I'm in a slump. I am missing tactics. I played MC again at the club, you know, the cute but tough little nine year old girl who is rated in the 1700's. I'd like to think I can still beat her before she becomes a GM at 14. I was happily having an advantage while playing 1.d4 ( pulled an old friend out of thebag to mix it up) until I let her have the initiative and she had a killer Bishop and rook windmill fired on my hedged in king. The Previous week I got lucky and swindled a draw from another prodigy ( 1700 als0) but by all rights the kid should have won me.
I am trying not to get too fixated on this blasted game. I have a rather full plate at home. I do play a lot on ICC but I am losing a lot of blitz on ICC ( missing tactics). I play like a cave man who just invented fire but I singe myself in the excitement. I'm not doing enough "training". I train like I have ADD. I'll start CT-ART, then I'll jump to ICC, then I'll pop on to a blog or three, then I'll go back to Blitz and forget I had started a "TEST" on CT-Art. When I have 49 seconds left on my clock and a winning position, a family crisis occurs ( this could be anything from one of the kids asking to do the impossible to "will someone answer the friggin phone...I know its not for me")
I've got the "MY chess is in the sh*tter" Blues. Given all that is going on external to chess, I suppose its what I have to endure for now. I don't even have the energy to post the lost games from whoville. Maybe at some point I will in the posts.
Whoa is me.
Just staying afloat.
6 comments:
Hey GD. Slumps are the pits. I have been trying to violently headbutt my way out of my own slump for over a month. Fifteen games, 5 draws, 10 losses, almost all of the games played against lower-rated players. That was the streak, right? Then I had the big coming back to life party, beat a master, drew IM Vigorito rather compellingly, and was about ready to pop the cork on the champagne. Then back to earth: loss...loss... yeah. I think it's the peripheral stuff. It's bloody hard to be a full-time human being living a busy stressful life with a job and lots of other commitments and play chess well at the same time. Maybe you should focus in on those few rated games you get and try to really take it one game at a time. Prepare your theory and look over a bunch of full games straight through to the endgames in whatever system you think is likely to come up. Try to make your prep time really count. I don't know though, I'll get back to you when I figure it out myself...
Take a week off completely from chess, or if you can't get yourself to do so, engage in some vigorous physical exercise for a couple of days. It generally helps for me!
My friend I have been in a slump since Tucson. Not a big deal except that Tucson was in JULY! You just need to clear your mind. I think taking a week off is not a bad idea.
You may be playing poorly for you, but you are playing much better than most people ever will!
(Just to keep it in perspective).
Thanks all for the kind words. I will get through this as I have before.
I can relate! I feel like the last 2 years has been one gigantic slump! Having survived a 10 game losing streak that started with losing to 3 kids, I can tell you life does go on.
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