Very informative Kat, thank you for the post! I do get easily distracted by my surroundings and noises in general but some people are really good at tuning out all the distractions and staying focused 😊
I find that some kids like to bring their queen out early to go for that early attack on f7 while others have been told that it's bad to bring out the queen and don't even want to grab a free pawn in the middle of the board lol. Like you said, I think asking yourself questions is very important e.g. if I bring my queen out to the middle of the board, is it going to be safe or am I going to get chased around by my opponent's pieces and be forced to waste a bunch of moves to defend my queen?
In regards to our attention in playing & learning chess, research has shown that slow, effortful thinking (like puzzles, reading a chess book, or playing a classical game) help us build the patterns that are more easily accessible in our quick, pattern recognition part of our brain which makes it easier to play speed-chess & puzzle-rush. However, it must be the case that we exercise the slow thinking part of our brain in order to get better at quick, rapid fire play. It's similar to how 'practice makes perfect' in building the skill in playing guitar or piano or more precisely, slow, deliberate, focused, effortful practice makes effortless perfection. Here's a video more about this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xS68sl2D70
Our attitudes play a big role in chess. For example, chess engine evaluations are positive, negative, or neutral, and attitudes are the same way! How we evaluate our chess position is directly analogous to our attitude toward the position. The question becomes, "how could we adjust our attitudes such that they best match the objective evaluation on the board?" Because sometimes we think we're winning when we were dead-lost or other times we miss a winning tactical blow because we were so distraught and pessimistic about the position. And somewhat humorously, some people resign because they don't like playing when the queens are traded. The solution to this is to engage what is called the central route in processing which is when you are motivated and able to focus on a task. This means being in a cool, calm, distraction-free room. It also means being willing to focus your attention, catching when you're distracted, and gently redirecting your focus. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-elaboration-likelihood-model-of-persuasion-7724707
here's a diagram in the context of persuasion, but we're using this in terms of persuading ourselves to properly evaluate the chess position such that our attitudes & evaluations are not superficial and inaccurate.
Finally, there's dogmatism in chess. "You moved your queen in the opening, so you should have lost!" or "I should have won because your king was unsafe." These are beliefs we have about the strategic objectives in chess that unintentionally limit ourselves and causes frustration when we lose, even if those beliefs are helpful heuristics majority of the time. While I'm less certain about how to address dogmatism, I think being curious about what the opponent is doing during the game is helpful. Asking yourself questions like, "what is my opponent planning?" and "What could make this move could make sense?" will help you consider beliefs outside your own about the position at hand. Consider "as if" your opponent's idea was correct or has plausibility. For example, if your opponent moves their queen in the opening, how could that be an effective strategy? What context would that be okay? Perhaps in the Scandinavian or scholar's mate opening. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/theory-knowledge/202211/how-cultivate-curious-attitude-in-times-distress
Thanks for listening, and Please share your thoughts and reflections