I lost nearly 350 points in blitz from high in just a few weeks - a steady decline from 1830 to below 1500. The main culprit seems to be blunders and just not "seeing" the game - I find myself at a loss for moves to make where before it just seemed intuitive.
It's funny, it just one day spontaneously recovers and I go on a massive winning streak.
I'm playing terribly at the moment. I only started playing 2 months ago, and steadily improved from 700 to 1000 over the past 2 months, and then last week, I went on a hot streak and gained 100 points, and then I'm on a bad streak, and have lost 100 points this past week.
I'm putting it in part down to trying new openings, surprisingly, I'm trying the Sicilian defense to E4 and keep getting boxed in and hoovered up. I play better responding with E5 at present, but I know getting familiar with Sicilian is the proper way to do it - but I keep getting destroyed - need to learn the theory. (Still a noob). But also, in Poker, there is a term called "playing on tilt" - not sure if Chess has an equivalent, but it is true that if you keep losing, you can get a bit annoyed and play differently (for the worse) and can start losing really badly. Best to take a break but I get to obsessed with trying to claw back lost points that it's easier said than done.
As someone who has lost more games than he has won, I found out that the best way to break a losing streak, is to recognize that you have lost the last three games and try to play well. However, it's easier said than done.
It you start every game with the same intent, that is: I will exercise my very strength, my entire intellect, to crush my opponent... then losing streaks become just a statistical anomaly, although you have to stay committed.
...in Poker, there is a term called "playing on tilt" - not sure if Chess has an equivalent, but it is true that if you keep losing, you can get a bit annoyed and play differently (for the worse) and can start losing really badly. Best to take a break but I get to obsessed with trying to claw back lost points that it's easier said than done.
Interesting since I have played chess for a long time, but only recently have been learning poker. I don't think chess has a term equal to "tilting" in poker, but that doesn't mean tilt doesn't exist in chess; actually, tilt is very common in bullet/blitz players, but I think the more serious chess player learns to play longer time controls and to simply accept that sometimes you can't be at your best play (similar to how good poker players never tilt).
p.s. Actually funny though that there is no term I can think of for chess to describe this mindset. I guess you could just call it "tilt" for chess too (it was probably not identified in chess since it is virtually non-existent - except for bullet/blitz where it is sometimes a problem for some people).
...I'm putting it in part down to trying new openings, surprisingly, I'm trying the Sicilian defense to E4 and keep getting boxed in and hoovered up. I play better responding with E5 at present, but I know getting familiar with Sicilian is the proper way to do it - but I keep getting destroyed - need to learn the theory.
I think everyone experiences this when they experiment with new openings. If you don't care about ratings much then that is great; but I know a lot of players designate at least one category for "fun"/"experimenting." For example, some players might care a lot about their blitz rating, but do all of their experimenting in bullet chess, so their rating they care about is untouched. I don't really do this to that extent because my "fun" category for me is live960, but obviously it is not good for testing openings 
Perhaps you might try experimenting in blitz time controls and care about rapid, or care about blitz so experiment in rapid: you get the point.
The Sicilian Defense is extremely theory-heavy, so I wouldn't be surprised if you lose several hundred points experimenting with it, but if you feel more comfortable/confident with the Sicilian, then it will certainly help your long-term chess: at the very least you will become more rounded in openings, as a chess player.
For me, chess requires a large amount of creative thinking. Just like a musician writing a song, I cant force myself to play good chess several games in a row. Try limiting yourself to 1-2 games per day max. Dont force it. Strike when the iron is hot and the creative juices are flowing.
Sometimes a losing streak is caused by lack of confidence or if you had play chess the whole day that really makes your brain tired and start making blunders so it's good to rest for days if you see that you are in a losing streak
This is helpful advice -- thanks, everyone. I'm wrestling with the same issues as the original poster. I haven't played a lot of games here yet -- mostly lessons, puzzles, and bots -- but after a bunch of lost games one starts to feel as if one's purpose here is to help others' ratings rise. I initially rose to 1200ish, currently at 974 and falling steadily! Doubtless the trend will reverse at some point.
