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You are not your rating

#2

I upvoted this post, but on the other hand, a life without goals is boring too.

I upvoted this post, but on the other hand, a life without goals is boring too.
#3

Great article. Yes, I fell into that trap and I hope I never do it again.

Great article. Yes, I fell into that trap and I hope I never do it again.
#4

I very much appreciate the post because I am just some 'adult improver...' But I have eventually dropped even the concept of improvement. Not that I am against it, no, I do try to do chess puzzles and make marginal gains from time to time... But I have realized what is important about chess to me is just enjoying the beauty of the game.

It's a hobby... A hobby I get plenty out of while at my current level. I certainly hope to improve slowly over time, but if it never happens, perhaps it'll still not diminish my joy... Which is why players like German11 are some of the best chess players out there without being masters. They are just out there having a blast and they never get sick of it.

I very much appreciate the post because I am just some 'adult improver...' But I have eventually dropped even the concept of improvement. Not that I am against it, no, I do try to do chess puzzles and make marginal gains from time to time... But I have realized what is important about chess to me is just enjoying the beauty of the game. It's a hobby... A hobby I get plenty out of while at my current level. I certainly hope to improve slowly over time, but if it never happens, perhaps it'll still not diminish my joy... Which is why players like German11 are some of the best chess players out there without being masters. They are just out there having a blast and they never get sick of it.
#5

An excellent post that would only be made better if Lichess never felt they had to "improve" their newspaper board theme by adding a bunch of empty padding around the black square diagonal lines. Sometimes less isn't actually more; sometimes less is just more eyestrain.

An excellent post that would only be made better if Lichess never felt they had to "improve" their newspaper board theme by adding a bunch of empty padding around the black square diagonal lines. Sometimes less isn't actually more; sometimes less is just more eyestrain.
#6

You are not your rating... the thing my brain need to know...

You are not your rating... the thing my brain need to know...
#7

I agree.

I've heard many players coming to me with a clear goal "My friends are better than me, I want to be able to win against them" only to take it too far and desperately be like "None of my friends want to play with me anymore since I crush them every time". Bit of a downer, that - might have been better to stay on par with the friend group instead.

Being stronger thus doesn't necessarily mean having more fun, nor does it necessarily mean winning more games (since you'd get matched against similarly rated opponent anyways, so the opposition gets tougher as you get better.) And if you don't play for a living (few can) then surely the purpose is to have fun?!

If you love playing, improvement kinda happens anyway and the article sort of touches on that with the notes on looking for beauty rather than hard work. It might not be "efficient" but in most cases the journey should take precedence over the destination.

I agree. I've heard many players coming to me with a clear goal "My friends are better than me, I want to be able to win against them" only to take it too far and desperately be like "None of my friends want to play with me anymore since I crush them every time". Bit of a downer, that - might have been better to stay on par with the friend group instead. Being stronger thus doesn't necessarily mean having more fun, nor does it necessarily mean winning more games (since you'd get matched against similarly rated opponent anyways, so the opposition gets tougher as you get better.) And if you don't play for a living (few can) then surely the purpose is to have fun?! If you love playing, improvement kinda happens anyway and the article sort of touches on that with the notes on looking for beauty rather than hard work. It might not be "efficient" but in most cases the journey should take precedence over the destination.
#9

Dubov-Karjakin 2020 game referenced in the article:

https://lichess.org/zpcOZIw6

Dubov-Karjakin 2020 game referenced in the article: https://lichess.org/zpcOZIw6