Another banger of a post! Time pressure's always been my nemesis. "The slows" creep up on me when I emerge from the opening and have to start thinking on my own. Technical solutions such as "spend X minutes per move" or Botvinnik's Rule (spend 20% of your time on the first 15 moves) have never done much for me, because they deal with the symptoms and not the underlying cause: perfectionism. What I've found more helpful is to focus on a mantra or intention right before the game, something like "Have fun, play fast" or "LFG!" Anything that helps me get my head out of my ass and back on my shoulders, where it belongs.
Brilliant insightful article. I always get better results when playing in the right frame of mind. Dramatically different. Playing a lot of OTB tournament games means you have to use psychological tools to prepare for a rigid schedule. You don’t get the choice of when to play. Sometimes you feel great and in a flow state other times feels like you are sitting an exam you haven’t revised for. I’m in the middle of a tournament now, trying to prepare myself for the next round, whilst fashioning these tools on the go. Thank you for your timely article. Any help gratefully received!
You’re right that OTB tournaments don't let you choose when you're ready. A few quick tips: keep a short pre-game routine (even a few minutes of deep breathing can help), acknowledge when you're feeling off and commit to solid moves over brilliant ones, and resist analyzing immediately after tough rounds. Maybe take a walk first.
Brillant framing of this as unlocking what already exists rathar than building something new. Noticed this pattern in my own games where I'll miss obvious tactics after staying up late, but nail similiar patterns when rested. The insight about perfectionsim fueling time trouble really hits too, spent way too many games second-guessing moves I understood perfectly well from studying but couldn't trust in the moment.
My only thought is that I often see that as people get older, rather than play they decide that they're never in the right headspace to play, and quit playing competitive chess. If you're always waiting for that perfect feeling to play, you're not getting out and playing.
And as we all know, if you're not playing you're not improving. I guess I'm more in the camp of learn how to handle a negative emotion and bounce back than worry about the best conditions, it seems like every tournament I've gone to I can think of something else to blame if I perform badly.
That’s a fair point! Especially in a tournament, it’s not going to be possible to be at 100% every game. I do think you can try to control as much as possible though: sleep well before games, eat healthy, try to avoid tilt, etc.
If someone is on the other end of the spectrum between playing too many games and not playing enough games, then they may need to just get in the reps even if it’s sometimes under subpar conditions
Great article. Can relate to many affecting my play, unfortunately some factors, like playing later in evenings, is when time allows to get the games in. Taking a break between games for a quick review helps to refocus. But is interesting how many external factors influence the games .
Another banger of a post! Time pressure's always been my nemesis. "The slows" creep up on me when I emerge from the opening and have to start thinking on my own. Technical solutions such as "spend X minutes per move" or Botvinnik's Rule (spend 20% of your time on the first 15 moves) have never done much for me, because they deal with the symptoms and not the underlying cause: perfectionism. What I've found more helpful is to focus on a mantra or intention right before the game, something like "Have fun, play fast" or "LFG!" Anything that helps me get my head out of my ass and back on my shoulders, where it belongs.
I like the mantra idea. At one point, I even made up a song that I would mentally sing before each game that had to do with playing faster 😂
Thanks for this insightful post. I quoted from it in my own chess blog.
You're welcome!
Brilliant insightful article. I always get better results when playing in the right frame of mind. Dramatically different. Playing a lot of OTB tournament games means you have to use psychological tools to prepare for a rigid schedule. You don’t get the choice of when to play. Sometimes you feel great and in a flow state other times feels like you are sitting an exam you haven’t revised for. I’m in the middle of a tournament now, trying to prepare myself for the next round, whilst fashioning these tools on the go. Thank you for your timely article. Any help gratefully received!
Thanks and good luck in your tournament!
You’re right that OTB tournaments don't let you choose when you're ready. A few quick tips: keep a short pre-game routine (even a few minutes of deep breathing can help), acknowledge when you're feeling off and commit to solid moves over brilliant ones, and resist analyzing immediately after tough rounds. Maybe take a walk first.
Hope that helps!
Brillant framing of this as unlocking what already exists rathar than building something new. Noticed this pattern in my own games where I'll miss obvious tactics after staying up late, but nail similiar patterns when rested. The insight about perfectionsim fueling time trouble really hits too, spent way too many games second-guessing moves I understood perfectly well from studying but couldn't trust in the moment.
Glad to hear you’re able to relate to the article 👍🏻
My only thought is that I often see that as people get older, rather than play they decide that they're never in the right headspace to play, and quit playing competitive chess. If you're always waiting for that perfect feeling to play, you're not getting out and playing.
And as we all know, if you're not playing you're not improving. I guess I'm more in the camp of learn how to handle a negative emotion and bounce back than worry about the best conditions, it seems like every tournament I've gone to I can think of something else to blame if I perform badly.
That’s a fair point! Especially in a tournament, it’s not going to be possible to be at 100% every game. I do think you can try to control as much as possible though: sleep well before games, eat healthy, try to avoid tilt, etc.
If someone is on the other end of the spectrum between playing too many games and not playing enough games, then they may need to just get in the reps even if it’s sometimes under subpar conditions
Great article. Can relate to many affecting my play, unfortunately some factors, like playing later in evenings, is when time allows to get the games in. Taking a break between games for a quick review helps to refocus. But is interesting how many external factors influence the games .
I try to review each online game I play and check my openings before going to the next game. Definitely helps with breaking a tilt streak!
Nice article Dalton
Glad you enjoyed it 😃