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How effective is Focus Mode for you?

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prawnydagrate

I have a huge problem, in that I always get nervous when I see that my opponent's rating is higher or even near mine. I recently started using Focus Mode here on Chess.com, and Zen Mode on Lichess. I find that I'm scoring much better, and since I don't get as nervous, I also manage my time better.

The effect was evident when a few days ago I forgot to turn on Zen Mode while playing on Lichess and I saw that my opponent was rated 2100. My Lichess rapid rating was 1970, but I'm definitely strong enough to beat a 2100 on Lichess, being 2000 here on Chess.com. However, my opponent's rating got me nervous and I managed my time horribly. I was down two pawns in a rook endgame but I had SO many chances to draw (my opponent had no idea what they were doing in that endgame lol, two connected passed pawns against zero pawns for me, and yet they managed to blundered a draw). I missed them all because of time pressure and ended up losing the game. I know for a fact that if I'd used Zen Mode, I would have likely won that game.

Focus/Zen Mode has been really effective for me, and I also got a new best win yesterday against a 2048 because I used Focus Mode.