I hate chess. It's just a game of luck.

I might have played my last tournament this weekend in Charlotte. I've went a few years without playing any tournament games & thought I would be better because I had studied some, worked on my openings for the first time ever. That was my weakest area. So the 4 games I played I actually did okay in every opening. But I would reach a strategically superior position & make absolute beginner moves because I wouldn't be able to concentrate, usually late in the game. It's like my mind would go blank & I couldn't see simple, basic stuff. Sigh.... fuggit all.

I need to just quit for good. I'm not getting any better & there are so many more productive ways to use my time. Life is fast enough as it is & there's so much to see & do. Didn't a few others on here post similar feelings? I suppose there's a chessaholics anonymous. I just didn't want to quit after such a bad performance. Maybe I should at least make sure my rating is above 1800. I think it will definately go back into the 1700's. Ugh, I shudder at the thought.

It would be best to quit right? Especially since the ill feelings from it are overwhelming. It wouldn't be bad if I didn't care about the result, but I tried to come back into tournaments a better player & the results show different.

By the way, they're all playing round 5 while I'm back home sulking (I withdrew) & whining & feeling sorry for myself while I type this. Maybe I'll start playing checkers. Hahaha......

The worlds best player doesn't really care about openings. Equality with white and slightly worse with black is fine, as long he has the possibility of winning because of he is superior. Train tactics and use Silmans Thinking Technique and you will be fine

Maybe. There are 2 clubs here in Charlotte that have 1 rated game each every week. I could play both of those. I don't know, maybe I just need to play regularly for a change. But just play & not study anymore, that's what takes time. The thing for me has more studying than actually playing. Maybe that's the trouble, my mind isn't in shape to do the actual calculating under tournament conditions.

Venting is fine, Mr. Smith.  Except for the technical aspects, in some ways these forums largely function as group therapy for all of us.  Perhaps tournaments are indeed not the proper format for you to enjoy chess, perhaps this is only a temporary setback. No one knows.  You wouldn't be the first though to decide the more relaxed and academic pursuit of correspondence chess is ideal.  There are far worse addictions though. 

I'm lucky in the sense that Charlotte has 2 clubs that have the top sections at 1800+ & that would make me one of the bottom players (I'm 1807 before this fuggin nightmare). So almost all my opponents would be above me up to around 2200. That's good competition for me. It's just I feel like I'm wasting time trying to get better. Maybe I could just play & not worry about improvement.

Sounds to me like you've already given up. With that mindset I would say it is best to just leave the game behind. Unless you can change how you view the game, there isn't much point in attempting to keep it up.

But perhaps you can push back. Don't turn the game into work, keep it as a hobby of love.

There you go!  You're already planning on getting "back in the saddle".  Playing rated games once or twice a week can only improve your "big tournament" performance.  I have a friend who's been stuck in the 1500's for the last 10 years and except for going over his weekly game never studies.  Would he like to get better?  Sure.  Is he willing to study to accomplish that?  No, and he seems quite happy with that decision.  In fact he occasionally blathers on about how "excellence can only arise from a sea of mediocrity".   

Then quit.

well if I were you if you want to improve your time will be spent. If you don't want to take the time to improve then just play for fun. espesially in losing streaks I feel like that too. in the past  6 months I have gone from 1300 to 1500 and feel like I could improve more. All my ratings (to bad they are chess.com ratings) are above 1400

We all have ups and downs in chess. I think there needs to be a balance of play and study for most of us. The higher you go the more study you might need I suppose but for all of us pawn movers playing and analyzing those games might be worth just as much if not more than sitting down studying chess.

Also you may have become a stronger player and just played opponents who have become even stronger than you. Tournament players are always trying to come with their A game ready unlike playing casual or club games.

Now take this evening to be down and tomorrow pick yourself back up and get back to working on your game. If you keep working on it you will improve. Everyone has set backs and hit walls on their way to improving their game so take note, regroup, and push on.

I've started many hobbies and with anything you do the beginning your learning curve is huge, you can see yourself getting better at what you do very fast. But the better you get the more work it takes to gain even small advances in it.

And everyone has bad days. Just take a break and come back with a clear mind. It doesn't hurt to take a break once in a while.

Misery loves company. Pull out a good chess history book and read about Nimzowitsch standing on a chair and extorting, "Why must I lose to this idiot?!"

Yeah. That sounds right.

YES!!!!!!!!

To me, the most frustrating thing about chess is that you can outplay your opponent the whole game, in all or most aspects of the game, and then suddenly lose in one move. Slipping up one or two moves can negate the whole game, and all of your skill and hard work. Just a blunder or two is all it takes. This has been the most frustrating thing for me to accept about chess. I honestly believe that I play much higher than my rating for 90% of my moves. The reality is, because of the other 10% of my moves, I deserve the rating that I have.

The best players have nerves of steel and incredible focus. These traits are as important as anything else in competitive chess. At our lower levels it can be more a degree of luck, but the higher you go, i think it's more a matter of hard training. Probably some degree of natural-born abilities, and life conditions, too, but mostly training, experience, and persistence.

It has been difficult, but I find I play the best chess when I'm not caring about my rating, and I'm playing for fun and just to enjoy the game. The harder you try "not to lose," the more you will lose. Simply play your best and get into the game, and I guarantee you will win more games. And don't play when you don't want to play. Don't force it! I know, easier said than done.

I've always played because it was fun, or maybe I didn't understand WHICH part was fun. Maybe it's the actual competition part thats fun. If it wasn't chess maybe it would be pool or poker or cage fighting or just something where there are organised tournaments. It's the competition that I guess I like & when it's a disaster it makes me seriously think about it. Every time I return to tournaments after a long layoff I tend to do well, I guess the desire to compete is stronger than the rustiness. But not this time.

Edit: It very well could be psychological, just life circumstances at the moment. It's hard to tell. When I came home & decided to post my whining I had remembered others posting that they wanted to quit, like it was a bad habit or something. They were addicted & had to have their fix! So I decided to post too.

I've posted/whined about quitting a few times in one of the private groups I'm in. :) A good break usually helps. If you still like chess after the break, you'll play again. If not, you move on to something you like more :)

stop the drama Mr. Smith......if you dont like playing chess find another game you like....that simple.  Good luck

Is chess a game or a sport ?

It's a drug and where do you get rehab for it ?