Chess blindness

I seem to suffer from this quite regularly. One day i can see what's going on, the next i might as well have a sack on my head! Today, unfortunately is one of those days. I just wondered if any of you have any remedies? I've tried just doing tactics puzzles, watching GM games for a while..all to no avail. I've just lost 8 blitz games back to back, even dropped down to playing a 1400 in the hope of getting a slightly easier time and still got beat! Very depressing indeed. 🙁

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
I seem to suffer from this quite regularly. One day i can see what's going on, the next i might as well have a sack on my head! Today, unfortunately is one of those days. I just wondered if any of you have any remedies? I've tried just doing tactics puzzles, watching GM games for a while..all to no avail. I've just lost 8 blitz games back to back, even d ...[text shortened]... in the hope of getting a slightly easier time and still got beat! Very depressing indeed. 🙁

here is my new improved super simplified check list (better than check for checks (trademark) as endorsed and advertised by a few top players)

check for ,

1.tactics (mates, pins. skewers, double attacks, discovered etc)
2.outposts (creation of our own, neutralisation of opponents)
3.weak pawns (creation of)
4.open files (control of, penetration points)
5.half open files (control of, creation of protected outposts via)
6.colour complexes (specific strategies for middle and end game, piece targeting)
7.space.

good luck 🙂

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
I seem to suffer from this quite regularly. One day i can see what's going on, the next i might as well have a sack on my head! Today, unfortunately is one of those days. I just wondered if any of you have any remedies? I've tried just doing tactics puzzles, watching GM games for a while..all to no avail. I've just lost 8 blitz games back to back, even d ...[text shortened]... in the hope of getting a slightly easier time and still got beat! Very depressing indeed. 🙁

Perhaps you just suck.

/me eyes a certain timeout skull......

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
One day i can see what's going on, the next i might as well have a sack on my head!

Check for:

1) a sack on your head

😛

Originally posted by tmetzler
Perhaps you just suck.

/me eyes a certain timeout skull......

I have a mental black when i see red flashing clocks, they seem to compel me to do the opposite of what i'm supposed to! Thanks for the patience, i dare not move today, whatever i do will be wrong. :'(

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
here is my new improved super simplified check list (better than check for checks (trademark) as endorsed and advertised by a few top players)

check for ,

1.tactics (mates, pins. skewers, double attacks, discovered etc)
2.outposts (creation of our own, neutralisation of opponents)
3.weak pawns (creation of)
4.open files (control of, penetra ...[text shortened]... mplexes (specific strategies for middle and end game, piece targeting)
7.space.

good luck 🙂

This is all well and good, but blindness is the inability to see fundamental things like this in a position. Normally i spot these things pretty quickly, without the need for a checklist. Besides, who uses a checklist in a 5min blitz game?

my best advice is: 3 losses in a row == "wormwood whom you are following has disconnected."

when things go bad, they're not gonna improve by staying at it. instead it's just gonna get worse. for one reason or another, your brain's not up to it. so take a break, cut your losses and live to fight another day.

(obvious nobody follows me, but disconnection after two or even one loss is what most of the big boys seem to do. you'll almost never catch them with a 3+ losing streak.)

Originally posted by wormwood
my best advice is: 3 losses in a row == "wormwood whom you are following has disconnected."

when things go bad, they're not gonna improve by staying at it. instead it's just gonna get worse. for one reason or another, your brain's not up to it. so take a break, cut your losses and live to fight another day.

(obvious nobody follows me, but disconnectio ...[text shortened]... most of the big boys seem to do. you'll almost never catch them with a 3+ losing streak.)

I agree with this. Losses breed more losses, and the best thing to do is go get a cup of coffee and forget about it.

[Of course, we are talking about disconnecting *after* resigning the game, right?]

Originally posted by EinZweiDrei
I agree with this. Losses breed more losses, and the best thing to do is go get a cup of coffee and forget about it.

[Of course, we are talking about disconnecting *after* resigning the game, right?]

yes, of course disconnection after resignation. I never play without enabling forfeit on disconnection anyway.

Blitz Blindness is just one of those days.

I try to play my way out of it and end up losing more and more.
I just shrug it off. Somedays you can do it, other days you can't.
A dozen losses at blitz on a computer site does not make you a bad player.

