How To Manage Emotions

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James-Wallcroft

Let's get straight to the point, I had pretty bad day concerning my games. I made pretty embarrecing blunders in many of my games and I got pretty emotional. I hissed to myself that what is wrong with me and I once even kicked my sofa in frustration. The thing is that I am very calm, collective and rational person who very rarely get angry. But chess is something what gets to me. I do not mind if I lose one or two times, but when I start losing three times in a row, only to break the losing streak by a single traw or victory and start losing again, that really (I'll be honest) pisses me off.

I love playing chess, I really do and this site is wonderful for a person like me who wants to get better in this game. It is just I can't manage constant losses and it really takes some enjoyment from me when I play this game.

I do understand that I shouldn't take these random games too seriously. I also had my up's by winning ten to six games in a row. I know that sometimes you just aren't in the mood and screw up your games. But if someone else have had these kind burst of emotions when having a losing streak, that could lift up my mood a little. I have heard that some chess players really are somewhat emotional.

I wish you all a very sunny spring or if you are living in a southern hemisphere, a sunny autumn.

llamonade

Ivanchuk is notoriously mercurial.

After one bad tournament he kicked a concrete pillar so hard spectators thought he may have broken his foot. I think it was a separate poor tournament that he announced his retirement (only to reverse it a few days later after he'd calmed down).

And remember for these guys it's their profession. They've worked on chess full time, usually since they were very young. If they can make huge mistakes, then people like you and me are definitely allowed. Just remember that people MUCH better than you have made MUCH worse blunders on MUCH larger stages. At least for me it helps to remember that.

When Kramnik was world champion he blundered a mate in 1 vs a computer (back when human vs computer matches were still a thing).

You'll never do worse than blundering mate in 1 in front of the world as the world champ.

llamonade

As for me, sure, I'll get emotional even during online chess. Cursing is normal.

But I've been playing long enough that I get over it more quickly than I did as a beginner. Everyone has good and bad days. If it's going really poorly just quit after your next win (or if you have the guts, quit in the middle of a losing streak, but that's never fun for me). Because like you said, sometimes it's just a bad day.

SlendisFi

Kirves olalle ja mehtään. Ei mul muuta