Stress and Fear of Loss in OTB Play

I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

That's where experience comes in. Try to remain calm and don't let the games course or the other players actions distract you and change your mental calmness. Also some players blitz moves in an attempt to make you think they know this line, trying to make you think harder and waste time because you think they know the position better then you.

I'm cacking it just thinking about coming up against some of the players at my local club.
Their average otb ratings are around 1600 & I know for a fact without databases, openings books & the ability to analyse in advance here my real otb rating is probably 1450 or so.

I just hope I can play my own game & learn from the better players, without changing my style by being intimidated.

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

Sounds like you're trying to do it too well.You must not seek 'the truth' at every move.Keep an eye on the clock and sometimes settle for a 'good enough' move.
OTB I'm not too much concerned with the objective merit of a move.I just try to mix things up and present my opponent with as many and as difficult problems I can and try to outplay him.Eventually one of us is bound to go wrong 🙂

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

Yes. You are very alone. I also do blitz moves out and by sheer luck 98% of them happen to be the best moves.

Yea, fear of losing is a problem. All you can do is take a reasonable time and make the best move you can, taking in all the factors you can. Time and practice will make you better. The Fear will stop you in your tracks and you never will get better. Making mistakes is how you learn. I don't say this out of arrogance, I, too, am terrified of losing. I go around kicking the cat for days and sometimes i have to force myself to play blitz over the internet when i reach a high plateau, because, as chessplayers we use ratings to judge ourselves. When we drop two hundred points we think, gee i'm getting worse, not better, maybe i'd better stop and remain at a high level. I'm convinced Fischer quit because of the big fear. Remember when a kid he used to cry when he lost. The fear made him a better player when he played, but then it became so big an obstacle, he couldn't play anymore.

Just play and have fun, you'll do a lot better. Stress is for sucks. Not like you're gonna lose money on the game.

Objectively, Sam, you're right. But anybody who belongs to a club knows when the top cat arrives to play. All eyes turn to him. He has an aura of invincibility. All his pronouncements about chess are treated as the truth. All the men want to be him, that's why they're men. Women have a different psychology, they're not as stupid.

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

No quick answer other than studying chess harder. of course, this is easier said than done.

Originally posted by buddy2
Objectively, Sam, you're right. But anybody who belongs to a club knows when the top cat arrives to play. All eyes turn to him. He has an aura of invincibility. All his pronouncements about chess are treated as the truth. All the men want to be him, that's why they're men. Women have a different psychology, they're not as stupid.

yeah i know what you mean I get treated like that all the time. When I walk in the door, a small brass band starts up playing darth vader's theme music.

When I first started playing at the club, I used to rush through a game, and make tons of mistakes. Find your tempo, and don't worry about hoq fast your opponent moves. Remember, he was using your time thinking to think himself. If you can force a situation or line where you know 4 or 5 moves in sdvance what he'll do, you may be able to upset his/her rythm by throwing something unexpected at them. Then you'll be thinking on their time😀

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

ok, LET'S TALK ABOUT SOMETHING IMPORTANT. Let's talk about that game you shot, some guy doesn't want to resign, some fish you're trying to screw, let's talk about something important.
PUT...THAT COFFEE....DOWN!
Coffee is for teh winnars.
(Adopted from Glengarry Glenn Ross, Alec Baldwin's supreme monologue)

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

learn to think on your opponents time.. it really helps.

I was playing on board 1 against a 2500+ IM who overlooked a two mover that lost a whole N right in the opening, but then IM’s don’t blunder like that do they? So I kept looking and the longer I looked the more nervous I got. Finally I sat back took a deep breath and won the N. After that every time he moved his hand was shaking so bad he could hardly pick up the piece and I knew he really had blundered. Then I started thinking what if I mess this up? Fear of committing a blunder and losing the game crept into my thoughts and then my hand started shaking. Of course the thing I feared is exactly what happened when I eventually threw away the extra piece. All because I was afraid of messing up and losing.

Originally posted by anthias
I experience quite a lot of losses in tournaments because I quickly get excited and overwhelmed. Also I usually take a lot of time analysing difficult variations while my opponent just blitz out a move and it appers to be the correct one. Am I alone?

Be careful about thinking too long. A lot of times I lose to a time forfeit when I never knew I was in time trouble.