Chess Frustration and Struggles - How do I deal with it?

Hello All

First of all, im really passionate about chess.

I've recently (the past tuesday) completed a tournament, where i lost in the very last round, which upset me so much, I don't believe i've ever been so upset!

But my problem is not loosing that game, i've gotten over that. My problem is that ever since i played that game, EVERYTHING chess related has gone downhill. I've dropped 100 points in Tactics Trainer, I've dropped 100 points and 7 or 8 straight games in Live Blitz, and nothing is going my way whatsoever. It is so frustrating, I'm getting to the point where I don't know what to do, and I really need help!

I've been playing for about a year straight now, without any breaks (meaning I've played/studied for 1 hour or 2 everyday the past year), which is basically ever since I started taking chess seriously. I've had ups and downs, but generally the next day or the day after that, my bad streak is over. This one FEELS like it is permanent, and it's actually getting to the point where i feel like throwing my chess books and boards out, not because I don't enjoy the game, but because i'm not improving!

If anyone out there is just as ambitious about their chess playing, and if you've gone through the same thing that I'm going through right now, I'd really like to hear how you dealt with it!

I've been told by my father that I should take a weeks break from chess, but I seriously don't see how that would help. I've just started a 1 week vacation, and my idea was to dedicate it to studying chess.

However, seeing as I feel like I'm going backwards, I really don't want to ruin my game anymore than I feel I already am by playing during this bad streak.

I know blitz chess doesn't mean anything in the sense of general improvement, but I still see a rating loss of about 100 points as a sign of poor play. Perhaps this is due to my frustration and anger...

So yeah, what do you guys do when you have these downs? I know it can't always go up, but I just don't know how to deal with it right now, due to my frustration. HELP!

Kind Regards, a fellow chess enthusiast!

I think what might be happening is you are reaching a certain threshhold.  I will try to explain it like this; in tactics trainer I went from an average of 1200-1300 up to mid 1400's.  That is when I started getting a lot of them wrong because they arent just one or two moves.  Now it's prep moves and silent moves first and/or more variations of problem type that I am not ready for.

What I am trying to say is maybe you are improving and you are at the doorstep of the next level and it's hard to walk through so it feels like your not getting anything right.

A few things might help

1. Time away as your dad suggested

2. Play a few games against much lower rated players

3. Play some unrated games/tactic trainers

4. Mentally do a quick checklist before a move answer things like - any available pins, skewers, checks, hanging pieces ect

Slow down and have fun man.  It's a great game but no one wants to be frustrated and no one wants to play against somebody whose angry and frustrated.

Good luck man.

In your game you must be  always focus.

1. Always look at the whole board.

2. Before you make a move check if there is a tactical drawback.

3. Always study your opponent's last move.

What chess books do you study?

A couple of possible solutions:

-limit the number of games you're playing to 3 or 4 at once.  Too many simultaneous games can be overwhelming IMO.

-take a break, as others have said.  Perhaps a month or two, rather than a week.  Come back refreshed.

Regards, 

Bob

they have a phrase in prize fighting.

"everyone's got a plan until they've been hit".

well, my friend, you been hit.

getting up, that's up to you.

You don't need to be a chess player (I'm not) to give you one advice: go walk to forrest, for example. Enjoy the nature. That is cheap too.

Or: listen good music, go to pub with your good friend. Read good book. Watch interesting movie (not about chess). And physical exercise is good for all people...Have a good meal.

petrikeckman is basically saying he hasn't a clue what you should do.

Maybe you right. But, I tried just say: do something else for a while. Have a rest from chess. Sometimes it helps. You need rest. You need holidays from your works too. Did you now get my clue?  Eliminate stress from chess for awhile.

Chess ratings go up and down. I deal with it one chess game at a time.

you should take that game that you lost and go through it with a fine tooth comb to see what the lesson was. laying on the floor or taking a break from chess will not help if you avoid the lesson to be learned. getting better at anything involves progressive learning, when you get hit you gotta get up and win your battles.

100 rating point loss is nothing - ratings are bound to go up and down.  Also, learning doesn't happen in a straight line - what typically happens is you go through a period of steady improvement, then it stops and you plateau out for a while.  Then eventually you start to improve again, then after a while of steady improvement you plateau out again.  It's normal - it's how humans learn anything.  So you are simply following a normal learning curve.  As others have said - having a break is actually a good idea.  Sometimes we need to let learning bed in a bit, settle, incubate, and then come back to it fresh.  Not everything is gained by mental focus - sleep, dreams, exercise etc all contribute to learning... 

Actually the thing that struck me most about your post was that you got to the last round of a tournament before you lost a game.  That's pretty damn good, and yet you don't seem to notice that - only the loss and the subsequent rating drop....Mental strength is another key component of sustained learning.

Time away, definetely & ASAP

whatever you do in a certain state of mind doesn't work, and to change the state of mind you need to change what you are actually doing. for a while

go play soccer )

if you were in a war and you took some heavy casualties, then all you do is get everyone to sit down and eat marshmallows, have a nice nap. the opposing army can wait for you to defeat them next week. If you like taking advice from people who don't keep improving, that's an option too.

Good. But I think tennis is better. Soccer is team job, but tennis has something little like chess: man againts man. You have to have good serve so start and attacks and defencies, you need mental stength and handle dissapointments for yourself, just yourself, not the team. And the physical exercise is important of course. Bobby Fisher's hobby was tennis.

Hey everybody!

Thanks for all the feedback!

It's really helping me to get over the "loss", hearing that i'm not alone, and that it's a normal part of human behaviour and learning. I'm already steadily getting back to where I was before. and as harterhare said; "Actually the thing that struck me most about your post was that you got to the last round of a tournament before you lost a game". I hadn't even thought of it like that, and the worst part is that i actually increased my OTB rating from the tournament. I guess I just had too high expectations for myself, and that single last round loss really pulled me down. I'm already doing alot better, thanks guys!

When Carlsen loses, he Justs wants revenge. He doesn't go fishing, buy marshmallows, go skateboarding, he just takes revenge. works for him.

Your point is true too. Chess is little like duel and war and in tennis you really think, that in the next time I gonna beat someone if I loose. But do you really think that boxers and tennis players never rest? And that they fight and play better if they dont? HAH! You can't be serious?

how long of a rest are you thinking of ? and I never said anything of what you mentioned. maybe you meant to quote another post ?

I think you're right. It should also help his fustration if he sees the mistakes he's making.