How do you stay focused?

The biggest thing holding me back right now is my inability to focus. I'd say that in almost 90% of the games I play, I get out of the opening and/or middle game in a vastly better position than my opponent, often a pawn up or even a piece, but I still lose three out of four games. Once I win a pawn or something, suddenly the game becomes incredibly boring, and I can't be bothered to think for more than a split second on each move. I just want the game to be over. I hate playing a winning position.

Any tricks to remaining focused? I'm not bad in the endgame when I'm paying attention, but it's just so hard to keep playing.

You have to remember that having a winning position is not winning. I think I have (and still) experienced the same thing. I started chess with 1.d4, and because I'm a logical person it is not difficult for me to understand things, and I quickly became a "positional" player. I tried to win my game step by step from creating and manipulating opponent's weaknesses. Did the hardwork to win a pawn or two, then at the end I have to lost the game because of a blunder.

The real problem is my weakness at tactics. Then I found a way to improve my play. I avoid tactical positions (things where I will easily get lost), swap pieces and go as quickly as possible to the endgame. And I decided to study endgame to further improve the result.

The above strategy works very well. I can go above 2000 playing against chess engines in 10 minute games. Almost 10 years ago I could reach above 2000 against chess engine in a tournament time control. 8 years ago I almost reached 2000 in turn-based (CC) online chess. But playing 10 minute games and get above 2000 is a BIG improvement. I can only do this with simplification trick, so I don't make blunder.

Here at 10 minute blitz (it could be less when we take into account the disconnects) my rating is 1500 maximum. But I don't put my hardest effort, and I don't use the "simplification" approach because winning (now) is not my objective.

My point is, have you tried that little trick of swapping pieces?

1) The threat of losing, and

2) The realization that having more pieces on the board doesn't make your position better, it's what the pieces you do have are doing that counts.  If you want to win a game of chess you can't just go after pieces, you have to actually get a better position.

If you end up bored with the game then I guess you don't care. Forget about results and dropping winning games...you seem to lack an interest in the game, in the sense of finding it fascinating and needing to master the position in front of you, knowing "the truth" about it, so to speak.

There are no tricks I can think of apart from competitiveness that spurs one on to work hard on the game. Besides that, one seems to need to be a "truth seeker," I think, to make a serious stab at chess.

Existential comment, truth seeker or seeking eloquence in the solution...

I often find myself in a won position and I can hear myself thinking, "This game is won, all I have to do is play out the moves and I win." Of course, I always lose these games. Somehow in the middle/end transition I lose my focus and blunder. Especially in live games where the time control is long. I'm curious how some of you stay focused. I have improved over the last few years, but recently it seems I've slipped a bit and I cant say with 100% confidence that my current problem is lack of focus / overconfidence in a winning position. 

Of course, I already know how in theory to solve this problem...Stay focused and never claim victory until the king is on his back...but that's easier said than done. Any thoughts?

 Nice!

SZ.

 With this type of thinking, I would question: Why do u (even) play CHESS?  Focus your attention on that!  'U want the game 2 b over'; 'u hate playin a winning position'; spoken like a true loser!  U deserve 2 lose those games u quit n.  'Its hard 2 keep playing'; then quit!

SZ.

 Nice!

SZ.

If you put in the time/effort and $$ to go play in an otb tourney you wont find staying focused to be such a problem due to the investment(s) you have made. 

if only i can get into winning positions i find playing higher rated players help me. also playing turn base chess as there is more time to make your moves and competions wanting to do well for your team. try it i love team chess,

You can try to say to yourself, that when you have a won position, use 1 min on each move, if its not a clearly obvious move like an exchange or something.

I have the exact same problem so I either play material exchange or initiative moves to confuse my opponent and possibly make him play the wrong moves but I know that those are cheap tricks that will only work vs low rating players and they don't improve my skills

Chess as a Markov process? I like it!

1. Suppress all counterplay.

2. Take your time.

3. Do not relinquish the pressure until there is a clear win.

It is much like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Indianapolis Colts

"take the air out of the football" once they have a commanding lead.

Although rare, I enjoy 90 move grinds in which my opponents

pieces end up  draped harmlessly on the edge of the board.

 Nice!

SZ.

I think the key is to not focus on the result and focus on playing chess. Do you just enjoy winning or do you enjoy the game? If you enjoy the game, then each move is a struggle to find the best move on the board. That challenge should be sufficient to hold your attention.

Yep. The key is to keep striving toward a goal. In the OP's case, his primary goal was to get an advantage or winning position and when that goal was met, he had arrived! There were no challenges left for him and it became boring. In Fezzik's case, he kept creating goals for himself to last throughout the entire game so that he constantly had something to reach for.

Very well stated!  I also mentioned this (why do u play chess; motivation; goals) 2 pbrocoum as being a good reason 2 stay focused.

SZ.