ELO just dropped 120 points... I simply cannot win the past few days. At least I've learned to walk away after a few games. But this is frustrating -- I really should give up this web site.
the black vortex of death
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It’s called a rating fluctuation. You are still in the same range, just take a short break, and okay when you are most alert
Whenever you lose a game, stop playing and analyse it first.
yeah pretty much
Playing tired is a recipe for disaster when I try it.
I play unrated practice games a lot to see how well (or how poorly,) I am evaluating moves for each piece, threats from my opponent’s pieces, etc. When I lose a piece to an attack I didn’t see coming, I realize I am not thinking very well, and it’s time for a break, get some rest, etc.
This is what I call it when I'm not focusing well (low sleep, perhaps, or just otherwise tired), and I get on a losing streak, and not wanting to quit while behind, I keep playing, getting ever more tired, losing games, and before I know it an hour has passed and my ELO is 50 points lower.
On the other hand, when I am feeling good and win, I happily quit and go to bed.
The result? I play more games when tired than when alert, which is the opposite of what I should do. So I need to learn to say to myself "I'm not feeling good, step away from the keyboard and accept the loss."