Some Mixed Results

For information about my experiment, please refer to my first post.

My meditation results this week was slightly worse than last week. I managed to meditate 23 minutes on my first try and after a short rest got another 2 minutes. The duration is a bit shorter than last week, but I don't think the difference is significant.

In regard to my actual chess ability, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that my memory is significantly better than before. During the week I effortlessly memorized several full games without even intending to. I was watching some rapid games on YouTube, and I discovered that after the games were over, I remembered them and was able to play them back in my head. That level of memory and visualization is not something I could do before.

The bad news is that I lost some games at the club. A strong player (2000) came in and we played 2 games, and I lost them both. I was actually winning both games up to the late middlegame, but I got impatient (the first game) and tactically careless (the second game). Unfortunately, as a result of the meditations making me tired during the week, I have been neglecting some of the other types of chess training (such as actually playing games). As a result, my play has gotten a little sloppy. Consequently, I'm playing a lot more online chess to deal with that sloppiness. Hopefully, I'll have better results next time I play someone strong.

On a side note, I played some online blitz both before and after my meditation session and the difference in playing ability is vast. After the session my mind felt sluggish and extremely slow. My mental processing speed was awful, and I made some very silly mistakes. So, if you decide to carry out this experiment yourself, be warned it will negatively affect your playing ability in the extreme short-term.

My USCF Classical Rating: 1648 (provisional)  

My USCF Rapid Rating: 1614 (provisional)