When the game is tense calculation becomes embarrassingly bad. Help?

Thx

P.S the game was drawn because we both had like 5 seconds for the last 20 moves so it was just wreckless nonesense from both of us trying not to flag

That happens to us all. And at all levels. Nerves is a BIG part of this game.

for sure..

do you have any tips on how to deal with it? I have a recurring issue that my opponent's king is exposed, I even may have a mate, but I calculate something where the king escapes, and choose a wrong path... even though the escape square might be unavailable something like that... like these delusions...

To clarify;

I think I isolated a tactical weakness when I encountered a similar theme in a puzzle. It's not so hard, 1800 rated, but for some reason my brain malfunctions when there are 4 rooks on an open board with a sketchy king that seemingly can wiggle around... And I'm not sure what to look for

I failed this puzzle.

How do I target this weakness in my game?

We have all been in these situations. Some ideas:

Move 28 Bc1: your comment says everything looked drawish and you undeveloped your bishop and disconnected your rooks as a result. Keep in mind that some positions are just a draw and in those situations it's important to not lose and make the draw. Black will win back a pawn, but make sure you have an active position instead. Rab1 seems logical to protect your two protected pawns. Black will win the h2 pawn but so be it.

Move 36 Rdf8. When you look for tactics always do it in this sequence: checks, captures, attacks. This prioritizes your moves. If you can't make a tactic work than maybe it just doesn't. And sometimes you'll be wrong. At the same time Be5 seems to be a no-regret move. and chasing the king might always end up in something, especially in time trouble. So you could have entered this variation anyway and maybe you would have found it anyway. And sometimes we don't. Only thing to do is to practice a lot of puzzles.

If "tips" were a thing in chess, everybody would then become Magnus Carlsen out of a few tips.

Chess is sure a game, but it's also a sport and a martial art, which implies repeated efforts, lasting hard work, tedious training and learning. Not to mention outstanding level of self control.

And this is a price few of us are willing to pay in order to become better at chess.

That's the bottom truth of it.

If Black flags, this is a draw, as white cannot checkmate, even if Black is 100% cooperative. So, he should have played on.

Appreciate all for your input!

I was just really tilted from this game because honestly I don't normally have games that are so back and forth with both players missing multiple crushing wins...

Thanks!

If you can't make any forcing moves like checks and captures, check whether your opponent can on their next move. If your king safety is very good and they can't threaten your king, try and make improving moves that might put your pieces into positions they can create a threat from. Co-ordinate your pieces to avoid hanging pieces.

Do you have any tips for handling a recurring issue where my opponent's king is exposed? I often spot a potential checkmate but end up calculating a path where the king seems to escape, even though the escape square might actually be unavailable. I sometimes fall into these traps or delusions—any advice on how to avoid this?
 

Have not analysed it properly, but pretty sure black had a good opportunity to checkmate whites king when he was trapped in the corner by the bishop. Just needed to get both rooks in the same line (adjacent to your king). He will move his bishop so his second rook can defend, but he will lose his first rook by making that bishop move. Then you just take his second rook and checkmate.

what time control was this? This opening you played is just straight up bad. c3 is just a bad move, short caste a6 Bxc6 is a much better line if you want to play this Bb5 line. You guys make a lot of blunders in the middle game and it settles into this endgame which you play absolutely awfully. Overall this game was pretty horrible, but we all have those games and hopefully you can get better by learning from them.

When the game is tense, making accurate calculations can become challenging due to stress and pressure. To improve accuracy under such conditions, practice regularly to build confidence and familiarity with various scenarios. Break complex calculations into smaller, manageable parts to reduce errors. Use visualization techniques to map out potential moves and outcomes. Additionally, maintaining a calm mindset and focusing on clear, methodical thinking can help prevent mistakes and improve decision-making during high-stress moments in the game.

The best

thx for your input I actually find it helpful. I would have never looked at the opening in this game but indeed the Fianchetto Variation of the Rossolimo is always the most challenging for me. I've seen 2100s FIDE play this Variation and when someone plays it I know they are probably quite strong. Next time I'll try that plan with O-O and Bxc6.

Why so many ChatGPT answers here?

yea i recognized that and didnt get why ... or how

A 30|0 game where you find yourself with just a few seconds. I can relate. Which moves were the moves where you spent the most time? Knowing that will help me give more specific advice.

In general, knowing when but also how to 'go into the tank' (long think) is important. Once you do recognize a position requires a deep think, either because of tactical potential, or just because it's the start of the end game, it's good to be methodical. Look at a ton of candiate moves, start ruling them out quickly, and judge the expected position of the remaining moves. and force yourself to eventually pick one if you're stuck at this step too long This all still takes a while, but this approach can turn a 10 minute think into a 5 minute think. Hope this helps.

Ah thx yes it's helps and indeed 30+ 0 is a chaotic format it's best to avoid tbh it's like looking at a false mirror if u put in this amount of time better incriment but the incriment pool is actually stronger players too

I wouldn't avoid non increment. Increment just hides the same problem, you tell yourself the loss was blundering the rook on move 50 and not the deep think that caused the time trouble that caused the blunder. Non increment can teach you to manage your time, even in increment games.

Increment players are all strong until they get under 20 seconds, they just usually aren't punished because the other player it either low as well, or start blitzing moves trying to 'win on time' when they should squeeze the position.