The virus. The savior of my dignity

No I don't have the virus, but can be thankful for it, since it's now officially the savior of my dignity. My first 9 OTB games in 25+ years are in the books, and I feel about 2 ft. tall, and that's with elevator shoes! After 2 initial wins, the next 7 left me wondering if I was even playing the same game. I found so many different ways to lose, keeping track of them would require a mainframe. If my rating sinks any lower, it will have a minus sign in front of it! The one saving grace is social distancing means I can just press "resign" (I'm getting really good at that!) and move on without having to shake the hand of the 9 year old that just blew me off the board.

Oh BTW- If my OTB skills sucked any more, I could use them to pull a golf ball through 60 ft. of garden hose!!

It's going to take some to get back into this - 😳

What do you mean by OTB? I get that it's over the board, but does that refer to internet as well as in person games, just not correspondence chess?

@kingme said
What do you mean by OTB? I get that it's over the board, but does that refer to internet as well as in person games, just not correspondence chess?

Over the board via chess.com

I'll be playing OTB in person when COVID-19 is less of a hazard. 🙂

Oh, I always have problems going from playing online for a while to live, I struggle to see everything on the 3D board it seems.

Just ask your opponent to turn away for a moment while you move the pieces around muttering "J'adoube."

I have a love/hate relationship with the game myself. One time decades ago I became very incensed over some stupid losses and tossed my entire chess book collection into some nearby woods. I thought: "Ok, now I have extra room for other books!" Then over time you begin to miss it more and more, all those amazing strategies and tactics you once enjoyed and then slowly it creeps back into your life and you begin to reinvest your time and ego in it once again.

I have always felt chess was an anger management tool in the guise of a game, it magnifies your ego sometimes then rips it to shreds other times.

@mchill said
Over the board via chess.com

I'll be playing OTB in person when COVID-19 is less of a hazard. 🙂

That's a long way off... It's all online now & will be for the forseable future.

@hells-caretaker said
That's a long way off... It's all online now & will be for the forseable future.

I'm sure that's true. I'm in the middle of an online tournament now. Despite getting kicked around like a 2nd hand chew toy, I do enjoy the competition, and my competitors have been very good about telling where to find helpful training information.

I climbed the ladder to the mid 1700's once, and there is no reason I can't get that far, and beyond now. This old dog can still learn how to hunt! 😉

@mchill

That's the spirit. I have my Panzer's. Piss poor form recently however, the lockdown is bearing much wanted fruit.

Going to the supermarket for the same is a different conversation.

@Tchessaikovsky

I am the same way lol 😆

@mchill

Your opponents average rating on here is 200 points below your rating.
Fix that first. 😉
It should be higher than your rating.

@flopwrist said
@mchill

Your opponents average rating on here is 200 points below your rating.
Fix that first. 😉
It should be higher than your rating.

Now that is no fun.

LoL 😉

@tchessaikovsky said
I have a love/hate relationship with the game myself. One time decades ago I became very incensed over some stupid losses and tossed my entire chess book collection into some nearby woods. I thought: "Ok, now I have extra room for other books!" Then over time you begin to miss it more and more, all those amazing strategies and tactics you once enjoyed and then slowly i ...[text shortened]... ent tool in the guise of a game, it magnifies your ego sometimes then rips it to shreds other times.

One time decades ago I became very incensed over some stupid losses and tossed my entire chess book collection into some nearby woods.

You too?! I did nearly the the same thing, tossing mine (and my chess set) into some tall grass off to the side of a remote highway on the way home from a miserable tournament result. I'd forgotten I rubber stamped my name and address in the books, and some good samaritan brought them back to me, adding insult to injury. After securely disposing of them, I resolved not to play in tournaments again, and yes, in time I did begin to miss it.

It's nice to know I wasn't the only one to do this... 😏