When you get nervous, get up, take a small walk around along with some deep breaths.  I used to get nervous a lot during OTB competitions and I found this to help... even if it costs you some time.  A nervous player is half defeated.

Above all though, remember that it is only a game :)

Sounds like some good advice. Also try to picture your partner wearing a dress and big flowered hat !      LOL    Got to have fun man eather way ! Good luck with the Tournaments .

Tim

Use more brain and less heart.. COOL is the word... Happens to best in the field.. No one can claim to be perfectly cool.. but certainly try to keep result out of emotional (or ego) orbits

what is otb... write in my notes plz

grow a sack.. it's chess.

write down your move, and only after great consideration do you make it!

Remember, the other person don't know what you will come up with, so they are nervous too!

I hate OTB, but if you want progress you must deal with underachieving due to stress, after a few games it will stop stressing you (maybe not a "few", it depends on you), now i'm facing another problem, losing without being stressed is even more annoying!

Not Chuck Norris.

Back to the subject, just try to relax, and don't make any fast moves without alot of calculation. As for using your brain and not your emotion, I dissagree. I think that playing with emotion is very good, I myself count on intuition more than calculation very often. Play with your heart and do your best.

yah thats normal me too i experience that  BEFORE                                                         ....    just chill and dont be nervous

thnx to all.

hope to play better chess at OTBs from now !!

Hello friend,

If you ask me you must look at a game at least 2 times. It slows your move speed, but you will make less mistakes. Look at one game and think what you want to move. Then look at your next game and do the same. Come back to your first game and open the analyseboard. Make the move and look first if you think that you are on the better hand. After that you must look what you would reply if you where your opponent.

Hope it will help.

Montana

I still remember when I first joined my first OTB tournament. I was literally shaking. I tried my best to hide it but to no avail. Later on as I gain more experience (after multitude of colossal blunders and heart-breaking losses), the nervousness disappeared. Only to reappear again if you have crucial or "must-win" games though...

Nervous energy is a good thing because it shows you care about the game and keeps you focused, but you need to be able to control it so it doesn't paralyse your thoughts.

Don't worry too much about making mistakes - even the best players make mistakes.  Just concentrate as much as can, try to relax, and think as clearly as you can about the position as if you were examining it at your leisure.

And of course, remember that the worst thing that can happen is you lose the game.  It's not a matter of life or death - even though it can sometimes feel like it!

What if your partner threatens to leave you and your club will kick you out? Worse, your country exiles you for messing up. And then, the video of you losing is posted on youtube so you can never join a club again.

Come on, I know this hasn't only happened to me. Speak up.

have something else to do.  I'm serious.  Keep forcing yourself back to the board from something else.  otherwise, when your opponent is thinking, you'll be concentrating too much and begin to agonize over decisions.  sometimes.  don't quote me on this.

_Harry Potter

Just become comfortable in the environment.  Develop some relationships so you won't be playing chess just to win.

some of the tournaments I have been to allow you to listen to music while you play.

 no, professor snape.