I need your opinion! ;(

In roughly 3 weeks after getting back into chess, I jumped 900 to 1260, showing great progress in my understanding of the game. So I've started studying more and when I expected to improve further, it feels like I've just gotten worse.

I had a 58% win rate on rapid this week and now it's 52%, I'm currently at 5 losses in a row and 1196 elo. I'm starting to get frustrated at the game, and it isn't fun. I'm unsure if I'm struggling to digest the concepts I've been studying, but my mind feels significantly more cloudy during games.

Are breaks advisable if this kinda thing happens?

I've been studying the Vienna and Scandinavian Defense, but mostly focusing on middle and endgame tactics. I've studied roughly 3-4 hours daily the last 3 days.

Sometimes the concepts genuinely help, and I'll be winning, but I've been making mistakes and even blundering more often.

Thank you so much if you read or respond to this! ^^

After your return you had improved in chess, so your rating went up! However now that your rating matches your skill level, it isn’t going to keep going up. To get from 1200-1300 could take a couple weeks, just keep studying and doing puzzles!

Was your rating 900 before you paused? Sounds like you spiked, hit a peak, then came back down to steady state where your progress will be slower.

@Imdennis I don’t have a problem beating player rated the same, I’ve just been blundering which, as you know, directly correlates with winning chances.

52% win rate is still very good. The expected win rate against similar strength players is 50% (obviously).

Chess improvement is a slow process, not a victory march. Gaining 300 rating points should not happen in 3 weeks. It is a sign that you were wildly underrated.

If you had 5 losses in a row, it may be just normal variance, or it may be a sign that you are tilted. If you feel tilted, take a short break from chess.