when did you first discover that you really suck at chess?

That message is reinforced to me each and every day.

Originally posted by trev33
for me it was when i got to about 1500 when i really started to understand how bad i actually am. now there seems to be little point in playing unless i actually try to study the game a little in order to imporve... but after that i'll still be terrible at the game compared to the 'good' players, so whats the point?

Do you have any other happy news to report?😳

Every time I learn something I realize it more and more. It's funny playing people that suck even more than me. At work I'm "a really good chess player..." even though I try to tell them different. I'm like no, you don't understand. I really suck at chess. But it's fun, win or lose. Pretty intense moments have been had right here on this site for me.

Originally posted by wormwood
the better you get, the more you will be able to understand and thus enjoy the games.

i'm not sure if i agree with this statement. i've seen people play otb games with a rating no higher than 1000 all smiles enjoying a really close seriously poor quility game, don't think you can compare their joy of the game against a competitive game with two players who understand the game more.

I have always found chess very frustrating. The more I understand, the less frustrating it is. The better my board vision, the less angry I get. I really hate feeling stupid by having people simply take my pieces.

I've always known I'm really bad at chess. I'm not nearly as bad as I used to be.

Originally posted by trev33
i'm not sure if i agree with this statement. i've seen people play otb games with a rating no higher than 1000 all smiles enjoying a really close seriously poor quility game, don't think you can compare their joy of the game against a competitive game with two players who understand the game more.

Hi Trev.

I envy these guys too. They are totally unaware of the state the game.
Checkmate is always a surprise, they chuckle and set up the pieces
for another game.

When you get good, you get too good.
You can see the loss coming from a long way off.
The position is is lost but not resignable and you are playing
a good player who is slowly crushing you like a bug. It's awful.

He is not going to chuck it.
You see 100's of examples of players walking into a cheapo
and tossing away a won game.
I post some of them on the blog and on the forum.
The fact is for every swindle there are 1,000 wins.

1,000 Games that followed the natural course.
A player sacced/blundered away a pawn and the game was lost.

It's all very depressing. The better you get the deeper a loss cuts.

But WW is correct.
The more you understand the game the more the world of chess
opens up to you. It's a wonderful place to dwell.
The better you get the more you understand a good game
and see all the creativity that went into it.
Some of them are mini works of art.

The better you get the more enjoyment you get out of win.
Sometimes you can actually pin point it down to something you learned
from a loss. Or something you picked up when studying a game.
It makes it all seem worthwile. It's suddely good to be good.

By the way, feeling you suck at chess is often a prelude to you getting better.

Not kidding. Average players go up three steps and drop back one.
Then up another three steps and back two.
The more you play/study the more ideas are taken onboard and it
does take a few games to get these to gel.

One day you play a what you think is perfect postional game.
You are on the up. No more silly losses.
Next game you fall for a two move tactical trick first played
when Adam wore nappies.

It's on these backward steps. The reminders that you are
not yet the finished article that total despair creeps in.

It's during these down troughs and moods that players often say 'Bollocks.'
and resign all their games and walk away......but they come back again.

Playing CC on here does not really count or should not matter.
It's all moods. One day you want to play. The next day you don't but
have to anyway else you will get skulled.

Try to remember why you started playing chess in the first place.
What was the hook? What made you want to be good at this game.

I cannot pick out the one game that hooked me. This one certainly helped.
At first I thought it was a one move trick that just happened.
I got good and could see it was more than a trick.
I got better and could see just how deep both players looked in to it.

Go back through some of the games you played over when
you first started out. You will understand them much more and
realise you don't suck as much as you think you do.

I did with this game and other games too I first saw years and years ago.
I think now I can say I fully understand it. I can hear the music.

Listen.....

Capablanca v Fonaroff New York 1918

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Capablanca v Fonaroff New York 1918

[White "Jose Raul Capablanca"]
[Black "Professor Marc Fonaroff"]
[Result "1-0"]

{Everything is defended, the Queen is attacked, the b2 pawn hangs....} 20. Nh6+ Kh8 21. Qxe5 {As beautiful as is it stunning.} 21... Qxe5 22. Nxf7+ {And that's it. 22...RxN then 23.Rd8 mates. If 22...Kg8 NxQ and White is a piece and two pawns up. Black resigned.}

Who was it again who said that Capablanca was a mere positional robot?

