Poker Face
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I had my first OTB tournament recently!
Won thrice, lost once, and my loss was to a kid younger than 10! Ouch. He beat me after he transposed into the spanish four knights game after I used the berlin defense of the ruy lopez. I lost my initiative... Next time I'm going to enter the Rubinstein variation at that point!
Anyway, I discovered the utility of a good poker face and the ability to bluff!
No "oh my god"s and sighs and gasps and asking if I can take back my move, but one game, when I was black, I entered the fritz variation after the two knights' defense.
And after d6, didn't move too fast, nor too slow, took two breaths, then Qxd6.
Nxf7. No expression on my face, just steady breathing, and waiting for a good five or six breaths to make my next move, then Qc6.
Nxh8. Game over! I move Qxg2, then he Rf1, then Qe4+, then Be2, then Nf3#.
How many of you feel that psychology, hopefully subtle (I frown upon using audible sounds and bodily gestures), is an important tool in OTB chess? Or even in online live chess, just with the timing?