Why I Started Talking to Myself During Online Games
Ever catch yourself muttering "Don't hang the knight... don't hang the knight..." during a chess game? Yeah, me too. Here's how talking to myself accidentally stopped me from being terrible
I never used to talk during chess games. When I played over-the-board at my local café, it was all silent concentration, maybe an occasional "hmm" or frustrated sigh. Chess was supposed to be this quiet, intellectual battle.
Then I started playing on Chess.com
And something weird happened. Sitting alone at my computer, with no opponent across from me, I started... talking. Out loud. To myself.
At first, I was embarrassed. What if my roommate heard me? What if I was losing my mind? But then I realized something... I was actually playing better.
It Started With Blunders
My first few days online were brutal. I'd hang pieces left and right, miss obvious tactics, and make moves I'd regret the second I clicked. Sound familiar?
One particularly frustrating evening, after hanging my queen for the third time that day, I found myself literally shouting at my screen: "CHECK THE QUEEN!!! Why don't you ever check if the queen is safe?!"
And that's when it hit me. In that moment of frustration, I'd accidentally identified my biggest problem. I wasn't doing basic safety checks.
So I started talking myself through them: "Is my king safe? Are my pieces defended? What's my opponent threatening??"
What I Sound Like Now
Now I narrate my games like I'm streaming to an invisible audience. It sounds crazy, but hear me out
Instead of thinking: "I should probably develop my knight" I say out loud: "Okay, developing the knight to f3. This attacks e5, supports d4, and gets me closer to castling"
Instead of thinking "Their rook looks dangerous" I say out loud "That rook on the h-file is screaming for a kingside attack. I need to be careful about weakening my king position"
The difference? When I just think it, my brain can skip steps or get distracted. When I say it out loud, I'm forced to complete the thought.
My Weirdest Chess Habits Now
"Hmm" sounds I make thinking noises like I'm still at the café
The safety check "King safe? Pieces safe? Tactics?" before every move
Opponent psychology "They're trying to trade queens... why would they want that?"
Time management "I've got 3 minutes left, let's not calculate this for 2 minutes"
Confidence building "Nice move!!~" when I find something good
Yeah, I probably sound insane... but it works.
Why This Actually Works
Here's the thing when I just think about moves in my head, my brain gets lazy. It skips steps. Gets distracted by random stuff.
But when I say it out loud? I have to finish the thought. I can't half-analyze something when I'm literally explaining it to myself.
Like, it's hard to hang a piece when you're saying "This move attacks his rook and... wait, does this leave my bishop undefended?"
The talking forces me to slow down and actually think.
The Awkward Truth
The funniest part? I'm more chatty during online chess than I ever was over-the-board. There's something about that physical board and real opponent that made me go silent. But staring at a screen? I'm basically giving a chess lecture to my monitor.
My friends think I've lost it. My neighbors probably wonder what's happening in here. But my rating? It's been climbing steadily since I embraced my inner chess commentator.
Try It (But Maybe Warn Your Roommates)
Look, I'm not saying everyone should start talking to themselves during chess. But if you're making a lot of careless mistakes like I was, maybe give it a shot.
Start small. Just ask yourself out loud: "Is my king safe? Are my pieces safe?" before you move.
You might feel weird at first. I definitely did. But when you catch yourself from hanging a piece because you literally said "wait, is this defended?" you'll get it.
Plus if you ever want to stream chess someday, you'll already have practice talking through your games.
Just maybe warn your family or roommates first. Trust me on that one.
Anyone else have weird chess habits that actually help? Or am I the only one having conversations with my computer screen? Let me know I promise I won't judge if you don't judge me.
