The Final Push | Road to FM

If playing chess has taught me anything, it's that with hard work and determination, anything is possible. It wasn't an easy journey, but after 6 years of perseverance, I achieved my National Master Title. Throughout my short chess career, I have learned that while skill is an obvious determining factor in chess, it is not the only one. After all, we've all seen upsets before, right? How does a lower-rated player defeat a much stronger opponent? Many times, other factors came into play and affected the performance of both players, besides the raw ability of both players. Today, I'm going to discuss a very important part of chess: Psychology.

Let's say we have two players sit down at a chess board. What will determine the winner?

Obviously, skill is a large aspect of chess. A 1800 rated player simply beats a 800 rated player because he knows more about the game. However, let's assume that both players are about the same rating/skill level. How can a game be won, if both players are of almost the exact same skill level? The answer is: the mindset of each player during the game. Does one player want to play for a draw? How is each player feeling? Are they tired? Is this the last round, where many players just want to go home after a long, exhausting tournament? What about the environment around the players? How does each player react to normal distractions such as a baby crying or a man spilling water on their table? All of these are factors during a chess game, and I think it's equally as important to improve your mindset as it is to improve your raw skill when playing chess.

Sometimes, you're just too tired at the end of a chess tournament!

Mindset

I apologize for using the term "mindset", as it is kind of misleading here. I just couldn't really think of a better word, so bear with me.  What I mean by "mindset" is how you go into a game and perform well. So I'm not really talking about stuff like telling yourself that "I can beat my opponent!" before the game, but rather how you prepare yourself for a game.

I believe that the biggest determining factor in a game with two players of similar skill levels is determination.

Why determination?

Many times, people don't achieve something not because they can't make it, but rather because they think they can't make it. If a person is determined, they believe in themselves and feel that they can reach their goal, even if it is an unrealistic goal in reality. However, this mindset will allow you to achieve things you never would have thought were possible. It's the power of the mind:

Here's a recent example of how determination helped me make the FINAL PUSH to achieve a milestone that had eluded me for quite some time.

Ever since becoming a titled player, more and more people have become jealous of me. And that's completely normal! People were jealous of me was because I was a NM, and they weren't. However, some people pointed out that my bullet rating was relatively low compared to other titled players. At the time, it was only 2340. Apparently, this was too low for a National Master, and I received quite a lot of criticism for it.  However, I decided to use this as an incentive for me to improve myself. Sure, it doesn't really matter what my bullet rating is, right? I know that I am of National Master skill level, but I might as well take this opportunity to challenge myself anyways! Who says I can't reach 2400 bullet? I became more and more determined to break this barrier.

This is the moment in the story where I'm supposed to go: And then I grinded super hard for 8 long hours, went through a lot of blood, sweat, and tears, and finally made it! But in reality, I broke 2400 in less than 2 hours of playing bullet!

Why? Determination. I was determined to break this goal. I focused on nothing except playing one good move after another, and winning games. I wanted to win more than my opponents, which led to me putting up a fantastic performance and crossing 2400!

I hope you can see why I'm a firm believer in the quote above. It's not like I haven't tried to break 2400 bullet before. But with this new challenge, this drive to prove to myself that I am as good as I know I am, I was able to break a record that had eluded me for so long.

Conclusion

If you are stuck, it may not be a problem of skill level. Sometimes, you just need to change your mindset! Determination can go a long way.  Remember what I said at the start of this blog post!

With hard work and determination, anything is possible - EnergeticHay

Finally, here is an awesome quote to finish this post off. Hopefully it inspires you to work more determinedly!