My Rematch Request Was Rejected!

Winning at chess is not about scoring a victory on the board.
It is about scoring a victory on the mind.
It is about convincing your opponent that you are the superior player.
Sometimes this goal can not be achieved even with a victory on the board.
And sometimes this goal can be achieved even through a loss on the board.

Every true chess player knows that a chess match means an equal number of games as white and as black.
If you crush your opponent in the first game, and he insists on a rematch, that means he is not convinced you are better.
He still thinks he has a fighting chance to catch up in the second half.
That’s the true fighting spirit. Props to him!

When we lose the first game, and our opponent declines the rematch, he is conceding that he does not think he can finish us off, so he is quitting at half time.
I view that as SALVATION.
It is disappointing that we didn’t get to show our superiority on the board in that first game, but clearly, the message that we wanted got delivered to him.
He knows he is not the superior player.
It is like being in a basketball game and having a disappointing start where you go into half time down a point.
But then your opponents leave the court and say they don’t want to play the second half.
Clearly, they recognize that they are unlikely to maintain their advantage, and they are just trying to feebly end their day on a high note.

Think about it as you more forward in your chess battles:
If you were winning your first game, but then a mouse slip caused you to lose, your opponent will recognize that he only won because of luck. 
He will likely know that he is probably not going to win the second half of the match.
So he puts his head down and walks away before his inevitable loss in game two.
This happens almost every time. And that is what it means.

If you lose the first game, but your opponent recognizes that you have a much higher rating than he does, he is going to realize that he probably won't be able to finish you off in the second half.
So he puts his head down and walks away before his inevitable loss in game two.
This happens almost every time. And that is what it means.

But if he beats you in the first game, and then he accepts a rematch, he is showing his confidence that he is the superior player.
He is telling you that not only did he defeat you in game one, but he thinks he can do so again.
And that is when you know you are playing against a true competitor, and you have your work cut out for you.
This is the time when you should get nervous.

In the end, I always hope for my opponent to decline my rematch.
Because it shows that the message I was trying to deliver into his mind got there.

--CoranMoran