Richard

I play because I just like a challenge. There are certain people here who I could keep playing forever and get a godlike rating, but what's the point?

I've always loved mental challenges ever since I was a kid, be it puzzles, riddles or beating people in video arcades. So chess was a natural thing for me to get into.

The problem comes when you meet people with Fischer-type of attitudes, where they're arrogant and don't understand good sportsmanship. No matter how badly I beat an opponent, I'll always let him know that I apreciated the contest.

If everyone was a good sportsman, there'd be no shame in "sucking". That said, everyone should try to improve, and not stay on their current level of play. As long as someone who "sucks" can improve over time rather than stay stagnant, that's what I respect.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hi Trev.




I did with this game and other games too I first saw years and years ago.
I think now I can say I fully understand it. I can hear the music.

Listen.....

Capablanca v Fonaroff New York 1918

[pgn]
[Event "New York"]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1918.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Jose Raul Capablanca"]
[Black "Professor Marc Fo ...[text shortened]... .Kg8 NxQ and White is a piece and two pawns up. Black resigned.}[/pgn]

I can hear Mozart.

Yes that was the Minute Waltz by Chopin (or was it Mozart?)

That game was just a short example of the kind of thing I mean.

Try playing over a game you did from your beginner days and see
if you can see that bit more into it than you did the first time.

What you are looking for is the unheard melodies you missed
the first time around.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Yes that was the Minute Waltz by Chopin (or was it Mozart?)

That game was just a short example of the kind of thing I mean.

Try playing over a game you did from your beginner days and see
if you can see that bit more into it than you did the first time.

What you are looking for is the unheard melodies you missed
the first time around.

I am doing this with Fischers games on my little orion 6 in one, when i first did it, all i
could recognise were the first three moves, i even wrote them down, that the Lopez,
thats the Sicilian, this time round i am overwhelmed by his originality, not to mention
his attacking genius, but he is not without subtle positional play either, its like looking
at a totally different game this time round, i cannot explain what has happened but the
joy that it has given me is like pure entertainment, between that and shaun the sheep
on the telly i am a happy man.

Originally posted by greenpawn34
Hi Trev.

I envy these guys too. They are totally unaware of the state the game.
Checkmate is always a surprise, they chuckle and set up the pieces
for another game.

When you get good, you get too good.
You can see the loss coming from a long way off.
The position is is lost but not resignable and you are playing
a good player who is slowly cr ...[text shortened]... White is a piece and two pawns up. Black resigned.}[/pgn]

whoa!

Originally posted by trev33
for me it was when i got to about 1500 when i really started to understand how bad i actually am. now there seems to be little point in playing unless i actually try to study the game a little in order to imporve... but after that i'll still be terrible at the game compared to the 'good' players, so whats the point?

For me it was after my second full OTB season when i came out with a rating of 40 ECF grade!😠
I should have taken the hint but kept on applying myself none the less. After a further 2 seasons i crept up to a 98 grade which is where i am now. I have to say i've put in lot of work over the years for zero return. Another bad season this year without a single OTB win to my credit unfortunately. loads of draws but who wants draws?
I think my main problem is the time controls i've struggled with them since starting to play seriously 6 years ago.
I seem to play a much better game of CC given plenty of time to analyse.
I've all but given up studying the game now. Too much effort for too little and life's too short. I continue to play for an enjoyable pastime these days.

I came to the conclusion i'm just a very poor chess player and there's not a lot going to change it. A case of you've either got it or you aint and i most definitely aint.

Originally posted by Sam The Sham
When I hit the low 1800s after ten years of study and tournament play, thought I was pretty good, then I played a bunch of games with someone rated 2200+ and he crushed me like I was a child that just learned the moves. I lost all interest in serious chess after that.

That sounds like me, only I never reached 1800. I recently played some anonymous person in a quick game (3 mins a move). He played a Grob attack I think and then broke every rule I knew of. He shredded me to pieces. It was very, very humbling.

I will never be the virtuoso I'd like to be. Certainly not at my age. If it was in me, it would have surfaced long ago. But I still love the game and still have the abillity to learn. I only hope I can improve.

the better you get, the more you will be able to understand and thus enjoy the games.

Originally posted by trev33
i'm not sure if i agree with this statement. i've seen people play otb games with a rating no higher than 1000 all smiles enjoying a really close seriously poor quility game, don't think you can compare their joy of the game against a competitive game with two players who understand the game more.

Good point.