What factors into a person having a good vs a bad chess day?
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15 days ago
0
#4
Great job on 1470! Sometimes the anxiety of rating points and the "number go higher" mindset can make you play worse even if you don't feel like it. You gotta set a cutoff for how many games you are allowed to lose until you force yourself to stop. I usually only allow myself 1 loss in "rapid" per day. That way the game is super meaningful to me since I'm itchin to play all day. And if I end up losing it, I review the game super diligently and resolve never to make that mistake again. So when I see that same opening, endgame sequence, or tactic again, I'm more likely to remember it. That being said if you're on a winning streak, go for it. Rake in the points. But once the streak dies, go do something else. You can do it 
-Townes
15 days ago
0
#5
alphaPawn wrote:
Great job on 1470! Sometimes the anxiety of rating points and the "number go higher" mindset can make you play worse even if you don't feel like it. You gotta set a cutoff for how many games you are allowed to lose until you force yourself to stop. I usually only allow myself 1 loss in "rapid" per day. That way the game is super meaningful to me since I'm itchin to play all day. And if I end up losing it, I review the game super diligently and resolve never to make that mistake again. So when I see that same opening, endgame sequence, or tactic again, I'm more likely to remember it. That being said if you're on a winning streak, go for it. Rake in the points. But once the streak dies, go do something else. You can do it -Townes
This is usually how I go about it as well, although one loss typically isn't my stopping point, because I don't tilt very easily (or at least I think I don't).
The "number go higher" mindset is a silly thing I never thought of, but I'm pretty sure it could affect my performance in daily games soon. I started four games just to see if I'd play any better when I can think without worrying about a time limit, and it turns out I do!
I know it's due to the fact that the rating obviously hasn't stabilized yet, but my daily rating is already higher than my rapid rating after winning two of the four games (including one against an 1100+, though they played very poorly), which my anxiety is not a fan of. I'm also poised to win the other two games as well, with one opponent who is getting absolutely stomped (but refuses to resign) and the other one having just blundered, which should take me to a daily rating of around 1300!
It's all a lot to take in, but I'll have to find out how I do against people rated that high when the time comes. Hopefully my "number go higher" anxiety doesn't ruin it.
If you think of each chess game as a 50/50 coin toss (which it essentially is, if there is an ELO difference to balance out the Black/White disparity) then the odds of winning ten in a row and then losing ten in a row right after (or vice versa) are low, but not impossibly so. Just keep playing no matter what. If you lose 200 points due to tilting, it’s fine, you’ll gain em back. I’m like 250 points below peak right now but I’ll be 1950 blitz again in a couple months, then probably back to 1800 again. It is what it is.
14 days ago
0
#7
alphaPawn wrote:
Great job on 1470! Sometimes the anxiety of rating points and the "number go higher" mindset can make you play worse even if you don't feel like it. You gotta set a cutoff for how many games you are allowed to lose until you force yourself to stop. I usually only allow myself 1 loss in "rapid" per day. That way the game is super meaningful to me since I'm itchin to play all day. And if I end up losing it, I review the game super diligently and resolve never to make that mistake again. So when I see that same opening, endgame sequence, or tactic again, I'm more likely to remember it. That being said if you're on a winning streak, go for it. Rake in the points. But once the streak dies, go do something else. You can do it -Townes
That's exactly what I should have done. Once the streak ends, log off. Haha.
I reached my peak the other day of the high 1400s with relative ease. A good chess day. Once I reached 1400 I won nearly every game until hitting my peak of 1470. Today, I lost 200 points. I can't focus. What factors into such a thing? I feel as if I slept the same amount of hours. Had lunch. No distractions. Maybe it's something out of our control?? Idk... odd.