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The Secret to Loving Chess Even During a Plateau

#2

Great post. I feel like mindset and mental health are the main obstacles to my enjoyment of chess. Have you tried self-validating good moves when you analyze your games? I feel like its helping me. I can enjoy how I remembered an opening line that I struggle or made a good move on a difficult position event when I lost the game.

Great post. I feel like mindset and mental health are the main obstacles to my enjoyment of chess. Have you tried self-validating good moves when you analyze your games? I feel like its helping me. I can enjoy how I remembered an opening line that I struggle or made a good move on a difficult position event when I lost the game.
#3

Personally, I prefer a plateau over jumping up and down as plateau means my results are consistent. And even if my (lichess) rating right now is almost exactly the same as the June maximum, I clearly feel much better about my play and I feel much more confident when facing higher rated opponents. Sure, permanent and monotone growth would be cool but I don't think it's realistic to expect, except for the early stage of one's development.

Personally, I prefer a plateau over jumping up and down as plateau means my results are consistent. And even if my (lichess) rating right now is almost exactly the same as the June maximum, I clearly feel much better about my play and I feel much more confident when facing higher rated opponents. Sure, permanent and monotone growth would be cool but I don't think it's realistic to expect, except for the early stage of one's development.
#4

great blog post, i will try to change my mindset
i have been on a very long tilt (-200 pts) since mid-october

great blog post, i will try to change my mindset i have been on a very long tilt (-200 pts) since mid-october
#5

Experienced athletes often say they focus on taking it game by game and trusting the process. While this may sound clichéd, it’s the only way to stay motivated during challenging periods.

Isn't this just intrinsic motivation, far from cliché'd as psychology of motivation, point of view. Perhaps cliché'd by others (points of view). I mean, it might be shared by learners who are not reading you blog, I almost did not, but I am curious in nature. And this is part of the world of chess, too.

> Experienced athletes often say they focus on taking it game by game and trusting the process. While this may sound clichéd, it’s the only way to stay motivated during challenging periods. Isn't this just intrinsic motivation, far from cliché'd as psychology of motivation, point of view. Perhaps cliché'd by others (points of view). I mean, it might be shared by learners who are not reading you blog, I almost did not, but I am curious in nature. And this is part of the world of chess, too.
#6

Bad article, only commercials for his stuff.

Bad article, only commercials for his stuff.
#7

I would be blessed if this was only 12 weeks. I've been stuck here for like twelve times more than that x)

I would be blessed if this was only 12 weeks. I've been stuck here for like twelve times more than that x)
#8

i see your blog you write very well but one thing you make that they everyone make selling your courses i dont see single person who can give free courses or advices you make chess is market selling your courses from beginer's who dream best player of chess i dont like this and once again you write very well and good advices but course's hmm.

i see your blog you write very well but one thing you make that they everyone make selling your courses i dont see single person who can give free courses or advices you make chess is market selling your courses from beginer's who dream best player of chess i dont like this and once again you write very well and good advices but course's hmm.
#9

I have the same problem: getting "highs" from a rating increase, only to get on an unbelievable losing streak and feeling down in the dumps. Some of that is time pressure, because I play a lot of 3/2 blitz, but blitz chess USED to be FUN! Back when we just had tournament boards and clocks, we'd play unrecorded, unrated blitz games between the "serious" tournament games. We'd hang a piece and laugh. But the Internet changed all that because you can hardly even FIND an unrated blitz game online anymore. And you don't SEE your opponent, so you imagine him to be the worst sort of person, esp. if he trolls you a bit while you're losing.

But even though I'd love to improve, I have accepted that I may never even become a master in my lifetime, much less an IM or GM, and that, as this article says, it's best to just enjoy thinking about positions. Another thing is to try and take the ego away from it, and appreciate if your opponent spots a crushing move. Of course, when I play slower games, ironically, the losses are not as crushing as blitz for some reason--perhaps because I feel I had enough time to think and I'm not losing to some chump due to time pressure.

