Maybe the pressure of the tournament you were preparing for got to you.Now you are playing better because you aren't under that pressure.
Does the mind need rest?
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Yes the mind definitely needs rest. There is only so much chess one can handle. In fact, I believe in not studying intensively right before a tournament.
Bab3s wrote:
Yes the mind definitely needs rest. There is only so much chess one can handle. In fact, I believe in not studying intensively right before a tournament.
Thanks for the input. I will definitely keep that in mind for the next tournament I have. What kind of things do you suggest I do in the days preceding a big event rather than intensive study?
No suggestions; I don't know of any one thing that has a positive effect on one's performance in a tournament.
Resting the mind is incredibly important.
Try regular meditation, and giving yourself mini-breaks each day to prevent burn-out.
Law & Order: SVU - watch the episode called "Hothouse". It's a pretty neat episode about your question.
z99j wrote:
Just about a month ago, I had been doing a lot of study (tactics training, opening theory, endgames, etc.) in preparation for a big tournament. Every day I would work for at least 2 hours. I found that even after a couple weeks of this, I wasn't feeling in great form and I scored a poor 2/5 at the tournament I was preparing for. Thrown into chess depression, I took a week or two off (aside from 1 blitz tournament) from playing and studying. Now that I'm just coming back, however, I feel as if I am playing better than I did when I was studying intensively. Is this plausible? Is there any merit to the idea that my mind needed rest? I just don't understand.
A good night's sleep is better than any overnight cramming. There is a good possibility you can forget what you crammed the night before, but with a clear head, you may be able to solve problems in a correct manner.
I'd rather take the time looking ahead to try and solve over the board than looking back trying to remember a line or move order I forgot.
I don't need rest cuz I'm cool like that :)
No, never.
z99j wrote:
Just about a month ago, I had been doing a lot of study (tactics training, opening theory, endgames, etc.) in preparation for a big tournament. Every day I would work for at least 2 hours. I found that even after a couple weeks of this, I wasn't feeling in great form and I scored a poor 2/5 at the tournament I was preparing for. Thrown into chess depression, I took a week or two off (aside from 1 blitz tournament) from playing and studying. Now that I'm just coming back, however, I feel as if I am playing better than I did when I was studying intensively. Is this plausible? Is there any merit to the idea that my mind needed rest? I just don't understand.
Preparing for a chess tournament involves the hard work being done weeks/months in advance. At least for me, when it gets to about 2 weeks away, its tactics, and just some regular pplay to stay sharp.
Obviously everyone is different, but in my case i "study" maybe an hour a day.
Just about a month ago, I had been doing a lot of study (tactics training, opening theory, endgames, etc.) in preparation for a big tournament. Every day I would work for at least 2 hours. I found that even after a couple weeks of this, I wasn't feeling in great form and I scored a poor 2/5 at the tournament I was preparing for. Thrown into chess depression, I took a week or two off (aside from 1 blitz tournament) from playing and studying. Now that I'm just coming back, however, I feel as if I am playing better than I did when I was studying intensively. Is this plausible? Is there any merit to the idea that my mind needed rest? I just don't understand.