My confidence • page 1/1 • General Chess Discussion • lichess.org

I play a lot of chess (just look at my profile) I’ve played everyday for over a year ( I used to play on chess.com) I’m struggling though, I’ve built my identity off of playing chess. Every time I loose it hurts me, and my self confidence. It’s the only thing I’ve ever actually pursued. Does anybody else experience this?

CM Sarg0n

#2

Not everyone is talented for everything. Good luck though!

NM MrPushwood

#3

Look for something else to build your identity off (or on). ;) And I'd say that if you were a GM too.

#4

h2b2

#5

i used to feel bad when I lost. I was a really sore loser. Now? Not so much. Sometimes I'm even impressed with my opponents play.

Watch John Bartholomew's reaction when he loses. Occasionally he blunders and he laughs at how silly he was, often when losing fights hard until the end, respectfully resigns when he's certain there's no possibility for a draw or win, always congratulatory and happy for his opponent, takes a lesson and learns from every defeat.

JB says if you want to improve you have to analyse your games especially your losses.

Most games a lost by mistakes not won by good moves, if you can learn from your loses and minimise mistakes, eventually your opponent will make a mistake.

i used to feel bad when I lost. I was a really sore loser. Now? Not so much. Sometimes I'm even impressed with my opponents play. Watch John Bartholomew's reaction when he loses. Occasionally he blunders and he laughs at how silly he was, often when losing fights hard until the end, respectfully resigns when he's certain there's no possibility for a draw or win, always congratulatory and happy for his opponent, takes a lesson and learns from every defeat. JB says if you want to improve you have to analyse your games especially your losses. Most games a lost by mistakes not won by good moves, if you can learn from your loses and minimise mistakes, eventually your opponent will make a mistake.

GoLdEnFLAME

#6

Playing only 300 games is not yet enough to determine how confident or good you will be!

I remember when I first started playing on Lichess 4 years ago I was only rated between a 1500-1700.

My Bullet was 1460 on 24th of October 2017. I thought Bullet was my weakest chess variant and never thought I'll improve so much.
Yet fast forward less than 4 years later my Bullet is now 2279, the highest I have achieved.
2252 in Blitz and it was 1596 in October 4 years ago. Rapid 2212, lowest 1708. Classical over 2000+.

I have watched a lot of games from other pro chess players and youtube videos on chess openings, traps, etc. This ultimately is the key to improving your rating. You need to memorize them. While practice will improve eliminations of blunders.

I have played over 38 thousand games here on Lichess. I think most players who have played over 10K games will have achieved over 2000+ rating. If they have not, it means they only played mechanically and never studied chess.

Once you achieve your top form, don't expect to constantly be dominating. There will always be ups and downs naturally, depending on your energy levels, sleep, concentration, etc.

Also consistency is key, you need to play every single day. If you play once in a while, you will lose form and will forget the openings, traps, etc and your rating will naturally dip, before it accelerates back up.

Playing only 300 games is not yet enough to determine how confident or good you will be! I remember when I first started playing on Lichess 4 years ago I was only rated between a 1500-1700. My Bullet was 1460 on 24th of October 2017. I thought Bullet was my weakest chess variant and never thought I'll improve so much. Yet fast forward less than 4 years later my Bullet is now 2279, the highest I have achieved. 2252 in Blitz and it was 1596 in October 4 years ago. Rapid 2212, lowest 1708. Classical over 2000+. I have watched a lot of games from other pro chess players and youtube videos on chess openings, traps, etc. This ultimately is the key to improving your rating. You need to memorize them. While practice will improve eliminations of blunders. I have played over 38 thousand games here on Lichess. I think most players who have played over 10K games will have achieved over 2000+ rating. If they have not, it means they only played mechanically and never studied chess. Once you achieve your top form, don't expect to constantly be dominating. There will always be ups and downs naturally, depending on your energy levels, sleep, concentration, etc. Also consistency is key, you need to play every single day. If you play once in a while, you will lose form and will forget the openings, traps, etc and your rating will naturally dip, before it accelerates back up.

#7

James_J_Henderson

#8

Probably not wise to tie your complete self-image to your chess prowess. Part of what makes winning a game so thrilling is that it doesn't happen every time.