tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post182815466033220734..comments2024-02-24T12:16:34.475-05:00Comments on Path to Chess Mastery: Tournament Preparation: Mental ToughnessChessAdminhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02231584333139931889noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-332829965577522942015-01-27T08:48:49.590-05:002015-01-27T08:48:49.590-05:00Great post on an important, yet often neglected to...Great post on an important, yet often neglected topic : chess is a very mental/psychological activity, and this can easily supersede the technical aspects of the gameLaurent Shttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05371507031711622435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-4088469967225387072012-04-14T11:21:06.113-04:002012-04-14T11:21:06.113-04:00Thanks for the comment. One of the reasons I post ...Thanks for the comment. One of the reasons I post these types of things is to get it all down on (virtual) paper, in order to review them for reinforcement purposes myself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-36941422502876242942012-04-14T09:33:58.421-04:002012-04-14T09:33:58.421-04:00This was a tremendous post! Thank you very much f...This was a tremendous post! Thank you very much for posting it! This is a post I'll keep coming back to to read.rockyrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04244111671544689660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-47529176051989965112012-04-13T13:32:10.643-04:002012-04-13T13:32:10.643-04:00Your point about failure is spot on, since if we t...Your point about failure is spot on, since if we try to aim for perfect play, then we will inevitably view ourselves as failures to some extent. This is in practical terms kind of ridiculous - no one is ever 100% perfect at anything in the long term - but can be an easy mental trap to fall into, especially now that use of strong computer engines for post-mortem analysis is ubiquitous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-36984417000099593162012-04-13T13:22:51.426-04:002012-04-13T13:22:51.426-04:00It's true that some players to want to attack ...It's true that some players to want to attack all the time, regardless of what is going on; that's a good point about the desire to feel in control (if only for a move or two until the attack peters out). I've certainly benefited from that phenomenon on the other side of the board, such as when an opponent has been under pressure and then decides to sac a piece for a pawn or two, which just ends up hurrying the loss.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-12030090257771633092012-04-13T11:16:45.425-04:002012-04-13T11:16:45.425-04:00These are all great. One other thing I try to do i...These are all great. One other thing I try to do is really treat the game as a sporting contest between two fallible individuals, rather than as a series of logic puzzles where I am destined to fail at some point or another. This fits well with your note that "perfection in play is not attainable".dfanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16523251716744122695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6393640898640561043.post-53233329056378102442012-04-12T17:59:36.165-04:002012-04-12T17:59:36.165-04:00Awesome post. I highly recommend reading the Amate...Awesome post. I highly recommend reading the Amateur's Mind if you find yourself being psyched out during many of your chess games. Of course being psyched out doesn't mean you curl up in a ball and play passive moves; more often then not it showed class players lashing out against their opponents King in order to feel some modicum of control. I think there's a whole chapter devoted to this sort of thing called the "Mindless King Hunter" or something. <br /><br />Being just a mental sport I'd say confidence means a ton in chess. Be sure to have it against even much higher rated players. I've lost to a couple people in the C class so I'm positive an expert/master could lose to me as well. Remember we all lose, fight like hell even if you know your losing and now and then they will crack depending on how good they are. If not you can hold your head up high, review why you loss probably with that stronger player and move on with your day. Good post!Tim Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14453322043071827645noreply@blogger.com