This puzzles me deeply:  How come, in two simultaneous games (not always but sometimes with the same opponent), I can play innovative sparkling chess on one board, and on the other play as though I'm brain-dead?

It sounds funny, but I don't know the answer.   

I know what you mean zzfriend. My guess would be it's the nature of positions that you find comfortable... I think I find certain positions mesh well with the kind of tactics I'm prone to looking for. Once you start to suspect what kinds of positions feel good to you, the ones where you're playing confident chess, then you can try to set things up in the opening that will lead you to those strategies that make sense. I think you have to actively search those positions that allow for sparkling chess. But I know where you're coming from - we all live for those moments where you get to play with excellent flourishes (I get to do a rook sac mate in one of mine currently! woot), but other times the board feels like a broken blob of boring.

perhaps you are concentrating on only 1 board and not on the other. maybe you're not ready to play simultaneous games

it's all about who's attacking and who's defending.  When you're attacking, the moves feel good.  When you're defending, you're just stopping the opponent.  You don't have as much control like that.

For me, chronically low-ranked players use certain attack patterns that I'm used to countering. My counterattack feels automatic. It's like music. But "low-ranked" is relative, so my attack patterns are transparent to the typical 1800 ranked player, and I feel stupid.

I've learned that the "stupid" feeling is false. It's just a pattern of play I haven't yet become comfortable with. By studying each game, I feel the improvement.

I was studying a lot for about a month and my rating bumped up by 200 points. Then I was distracted again by worked and my rating has stagnated. I predict that I'll gain another 200 points when I begin to read my new chess strategy books and go back to studying why I lost each game.

 

I find that my play depends on my state of mind. IF I'm tired and playing too many games, my play is erratic. I can have brilliant plays against highly ranked players and then atrocious plays against players with lower rankings. Also, I sometimes get mired into a certain style of play and results can be disasterous. I've seen my ranking move up and down like the Dow Jones industrial average! This is very evident when I get into speed chess on other sites and then try to switch gears for more developemental players on chess.com.

you should just try to be more consistant with ur play like me.

You are brilliantly smart d., my friend! I mean you are d., doer!

We play 5-6 games , and we had so much fun and chat, that I enjoyed that games!

Greg 

I do find that my level of play seems sometimes to flux with my opponents rating.  I play worst against lower ranks,  It is likely due to playing patterns as suggested.

Maybe your opponent just found out your style when playing chess...

ADK

I recognize 'dumb' when my opponent shows it to me. I used to miss 'brilliant' a lot. Now I look for my 'brilliant' more carefully. You can play wonderfully dumb and not know it until it reveals itself to you in a lovely move from across the table.

Look for your brilliant play.

Malcolm Gladwell says it takes 10,000 hours to get good at something. I have a long way to go, but I'm getting better at repeating my 'good' play. Less am I Clever Hans waiting for my opponent to give me a sign that I did the right thing.

Michelangelo was asked how he got to be so good at sculpture. He replied (I'll paraphrase) " I got good at taking away the bits that don't belong"

That's my goal: take away the play that is uproductive and fails to reveal the beauty in the stone that is this Board.