in "real life."

Some sense of trepidation is good as it heightens your senses. 

The best advice i can give is to play the board and not the rating.

"Freedom thinking", fun article, glad you joined this site, your books were the first I bought that got me into chess and I look forward to what you have to share with everyone here.

Why is it called the Maroczy bind, I've always wondered.  It seems there must be two or more equally bad alternatives in a "bind".  What are they specifically?

Personally, in tournaments when i get nervous, if its a kid i just think to myself, "who's school is better in football"  Unless he goes to Phoebus, then im fine.  If it is an adult, i think to myself, "i should pick up the chess clock, hit him with it, and then put it on his timer so that he loses on time while unconcious.  If i do it right i can accomplish both at the same time."  This makes me laugh, sometimes out loud, which both makes me feel better and psyches out my opponent.

     It has been a long time but that is what I liked about tournament chess! It is amazing how worked up you can get. I once heard that they checked the BP of chess players in a tourney and it ranked as high as athletes in an event. It is not just you! There is a lot of good advice here though. My advice 1) Take more time at the beginning, move slow, you will relax as the game goes on. 2) deep breaths 3) Look at the board from your opponents view in a complex situation. 4) Go over a tactics book for about 30 min prior to the tournament to get your vision going.

lol "freedom thinking."  Are you making fun of us Americans???  Thanks for another great article - your wit is much appreciated by this chess player.  Keep up the good work.

Hello Mr. Silman I have a question that you probably can answer easily. I was reading an article that was written about Nick DeFirman and the accelerated dragon that he played in a New York Tournament.  Mr. DeFirman was facing a Chilean IM whose name escaped me and they gave that line that you said for the trap.  The article then went on to say that against the Accelerated dragon you can't play the yougoslav as white...the article was written in the old notation and i still am at a loss as to why one can't play it.  Could you help me out.

Thanks alot

Mike

In addition to the good advise already given. My recommendation to you is make an alliance with your nerves. You have the anwers as to why you are nervous. Learn a good defense against K pawn and Q pawn opening. Learn your own opening and its variation as much as possible. Do you understand end games? Do you need improvement? Can you checkmate your opponent if you had Knight and Bishop against their King.  Above all believe in yourself!

The best way to avoid nerves is to just enjoy your game - win or lose. However, to ensure the game goes on longer than 12 moves you need to ensure you have sight of the board:ensure you know where all his pieces are and what they are sneakily planning among themselves.