Diffculty and Stress with notation writing.

Talk about stressful chess notation...here's Fischer's scoresheet from Spassky-Fischer Siegen OL 1970 - resulting in his 3rd loss to Boris with 2 draws and NO wins ever. Notice how his original chicken scratching gets even bigger and sloppier when he starts losing (it's a great game BTW)

Honestly I have the opposite.  It become such a routine for me to hit the clock and write down the move that if someone tries to help me by taking notation (if I'm under 5 minutes) it throws me off my concentration.

Last tourney I went to as I fell below 5 minutes I moved my score sheet closer to guard it (sometimes the TD would take it away lol).  A player eventually came over to take notation for me and I shooed him away (he eventually took notation for my opponent though).  We each had 1 minute left but there was 15 second increment and I continued to write my moves.

"Say Bobby, in order to verify your claim of a win on time, I'm going to have to see your scoresheet."

"Oh...never mind."

NimzoRoy, that score sheet is very impressive but notation writing, in my mind, is still very stressful. I have been playing in tournaments which is why I haven't been on and it is always the same end result. Either I only draw against players when writing down notation or  I lose on time because I try to write all the notations down before time is over. It is not that I don't appreciate all of the notations. I study them from past games of grandmasters and even modern ones for openings but I cannot concentrate on my tournament games when I am writing my notations down. It is just to stressful for me and my other team mates of my team.

Maybe what "we got here is... failure to communicate" but are you saying you're trying to write down annotation during your OTB games? If so stop doing this immediately you're only supposed to be writing down the moves!

FIDE Law of Chess Article 15.1(b) The use of notes made during the game as an aid to memory is also forbidden, aside from the actual recording of the moves and the times on the clocks.

Don't make me have to send the Captain (from Cool Hand Luke) over to discuss this...

I am not looking at my notes during my games. That would be cheating. I know that I am not allowed to read them during games. I read them when I am finished playing. What I am saying is that I cannot concentrate on recording my games at the same time as playing a tournament game.

"The use of notes made during the game is forbidden" does seem to imply writing the notes is OK, as long as you don't look at them after you write them. BUT how is your opponent supposed to know you don't refer back to them? And they may not know the rule exactly - I didn't - and assume even writing the notes is illegal. In your case you need to stop doing this if you already have problems with concentrating on recording your games.

All I can think of to suggest is to start practicing at home keeping score of casual games (played under tnmt conditions, ie same TL) until it becomes second nature GOOD LUCK!

Ok so here is the update. I played my friend with the use of a clock today to see if I could concentrate while recording and I must say that it was easier than I thought it was.

whether i am playing my move or watching my opponent make his move, i say the move in my head.  it makes it easier to then write it down.