I knew it was time to quit play OTB tournaments when i was no longer able to block out all the outside distractions. I could concentrate and nothing would distract me. Over time, those "distractions" became harder and harder to block out. Finally getting to the point where it became nearly impossible for me to put in the concentration to play.
Have you tried any methods or techniques to deal with the concentration issue? Did anything happened to you in life that made it impossible to concentrate? Sad to hear that such a thing made you quit playing chess..
With me it was more of a "I know its time to hang it up" feeling. I fought against it for a few years, tried several different things.
Studying more - which lead to more not wanting to study.
Hiring a coach - which lead to really not wanting to put in the time or effort.
Buying cheesy online lessons - while fun, it didnt do anything to help my game.
As far as "did anything happen in my life?" Yes...I got healthier. The compliments were nice, and i am grateful that people noticed. I even had one guy ask me if i had cancer :-) Which turned out to be a blessing as it allowed me to tell people about ketogenics, and my faith. But that didn't make me want to stay serious about chess.
I dont view it as sad. I view it as i feel i am very fortunate to know when its time to hang it up tournament wise. I still go to tournaments, watch the games, help out, see friends. I view them as mini vacations. It got to the point where it became more work than fun. And it does free up more time to teach chess, which is something i really enjoy.
I knew it was time to quit play OTB tournaments when i was no longer able to block out all the outside distractions. I could concentrate and nothing would distract me. Over time, those "distractions" became harder and harder to block out. Finally getting to the point where it became nearly impossible for me to put in the concentration to play.
Have you tried any methods or techniques to deal with the concentration issue? Did anything happened to you in life that made it impossible to concentrate? Sad to hear that such a thing made you quit playing chess..