Well chess, I've come to a dead-end with you. I get much more agony from my blunder-prone loses than I do joy from my wins. Although I learn new skills I am still continuing to make the same mistakes that better players just don't make. Setting my ego aside I'm now pretty sure that I don't have the concentration abilities that others have. No matter whether I know how to play a position, opening or ending, I continue to not pay attention, play to fast and blow my games. I started off this tournament well winning my first three...but then I blew a clear win and didn't see a free piece in round four settling for a draw. Round five I am on board one with a shot to take first place and I proceeded to lose in about ten minutes...I won a pawn, then gave up a piece in amateur fashion. Game six I got into a losing position, fought hard and found a draw, then allowed a simple fork.
I beat a guy in the third round who has won over 10 million dollars playing poker professionally. Which made me realize that I'm not where I want to be in life, others are playing this game as a leisure, it mostly feels like a chore for me now.
Thanks for everyone who helped me get better but I think I'm done...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Caissa's a cruel mistress who constantly pushes our buttons and humuliates us. I'm certainly no expert on coping with her antics, but the only way I'm currently holding the balance is to play for fun while pretending that improvement isn't important to me. It's hard to permanently stay away even though she burns me time and again.
ReplyDeleteDear Chris,
ReplyDeleteMy desire to play chess comes and goes. When I begin I had a strong desire to win every game. Now after 20 or so years, I simply want to play a good game, win or lose. Amazingly, I find my chess play has improved. I don't study the game anymore, seldom look at puzzles, just come in and play, and that seems to work for me. I still blunder from time to time, fail to see a winning position of an opponent that I can defend and the like, but I don't presure myself, just play as best I can. I review a game played by Cappablanka (spelling may be wrong) at the age of 8. In was a brilliant game - not as the result of study but as a result of talent. So now I simply rely on want ever limited talent I have and enjoy the game. And in doing so, my game improved.
Bob Bennett