i like to go in tournaments feeling good as i want to go into games confident in regular games as well. when i'm feeling down about my chessplaying abilities its nice to take a win over someone who is 150 pts below you. also usually there are tons of tactics in there you get to employ so it helps your tactical edge.
Originally posted by kmac27You can't improve by playing weak opposition. Psychologically you will e on firmer ground if you know your limitations. Going into a tournie after winning 100 games against sub 1000 graded players is not going to help much when you get beaten in your first game. Will you be prepared to deal with this loss? One would think not...
true but if you play a bunch of games before a tourney and play all higher rated players and lose the majority of them it doesn't really set the spirit....
I find I get better results in otb tourneys by holding my opponent in high esteem...like think that they are really good and have to play carefully....keeps you alert and when they make a mistake its a huge sigh of relief. The worst thing you do when playing an opponent is think before the game that you are better then them, it really messes you up
Originally posted by Restless SoulDon't think it.
I find I get better results in otb tourneys by holding my opponent in high esteem...like think that they are really good and have to play carefully....keeps you alert and when they make a mistake its a huge sigh of relief. The worst thing you do when playing an opponent is think before the game that you are better then them, it really messes you up
Prove it.
Originally posted by Restless SoulI am the same.
I find I get better results in otb tourneys by holding my opponent in high esteem...like think that they are really good and have to play carefully....keeps you alert and when they make a mistake its a huge sigh of relief. The worst thing you do when playing an opponent is think before the game that you are better then them, it really messes you up
I always used to outplay people and then make huge mistakes. I gradually learnt to stop being complacent, but it took many defeats before I realised I was not as good as I thought I was.
Originally posted by Restless Soulstrange. for me its vice versa. I keep thinking how badly my opponents play and how pathetic moves they keep playing. You can even bluff against weaker opponents (ie. make unsound sacrifices) coz you know your opponents dont have courage do "go for it".
I find I get better results in otb tourneys by holding my opponent in high esteem...like think that they are really good and have to play carefully....
I would think you'd want to play some games against people at about your level before going in (if only casually).
If you seem to be winning a lot of those games, your confidence will be better founded than defeating easy opponents, and thus more powerful. If you lose a lot of those games, you might be able to discover something to keep an eye on in talking with them.
Originally posted by JusuhThats true for most of them. Eventually this strategy will burn you when someone does call your bluff.
strange. for me its vice versa. I keep thinking how badly my opponents play and how pathetic moves they keep playing. You can even bluff against weaker opponents (ie. make unsound sacrifices) coz you know your opponents dont have courage do "go for it".
Originally posted by JusuhOne trick is to threaten checkmate - half the time they don't notice.
strange. for me its vice versa. I keep thinking how badly my opponents play and how pathetic moves they keep playing. You can even bluff against weaker opponents (ie. make unsound sacrifices) coz you know your opponents dont have courage do "go for it".
The difficulty with only playing weaker players is that you end up unable to cope with the demands of playing stronger players. The main problem with only playing stronger players is what it does to your self-confidence. You should try to keep it more or less even with some easy games to remind you that you do know how to play, and some games against people who are going to give you a hard time to learn how to play better.