10 psychological advises from a master. (pt2)

all was based 12 years of playing hundreds of tournaments of all levels analyzing myself , other players included the elite and world champions and i had work with chess psychologists, normal psychological , best filósofic books and best self improvements online teachers.

6.Nervous During the game

I never felt high nervous during games but i know some tricks.
First to didn’t be nervous playing chess you should start to didn’t play nervous in your normal life. was so difficult to be stressed for estupid things during your hole day and then be relax in the game.
Fine if you a manage to be relaxed in your life but you still been nervous in chess games here you have thing to do during the game to control:
short walks, walk a little time around the playing room if you are so nervous , but without watching other games. Still focus but just walt a little bit.
Drink water. Small quantity and in a relax way no fast.
Go to the barthroom.
Throw water to your face.
Control your breath: The chess psycho Carlos Martinez told me this trick, be focus into made a good and control breath for like 30 second and then still playing.

7.Not analyze during tournament

more than 90% of the players review their own games during the tournament and i think that this was a mistake let me explain.
In the wins this doesn’t matter but in the loses or when you throw away a huge advantage this could still in your mind for many days or weeks and when we are in a tournament we should be focus in the games.
When i finished a game specially a lost i just put the focus in the next round, this was like the 3 point but instead with a move during a game now it’s with a game during a tournament, be focus in the remaining round and analyze after the tournament.
IMPORTANT: You should review the openings because are the most recent games that your opponent are going to watch. Specially what you shouldn’t analyze is the blunders , if for example you feel that you a playing bad the endgames o something like that you of course can put atention on that to improve during the tournament , but the things that you cannot improve during the tournament is better to analize once this ends

8. Be Stoic

Not Happy Wins
Not Sad Loss.
In 2023 a commentary of im Michael Rahal take my attention because he told me that i didn’t became so sad in the loss and so happy in the wins .
Of course i understand that not be so sad in the loss was useful but in that moment i didn’t understand why can help me not be happy after a win.
Now after more experience and study Marcus Aurelius book and more of the stoic culture i’m 100% agree with Michael words, if you wants to control your bad emotions start to control your “good emotions” . The people that you see you happy when the thing are “good” use to be the saddest people con this things came “bad”.
Follow and apply unconciently and conciently the stoicism philosophy help me so so much in chess and in life so i should recommend all of us the Marcus Aurelius Meditations book, i had read like 10 times. There are many youtube videos how teach you stoicism and a channel how aplies it to chess too.
But not only study stoicism, applied it.

9.Learning Attitude

Of course everybody goes to a tournament with competition mentality and that’s great. You compete to make your best and try to win but this advise is not going to help you for this tournament but yes for the followings.
Remember that to improve in chess you should love to learn all the time, this is not the matrix where the people goes to the school only until friday and then forget about that and drink alcohol. People plays chess cause they like and apart of just compete in the tournament try to lear as much chess yo can but of course saving energys for the games.
Im not talking you to study chess in a tournament but you can comment the games with your opponents.
I know that in the previous chapter i advise to don’t analize the games but i talk about computer o maybe trained that you can make in you home but analyze with your opponent only can be possible during the tournament so don’t lost the opportunity and try to share ideas with your opponents after the game.
You can learn chess and make friends.
But in general my point is that you should see your games like a experience and a opportunity to analize and improve for the future and became the best player that you can.
Not see the games only like competition, thinks that it’s s part of the way to the success and mastery.

10.Forget Rating

This is so important guys pay so much attention, i know all my life many players from all rating groups and from all ages how cannot enjoy chess because are so much focus in their rating.
The mayority of us have another job or are studying so if your a going to eat tomorrow have 0 relantionship with your rating , just remember why you start to play chess.
I suppose that all of us start chess because you like to play and enjoy and surely you had no idea about was it’s the rating , you just play for fun so go back to that and still playing for fun all your life , rating is just a number , and believe me, nobody cares about your rating you are no famous. And if you are famous and many peoble care about your rating fuck them and live your life.

I wanna end this post with a history of Boris Gelfand a former runner up in a world champion match reaching the tie brakes vs Anand.
Once a master went to his chess school and ask the kids how are their chess dream, some players say National Master, Fide Master ,International Master or win some tournament.
Gelfand Answer: Enjoy chess all my life.
And in their great book: Positional decision making in chess, he told that for the moment he still enjoy chess :)

Here you have the first part of this post: Part1
And my youtube chanel’s where i explained more mental advices to improve in chess in life and i analize many chess games too. Youtube Channel

I hope that with this 10 advices the mayority of us can improve his results in chess but more important i hope that you enjoy more chess after read that, by