But to ENJOY chess again! That is the key. I've gotten several different boards, old and new, and I love to go over master games with my books, board and pieces. Chess seems accessible and interesting again. If we feel that whatever we do is too much work, drudgery or it is too daunting because we set too high expectations for ourselves, we will avoid it, and when we do engage, we'll probably be miserable. Also, who CARES about all the super-GMs?? There's a ton of content out there about Magnus, Hikaru, Niemann, and the superstars of chess. But if we just focus on the game itself, and its moves, and how cool it is, and take out all this stuff about those who are really good, or even good, then we free our minds. And there really IS something about style in chess, so you can make your games your own. This is important, because, like art or music, doing things "your way" is much more relevant than doing it the BEST way. Over time, if we keep playing and humbly going over our mistakes and refresh ourselves with new ideas, we should improve. But I want to get back to that time of innocence, where I just marveled at the board and pieces, and was (and still am) mesmerized by all the interesting possibilities the position holds.
We have to WANT to think hard, too--at every stage of the game, and to have that fighting spirit. And we WILL lose, sometimes in ridiculous fashion. But we can always set up the board again and start anew, wiping the slate clean.

If we get more into the logic of chess, the structure, the position, the tactical possibilities, the pawns, and calculating variations--the real "stuff of chess", then we can forget about being "strong" or worshiping the GMs. I'm getting more out of those old Reinfeld and Chernev books than I am GothamChess or other streamers. Playing with real pieces, forgetting all about the computer (except maybe as a decent opponent for a long game nobody wants to play online)--I think we have to find the joy of chess where we can, because it certainly is a beautiful and fascinating game.

I have the same problem: getting "highs" from a rating increase, only to get on an unbelievable losing streak and feeling down in the dumps. Some of that is time pressure, because I play a lot of 3/2 blitz, but blitz chess USED to be FUN! Back when we just had tournament boards and clocks, we'd play unrecorded, unrated blitz games between the "serious" tournament games. We'd hang a piece and laugh. But the Internet changed all that because you can hardly even FIND an unrated blitz game online anymore. And you don't SEE your opponent, so you imagine him to be the worst sort of person, esp. if he trolls you a bit while you're losing. But even though I'd love to improve, I have accepted that I may never even become a master in my lifetime, much less an IM or GM, and that, as this article says, it's best to just enjoy thinking about positions. Another thing is to try and take the ego away from it, and appreciate if your opponent spots a crushing move. Of course, when I play slower games, ironically, the losses are not as crushing as blitz for some reason--perhaps because I feel I had enough time to think and I'm not losing to some chump due to time pressure. But to ENJOY chess again! That is the key. I've gotten several different boards, old and new, and I love to go over master games with my books, board and pieces. Chess seems accessible and interesting again. If we feel that whatever we do is too much work, drudgery or it is too daunting because we set too high expectations for ourselves, we will avoid it, and when we do engage, we'll probably be miserable. Also, who CARES about all the super-GMs?? There's a ton of content out there about Magnus, Hikaru, Niemann, and the superstars of chess. But if we just focus on the game itself, and its moves, and how cool it is, and take out all this stuff about those who are really good, or even good, then we free our minds. And there really IS something about style in chess, so you can make your games your own. This is important, because, like art or music, doing things "your way" is much more relevant than doing it the BEST way. Over time, if we keep playing and humbly going over our mistakes and refresh ourselves with new ideas, we should improve. But I want to get back to that time of innocence, where I just marveled at the board and pieces, and was (and still am) mesmerized by all the interesting possibilities the position holds. We have to WANT to think hard, too--at every stage of the game, and to have that fighting spirit. And we WILL lose, sometimes in ridiculous fashion. But we can always set up the board again and start anew, wiping the slate clean. If we get more into the logic of chess, the structure, the position, the tactical possibilities, the pawns, and calculating variations--the real "stuff of chess", then we can forget about being "strong" or worshiping the GMs. I'm getting more out of those old Reinfeld and Chernev books than I am GothamChess or other streamers. Playing with real pieces, forgetting all about the computer (except maybe as a decent opponent for a long game nobody wants to play online)--I think we have to find the joy of chess where we can, because it certainly is a beautiful and fascinating game.
#10

@Navojska said in #7:

I would be blessed if this was only 12 weeks. I've been stuck here for like twelve times more than that x)

I know! I've been hovering (blitz) between 1800-2000 for a few years now. Whenever I start to crack 2000, I get beat down. But when I look over my losses, I think it's usually because I forget to check the basics (checks, captures, threats) and my opponent does not miss them.

@Navojska said in #7: > I would be blessed if this was only 12 weeks. I've been stuck here for like twelve times more than that x) I know! I've been hovering (blitz) between 1800-2000 for a few years now. Whenever I start to crack 2000, I get beat down. But when I look over my losses, I think it's usually because I forget to check the basics (checks, captures, threats) and my opponent does not miss them.