Chess Anxiety?

I used to get the anxiety - it was pretty bad. 

It all came together one day, when I couldn't sleep. Certain facts came to my mind. Now, these may be assumptions but I don't think they're wrong. Nobody take offence because none was intended.

1) Most people came to chess - chess didn't come to them. This means they weren't childhood prodigies. Child prodigies get spotted QUICKLY. Whether they're natural (genetic) or a combo of genes and training (Tiger Woods style) - you know a prodigy, in any discipline, when you see one.

2) The only great chess players were childhood prodigies.

3) If you're playing chess and you were never a great talent, there's a reason for why you're doing it. You've tried other things, most likely, and found you had no talent for those, either.

4) You might be middle class. Middle class people were pushed hard to study at school and not fail at stuff. The prospect of failure is high, in any chess game. This will cause you more worry than others.

Given all the above, I came to realise that for most of us, playing chess, whether online or in person is not the life we would have wanted if we had a choice, nor is it the game/sport we would have chosen, if there were practically anything else we could try. 

That's why my anxiety evaporated. Nearly overnight. I genuinely don't care if I win or lose. The person on the other end doesn't exactly enjoy the life of Barry Sheene, and whatever their score or win rate, it isn't someone to envy.

Yes. Sometimes I have Chess anxiety. It has lessened over time and the number of games played.

I feel the same. I actually feel better playing OTB and played decently against some strong players. A lot of them said that they thought I should be higher rated. I never put the effort in to raise my online rating though because I get nervous when it's online for some reason.

For me, more the people tbh. It makes it easier when I meet the person face to face.

I'm not scared of losing in skill. I'm more scared of missing a winning move or losing on time from a winning position.

I get anxiety maybe 4 times of 10 times that I play. I don't why it happens. I'm not afraid to lose - I've done that quite often. It could be an issue of the clock. As I see the time dwindling - maybe it triggers something. But again, not sure what the trigger is. But from playing online and over the board, I know this happens to a lot of people - especially those just starting out. The more I play, the less it happens. 

I have anxiety before I log on. I worry that the server will be down and I'll have to find something else to do.

Next minute we know you're in a nuthouse .. take it easy