I never pull the plug.
On net chess If losing and the guy has enough time I often self mate.
If losing and the guy is running very short of time I often offer a draw.

I call net blitz arcade chess, Sometimes me and the mouse do different things.

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
This is all well and good, but blindness is the inability to see fundamental things like this in a position. Normally i spot these things pretty quickly, without the need for a checklist. Besides, who uses a checklist in a 5min blitz game?

Excusing oneself that there is no need for a systematic approach while playing blitz and then losing is like sooo, hello!, are we stating that tactics, outposts, half open files are less important than in a blitz game than elsewhere? i dont think so, and 5 min is a relatively long time to think about these things, its not bullet after all. I dont believe that you suck because you just suck, there is always a reason. I have noticed that the worst habit in blitz is to play purely mechanical moves, without thought, and that is usually asking for ones butt to be handed to one on a silver platter.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
Excusing oneself that there is no need for a systematic approach while playing blitz and then losing is like sooo, hello!, are we stating that tactics, outposts, half open files are less important than in a blitz game than elsewhere? i dont think so, and 5 min is a relatively long time to think about these things, its not bullet after all. I dont b ...[text shortened]... thout thought, and that is usually asking for ones butt to be handed to one on a silver platter.

No i'm not underestimating anything you suggested, i was simply stating that my ability to see very basic threats is non-existent. You can have a thousand knight outposts but if you hang your Queen then they won't do any good..

Originally posted by Marinkatomb
No i'm not underestimating anything you suggested, i was simply stating that my ability to see very basic threats is non-existent. You can have a thousand knight outposts but if you hang your Queen then they won't do any good..

why not, you could always claim that it was a positional sacrifice 😛

Originally posted by wormwood
my best advice is: 3 losses in a row == "wormwood whom you are following has disconnected."

when things go bad, they're not gonna improve by staying at it. instead it's just gonna get worse. for one reason or another, your brain's not up to it. so take a break, cut your losses and live to fight another day.

(obvious nobody follows me, but disconnectio ...[text shortened]... most of the big boys seem to do. you'll almost never catch them with a 3+ losing streak.)

I disagree to an extent.

This reminds me of what a very strong pool player told me once. Pool is a game where some days you can do no wrong, you are completely in stroke, can't miss a ball and can't miss shape. The next day you can't make a ball if someone leaves the ball in the pocket for you-these are the days which make the good players good.

Anyone can win when you are making everything and can do no wrong. But, what makes the good players grerat is they can fight through those tough days. They don't fire at balls that they can't make ON THAT DAY. They play a more solid/defensive game, try and reduce their mistakes and allow the opponent to make the key mistakes.

Sometimes it even happens that after playing solidly(on one of these not so good days) you are forced to play an offensive shot(like kicking at a ball to make it). You see that ball go in and suddenly it isn't one of your bad days.

The bad days are mostly about confidence.

While in pool there is obviously a physical component the mental aspect is possibly even greater. So the point being when you are having a bad day it is good to learn how to fight through it(maybe you aren't as sharp tactically. So maybe you can play a little more solid on this day). But, once you have completely mentally lost it(ie thoughts like might as well give up-even though your position isn't necessarily lost) and are just beating yourself up it is time to call it a day.

Kasparov talked about his first shot at the title (against karpov)and how he was warned how different it was. He heard it but didn't understand it. When he got into the match the difference he finally understood was how much resilience karpov had.

Starting to understand my long winded point? You have to train resilience.

Originally posted by erikido

Starting to understand my long winded point? You have to train resilience.

yeah, I get it. but I think you're mixing up two things here, having a bad day and resilience. the latter is common to all good players, the grit, the mental tougness, the ability to suffer through bad positions without wilting under the pressure.

but a bad day is a bad day, it's physical not mental. for one reason or another, all your cylinders aren't firing. you *can* work through it, but you'll just get more exhausted and lose even more. the day won't get any better, only worse. at that point, the learning effect of any mental training is known to be negligible. it's just valuable training time, energy and motivation wasted. eat, sleep, take a walk, whatever your body is needing. then come back to it and get multiple times more improvement in the same amount of training.

harder is not always better. train hard, but smart. make the time you put in count.