Don't OVER Think

I’m not a very good player…Yet. But I plan on getting really good.

I have a cousin, whom I play chess with regularly. Now, he’s only twelve, so I thought, “how hard can it be to beat him?” Well, it was hard. The first time we played, he beat me good. Now, this was after I had been practicing for the passed few weeks, and I felt I could beat a Grand Master! At first, I thought I had just made a stupid mistake somewhere in the game. I wanted to play again. So we set up the pieces, and sat down for another long game.

Now, my cousin, he had never played at all. Oh, of course, there was the occasional game with his dad, but other than that, we was new to the game. So, we played again. This time I was determined to win. But after about and hour and a half, I gave it up! There was nothing I could do. He had me cornered! This was bad! A twelve year old beating me?! What was I going to do? I was upset. But then, I got an idea. Instead of thinking I was a rotten player, I decided to turn him into a Chess prodigy in my mind. He really IS good, but I wanted to think we was better than me, so I wouldn’t feel bad when he beat me.

I don’t know if there is such a thing as good sportsmanship is the game of chess. To illustrate this I want to swerve off my story for a moment, and tell you about a game I played with my grandmother. Now, this was about the same time as I played my cousin for the first time. I had the chess board set up one day, and I was sitting there examining an opening that I found in a library book, And she came over and sat down opposite me, and said “Okay, let’s play!” “Do you know how?” I asked. “Sure I do!” She replied. “Alright.” I said. I moved my king pawn forward two squares. She sat there for a moment, sweeping her eyes over her pieces with a determined look on her face. Her head, low down near the board, because of her poor eyesight. “Are you going to move?” I inquired. “So, how do these move again?” She wounded aloud, indicating her knight. So, we had to explain how all the pieces move several times to her. She had said she knew how to play, but I guess not. She did good anyway. I had her beat right away though. When I got her in mate, she looked over her pieces again, and put her hand on her king, to move it. “Do you know what that means, checkmate?” I asked. She didn’t say anything. “It means the game is over. I win. Now it’s time to knock over your king.” She sat there not doing anything. Then, she flicked her king really hard, to tip over as many of my pieces as she could. Then she demanded a rematch, and the same thing happened all over again.

Well, anyway, I tried to be as good sportsmanshiplike as I could with my cousin, but it still upset me when I lost. Which was almost every time. I lost against my grandfather, and even against my mom. What was going on! I was the one studding chess, and all these other people that don’t know hardly anything about the game where beating me! I wounded why…why…why????

What was it? Why was I losing? Then I read and article on the internet, talking about how it is entirely possible to over think when planning your moves in chess. Maybe this was my problem. I was the one taking more than five minuets to make a move, when my opponent could move in about ten seconds. So, I would put this new theory to the test.

 One day I was playing my grandfather, and I was losing. He had a rook and two pawns, and I had nothing. I decided, I was going to lose anyway, so I though I would try this new theory out. I didn’t think TOO much before I moved, and I won! This has not proved false yet.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t think, all I’m saying is that it is possible to over think. Does anyone have anything to add to this? Has anyone experienced this? What are your thoughts?

Thanks for reading. I’ll post more soon…

Oh, and my cousin IS a really good player!