Mental Health Break

When life gives you a lemon, crush it and go get yourself a six pack.

Lol I think it's probably easier for you to enjoy the game as you've already achieved a rating higher than 99% of people on the website. It can be "just a game" to someone who's already good at it. To the lay people, like myself, it's not as easy to enjoy when you consistently suck at it. Lmaooo

As far as my use of idioms goes, I wouldn't take them too literally. The feeling I describe is that battle ready mentality to fight over the board. Chess is a fight as much as it is a game. A battle in some senses. I'm definitely not alone as far as this mentality goes. The general point of the post probably missed you, but simply put I have been feeling no fight in me. No desire to play the game and not strictly because I'm a horrible chess player, but by other circumstances in my life by which I am incessantly beleaguered currently.

Anyway, let's just call it a difference of perspective. No big deal. All the best to you, buddy. 🤜🤛

Call 1475 "horrible" all you want, it's when I was 1500 that I have beaten a 2120 at the first round of a Rapid tournament (real life). That's beating 620 Elo points above yourself! Once you're much better rated, like 2000 or such, you may be lucky and beat some old GM or an IM that is out of shape that day, at best, it'll be 400-500 Elo points difference: some magic is gone.

It's also when you're so rated like you are, that you can hope to finish 1st in some "B open" of a tournament. But after that, once you're like 1800 and above, you can only hope for an honourable score in the A open. An other magic is then gone.

And some day, you peak, what can I say? Chess becomes then a matter of trying to maintain yourself at that level, and maybe, once in a while, win some category prize. It's a bit sad and not very exciting.

My future is behind me, yours is still ahead.

@Kaeldorn

I appreciate that, buddy. All this feedback helped me immensely. I look forward to getting back to the game consistently again. I've been playing well recently, so progress. Still baby steps though. Not too high, not too low. Making chess all about the learning.

Thanks again everyone!