What to do about bad form?

My teacher at chess said there's always something to be learned in any chess game so don't give up on it. Even in defeat you can learn something. Smart man. ;-)

Sometimes a good break from all chess is refreshing. Try taking 4-5 days off. No corr., no otb, no online, no blitz etc. That said, yo ucan play through any slump, but a break does help you appreciate the game. Personally I no longer play nightly (except for RHP) so I just take a day off here and there when I feel I need it (1 day TO can make this difficult)

Originally posted by Bedlam
This applies more to OTB and real time chess than correspondence chess I guess. What do you do when you are faced with a run of bad form, do you try to play through it? Take a break away from chess? Study harder? etc

Iv always tried to play through it especially online. Although this isn't great for your rating.....my playchess (slow) rating has lost a ...[text shortened]... nd once I find form again my rating bounces back.

How do you lot try to deal with bad form?

This is a very relevant question! I find i constantly go through peaks and troths. Often i will log into RHP and find numerous possibilities in my games. I'll make a heap of strong moves, but when i log in a few days later, i struggle to remember what i was planning and can't find anything at all!

I think my life style prevents me from achieving consistency. I often have late nights when i have an early start the next day, my diet is erratic, some days i eat well and have vegetables/fruit, other days i eat cr@p. I have noticed a marked difference in my play when i have had a quiet weekend and have eaten well. I feel that these things are extremely important for an aspiring player. I would even go as far as to say that they contribute about 50% towards all my losses to equal or lesser opposition.

The other 50% is my emotional state of mind. I am extremely competitive, and i find i am often a bad loser when i play OTB with my club (unfortunately i simply can't help it :'(). I am never rude to an opponent, but i invest so much into a game i am often overwhelmed by frustration when i lose which is often blatantly obvious to anyone in the room.

I want to win so badly that i am often my worst enemy. I'll force and force in a position that doesn't allow it and lose drawn games, or draw winning positions. Very occasionally however, i actually arrive at the table in a relaxed unhurried state and THAT is when i play good chess! If someone has any idea how i can achieve this state of mind every time i play, i'd be truly thankful as my chess (without wanting to sound up myself) is no worse than most 1900 players on this site but my consistenly (my meticulous attention to detail) is lacking, which results in me perhaps making one more oversight than i should.

SO in answer to your question, what do i do to over come inconsistency? I focus a lot on my diet in the days preceding an OTB game. I eat lot's of vegetables and drink fruit juice while playing (with a pint of water as well) in an attempt to prevent any blood sugar problems creeping into the later stages of a match. I have found i often make my blunders after a couple of hours play when my concentration starts to decrease.

I am still looking for a good psychological method of preparation. Suggestions would be appreciated!

Originally posted by Bedlam
This applies more to OTB and real time chess than correspondence chess I guess. What do you do when you are faced with a run of bad form, do you try to play through it? Take a break away from chess? Study harder? etc

Iv always tried to play through it especially online. Although this isn't great for your rating.....my playchess (slow) rating has lost a ...[text shortened]... nd once I find form again my rating bounces back.

How do you lot try to deal with bad form?

I always wondered what to do when you are playing bad as well. Me, I always try to play through it but I get frustrated and play even worse. Usually when I have had a long day at school and am tired, I play bad chess. On weekday nights, I seem to play worse as well. If it is bullet that I am playing and are in bad shape, then I find it hard to force myself to stop playing.

i try to learn as much as i can from my mistake. my friends and i help each other out OTB occasionally by going back if a mate isn't forced and playing it out after the victim has found the better move.

I one of the reasons for my bad form is trying to work more positional understanding into my game. Iv been aware for a while that from time to time a position would arise on the board and I would be clueless of how to play in this position. Partly because of this and partly to just increase my opening repertoire I have been playing openings that arent my usual style, Scandinavian being one of them. I found this opening very easy to learn and the positions that appear on the board are playable, however I dont always feel that I can outplay people from these positions, I need sharper more complex and unbalanced lines to feel comfortable. One of the results of this was shown in an OTB game I played yesterday. It was a knockout league, my clubs 1st team vs another clubs 2nd team so over 6 boards the 2nd team get 2 points before the game starts (ie only having to win two boards) so basicly the rule was DONT lose...a win would be great but a draw not too bad since we outgrade them on every board and were expected to win most. I played the scandinavian opening and got a playable/comfortable position if not really promising for a win....a pair of minor pieces/the rooks were traded and he offered a draw...well because of the openings I normally play draw offers come once a blue moon and I always reject them as long as there is still play in the position.....well he offered a draw and without thinking I just rejected it, queens and minor pieces still on the board etc Id never draw here in my normal openings, so I kept playing and kept trying to make something of the position.......big mistake, I ended up losing 20 moves later, another loss for the recent pile 😛

I suspect when anyone tries to add another style to their chess that a run of bad form might be on the cards but hopefully in the end it should help.

Originally posted by Bedlam
I one of the reasons for my bad form is trying to work more positional understanding into my game. Iv been aware for a while that from time to time a position would arise on the board and I would be clueless of how to play in this position. Partly because of this and partly to just increase my opening repertoire I have been playing openings that arent my us ...[text shortened]... heir chess that a run of bad form might be on the cards but hopefully in the end it should help.

I can't feel sorry for you my friend. Your rating is higher than mine. 😞

Originally posted by Bedlam
I one of the reasons for my bad form is trying to work more positional understanding into my game. Iv been aware for a while that from time to time a position would arise on the board and I would be clueless of how to play in this position. Partly because of this and partly to just increase my opening repertoire I have been playing openings that arent my us ...[text shortened]... heir chess that a run of bad form might be on the cards but hopefully in the end it should help.

This has been true historically for me as well. In fact any slight change in opening tends to cause this. I remember when I first started playing the french I lost a slew of games just being smothered without counterplay. That was demoralizing. In the end my game has improved because of it, so it was worthwhile, but it was painful at the time.

I've just remembered something I tried a few years ago when I was going through a bad patch - I played loads of quick games on the Yahoo chess server, but only against weak players! My idea is that I wanted to get back into the habit of winning again. I remember winning something like fifty games in a row, but I can't recall if it actually helped my form against stronger players.

My advice for poor form is to look through your past won games. It cheers you up, makes you find the spirit/mood/mind state again. Another thing that seems to work for me is to change opening etc - focusing on some area you have not before.. I remember playing 1. d4 only for almost three months and eventually I found my shape really bad. After some refreshening 1. e4-games I got all the will&skill back. Of course, that is just me..