I'm not at my lowest, but have lost a chunk of rating recently. Mostly through tilt and distractions. These peaks and troughs happen and it's important to recognise that fact and not overthink it. Just take a short break and come back to it with a clearer head. I'm sure you'll be climbing again in no time.
Anyone else at their lowest rating after a long time?
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About 5 months ago I reached one of my goals (1200 Blitz) and had a big celebration. I took a screenshot, tweeted at my favourite Chess youtuber, told my wife, etc..
Then it kept going up, topped at 1254. I felt like the Prom King.
Then the fall happened. First, under 1200. "It's okay," I said. Then 1100, "Okay, the opponents will be a bit weaker now, I can get it back."
Finally I dipped under 1000, and I was like "wtf?" And it stayed there. I climbed back up to ~1100 but it wasn't easy at all. I started wondering how all the 1000s got so good. Am I sick? Is it me? Is everyone cheating?
I think my problem was that I felt I "deserved" wins. While a 1000 blunders more than a 1200, if I don't see it, I won't win.
I'm now back to 1170ish, and hungry for the 1200 goal again.
Here's what I think helped me.
1) Don't feel entitled to win (I'm not saying you're doing that, that's just me).
2) I started playing really hard puzzles, and taking a long time to think about them. Like 3-5 minutes. The Chess.com puzzles were comparatively easy, and I focused on getting a perfect winstreak with them. I'm a free account, so I only get 3 a day. I'm at 14 correct puzzles in a row.
3)I stuck with the 3+0 time control. I think it's easier than 3+2, and being used to one time control is really important.
4)I focused on my opponent's responses. If they made an unexpected move, it's either something I didn't see or they blundered. So I adjusted. I stopped trying to force my plan (I love Greek Gifts, but if I try to make them happen, I lose).
5) I took the free wins. Just take them. Your opponent takes your stupid blunders, take their stupid blunders too. Take disconnects. Take it all.
Anyways, I love/hate Chess. But I can't stop.
I’m not trying to “fix” anything because I’m playing for fun and happy with being a 500-rated player (not quite there yet), but I do have some theories as to why this is happening for those facing similar conditions.
1) I am resigning more in lost positions. I don’t win games that I don’t deserve to win (opponent blunders or disconnects late game)
2) I am playing more bullet and rapid games and my grasp of time control has taken a hit. I feel this is something that can be overcome
3) The chess literacy of people on the site and therefore the average ELO has gone up.
4) I’m subliminally trying to reach my “true” rating. I’m not sandbagging, I’m paying all my games seriously but I sometimes feel I don’t belong playing at anything over 600
Any thoughts?