The moves you don't see
I spend a lot of time watching people play online. Not just their moves - but 'them'* Family, friends, streamers, even my own recordings. And I noticed something weird. When they think, they move, quite a lot!
Clicking the mouse over and over, leaning into the screen, shifting in their chair, touching their face, opening a new tab and closing it right away. None of this feels like you're losing energy. It feels like nothing, just background noise.
So I tried an experiment on myself. For one session, I forced myself to stop every unnecessary movement. No extra clicks, no changing posture every minute, no random tab switching. Just play.
The difference wasn't huge. But after two hours, I felt less drained. Not exactly more focused - just less scattered.
Here's what's happening. Every tiny movement - even clicking your mouse when you already have the piece selected - costs a small slice of your attention. Your brain has to track it, reset, and come back to the position. Now multiply that by hundreds of times in one game.
Online players think, 'I'm just sitting still.' But record yourself sometime, and you'll notice...You're not still at all. You're doing micro‑actions that add nothing to your chess. And the worst part? You don't feel them until the fatigue hits you around move fifty.
Now take a look at top GMs. Gukesh D, for example, played a match with a reported heart rate of 74 BPM - almost unnaturally still. Ding Liren is described as preternaturally calm. Karpov had that steel‑willed composure, barely moving for hours. That's energy efficiency.
But then look at Kasparov. He fidgeted constantly. He used his body language as a weapon -shifting, staring, moving around. It worked for him because he was Kasparov.
But most of us aren't Kasparov. We play online. And our opponent isn't even in front of us. For regular online players, every extra click, every unnecessary shift, every random tab switch wastes micro‑energy. And that stuff adds up until you blunder in the endgame.
So here's what I do now before an online game: One minute of doing nothing. Hands off the mouse, back straight. Just breathe. Then I play. Every time I catch myself about to do an unnecessary click or shift, I stop it.
You don't have to be a robot. But try it for one session, record yourself if you can. and you'll see things you never noticed before.
Your brain already has enough work calculating. Don't make it also manage your fidgeting.