Taking a few days off and not playing when your tired.
This is helpful advice -- thanks, everyone. I'm wrestling with the same issues as the original poster. I haven't played a lot of games here yet -- mostly lessons, puzzles, and bots -- but after a bunch of lost games one starts to feel as if one's purpose here is to help others' ratings rise. I initially rose to 1200ish, currently at 974 and falling steadily! Doubtless the trend will reverse at some point.
Try this...
1.control the centre
2.try not to move the same piece twice in the first 10 moves
3. aim to castle by move 8-10 which means:
your rooks are connected
all your pieces are in the game
your king is safe
4. Bring out knights Before bishops (in general)
5. DO not bring out your queen early
6. Don’t put knights on the sides of the board (a knight on the rim is dim )
7.don’t blunder
8. Look up skewers, pins and forks
9. Try not to blunder
10. do not leave pieces undefended.
do all that and you should get to at least 1100
What an excellent and concise summary of good advice, SpeckledGrill! Thank you. In my better games I manage to follow most of this advice, but I blunder and hang pieces occasionally, or completely miss a good pin. Half of my problems come from moving too quickly when I'm too focused on what's happening with a few pieces and have forgotten about enemy bishops on the sidelines. Novice mistakes, I guess! Anyhow, I hope to be back into 1100 territory eventually.
What an excellent and concise summary of good advice, SpeckledGrill! Thank you. In my better games I manage to follow most of this advice, but I blunder and hang pieces occasionally, or completely miss a good pin. Half of my problems come from moving too quickly when I'm too focused on what's happening with a few pieces and have forgotten about enemy bishops on the sidelines. Novice mistakes, I guess! Anyhow, I hope to be back into 1100 territory eventually.
No worries!
it was learning that stuff that got me to 1200.
I would also suggest picking an opening for white and black and sticking with it.
You don’t need to learn the whole theory just learn the first 3 or 4 moves and try to play them every game and you will start to get used to the positions that come up.
For white I would suggest the giuoco piano or ruy Lopez. (I started with ruy Lopez but now do giuoco piano)
for black I would say go for the Sicilian, my win rate as black is higher than as white just because I always play that and it’s very solid.
but just find an opening you like and stick to it and you should start getting the same positions over and over and you will hopefully know them better than your opponent eventually.
(I also hear the London system can be good for beginners too but never tried it.)
Indeed, the full range of opening theories (which I'm only starting to explore) is bewilderingly complex. So far I've been using mostly e4-e5 openings, sticking to the simpler ones that I have a hope of understanding. I haven't tried giuoco piano, or at least not on purpose; one or two of my games against bots have come close to it by accident.
I look forward to trying these out! Happy playing!
Hmm, playing each game as one's first might be a good psychological approach; losing doesn't sting too much if one is always an absolute beginner. Good idea, Sahail43!
It's hard not to take is personal but we need to allow ourselves to have an off day. I have a bad habit of trying to play it out - which as of today, I'm changing - because it doesn't work and doesn't serve me well.
how do I get rid of losing streaks? I lost like 5 games in a row yesterday and 4 just today and lost like 40 rating points
When I start losing game after game each defeat seems to lead to the next. I lose confidence in my game when the tough situations occur and fold under pressure in games I might have won. It begins to become a habit and losing becomes the expected outcome.
I just went on a 60 losing streak tonight prolly cuz it’s nighttime. Know I can’t sleep. Wasted so much time to just ruin my rating and on top of it didn’t finish my work for Tommorow. When I go on these streaks I had decided as a general rule that after 4 losses in a row I would stop playing due to not being concentrated and being impulsive but it’s so hard because I so desperately want to improve so then I keep going losing over and over again until I have a breakdown
I punched a guy in the mouth once. Seriously. Dude kept chirping and chirping so I let him have it. "POW". I have a very low tolerance for trust fund babies and ghetto-fied hoodrats. I knocked him down and felt good about it. Police didn't even arrest me!