Hi,
Don't be so hard on yourself. This game can be pretty brutal sometimes but that's no reason for negative comments.
I suggest doing puzzles and just taking a break for a little while. You don't want to get burnt out! Don't be so hard on yourself!
-GC
Chess.com Moderator
I have 1200 in puzzles, it doesn't mean anything.
Doing chess puzzles is the equivalent to getting points for participating, but failing the homework, quizzes, and tests...who cares.
If I got a lobotomy, it wouldn't matter because I'd play just as horribly. I usually get destroyed by the ~10th move, and if I don't resign by then it's a drawn-out, humiliating defeat. People tell me to "have fun," but how can I have fun when I'm constantly regressing?
And it's not like I'm playing against super-geniuses or anything, I have a low ELO and I highly doubt everyone else I play is amazing. I'm just a moron. My ELO should probably be set in the negative range for life, I'm not going to get better, just worse. When people tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I can do right, I don't understand why I should make certain moves. It seems like I was dropped on my head when I was a baby and lack basic chess thinking.
I'd make smarter decisions in life by just burning my money instead of spending it on a membership here (thankfully not that much money to burn since I'm too dumb to get a good job).
You’re much closer to learning then you are closer to being too stupid for chess. This game can lift you up one day and easily humble you the next. Shoot, at our level it can be game-to-game. Hang in there!
If you don't really have any interest in trying to improve, you know where the exit is.
For how long are you playing the game? I've already uninstalled the app 100 times because I felt just like you do after each hard loss but something keeps bringing me back and it seems that improvement still happens, although very slowly. Like you, I'm convinced that I'm naturally not very good at chess and with the amount of work I've put in, someone else would probably achieve much more than I. But if you are interested in the game (and I presume you are because you keep playing it despite the negative experience of the losses) this shouldn't subtract from the enjoyment.
Look at the chess-playing talent like any other talent. When people are reminded how bad they are at music, art, sports etc... it usually doesn't cause them an existential crysis and don't feel worthless because of it. But some look at chess like it indicates the person's general capacity to do any intellectually demanding task, and that's just not true. It's a specific and pointless mental exercise which sole purpose is to be enjoyed.
For how long are you playing the game? I've already uninstalled the app 100 times because I felt just like you do after each hard loss but something keeps bringing me back and it seems that improvement still happens, although very slowly. Like you, I'm convinced that I'm naturally not very good at chess and with the amount of work I've put in, someone else would probably achieve much more than I. But if you are interested in the game (and I presume you are because you keep playing it despite the negative experience of the losses) this shouldn't subtract from the enjoyment.
Look at the chess-playing talent like any other talent. When people are reminded how bad they are at music, art, sports etc... it usually doesn't cause them an existential crysis and don't feel worthless because of it. But some look at chess like it indicates the person's general capacity to do any intellectually demanding task, and that's just not true. It's a specific and pointless mental exercise which sole purpose is to be enjoyed.
Well stated!
If you don't really have any interest in trying to improve, you know where the exit is.
Nope, I'm a moron, remember...you need to point me to the exit. Probably give me a guide and a handkerchief because I'll be drooling all over myself on the way out.
While we're at it, I was dumb enough to buy a membership, and I've had it for a few months so I doubt I'll get refunded. I'm too stupid to cut my losses and think "getting my money's worth" is a smart decision.
So just show me the exit and give me whatever I paid for the membership, then I'm gone.
If I got a lobotomy, it wouldn't matter because I'd play just as horribly. I usually get destroyed by the ~10th move, and if I don't resign by then it's a drawn-out, humiliating defeat. People tell me to "have fun," but how can I have fun when I'm constantly regressing?
And it's not like I'm playing against super-geniuses or anything, I have a low ELO and I highly doubt everyone else I play is amazing. I'm just a moron. My ELO should probably be set in the negative range for life, I'm not going to get better, just worse. When people tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I can do right, I don't understand why I should make certain moves. It seems like I was dropped on my head when I was a baby and lack basic chess thinking.
I'd make smarter decisions in life by just burning my money instead of spending it on a membership here (thankfully not that much money to burn since I'm too dumb to get a good job).
that's not so bad. i would need to double my IQ just to be rated a moron.
You are not too stupid, we all make mistakes. You have the account since November, that is not long at all.
First of all, if the game is hurting you in any way, it is best to not play it. Find something that will make you happy.
Second, I've looked at your last defeat, there are actually some positives here. I analyzed the game for you, I hope you will find it useful. I am sure the analysis is not perfect as I am not that strong but it will do:
Anyway, the game was lost by a blunder, you didn't mind your undefended piece. It happens, and it will still happen, but you must take your time. You've used a little more than a minute in this 15+10 game. You have to play slower than that.
Chin up man, chess should be fun, and in the end it is only a game (words that I need to implement myself from time to time 
). Try to make yourself feel better. All the best.
I had to lose thousands of games before I started winning over-the-board tournaments.
As unpleasant as it sounds, one tried and tested recipe for success is to cultivate the ability to go from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. Eventually... EVENTUALLY... you learn enough that the failures taper off and the successes take over.
Keep learning and practicing.... and keep the handkerchief for when the bleeding starts
You've won 40% of your rapid games. That's not bad, given that you are fairly new to the game.
If you don't really have any interest in trying to improve, you know where the exit is.
Nope, I'm a moron, remember...you need to point me to the exit. Probably give me a guide and a handkerchief because I'll be drooling all over myself on the way out.
While we're at it, I was dumb enough to buy a membership, and I've had it for a few months so I doubt I'll get refunded. I'm too stupid to cut my losses and think "getting my money's worth" is a smart decision.
So just show me the exit and give me whatever I paid for the membership, then I'm gone.
Nice response 😊
The doctor in the house only said that because we see too many complain without putting in the work and expecting immediate result.
Perhaps if you redirected the energy and creativity that went into your response into chess... Who knows? It's your journey.
Do tactics, forget endless opening theory, pick an opening as white and a defense as black and play them
Queen Gambit is easy and has some nice tricks , Sicilian Defense works ok against weaker players
lay games that give you enough time to not jum at the first move, sit on your hands until you find a good move then look a bit more you can always come back to that move , try to ask yourself why the opponent moved the last piece where he did.
If you don't enjoy the game it was a cheap lesson, most lessons in life are expensive
You are not too stupid, we all make mistakes. You have the account since November, that is not long at all.
First of all, if the game is hurting you in any way, it is best to not play it. Find something that will make you happy.
Second, I've looked at your last defeat, there are actually some positives here. I analyzed the game for you, I hope you will find it useful. I am sure the analysis is not perfect as I am not that strong but it will do:
Anyway, the game was lost by a blunder, you didn't mind your undefended piece. It happens, and it will still happen, but you must take your time. You've used a little more than a minute in this 15+10 game. You have to play slower than that.
Chin up man, chess should be fun, and in the end it is only a game (words that I need to implement myself from time to time ). Try to make yourself feel better. All the best.
I appreciate your analysis, and after watching various chess tutorial videos on YouTube, I have an idea of basic opening repertoire (control the center, get out minor pieces to good squares, castle if it makes sense, connect the rooks...etc).
If you look through my games you'll notice I have an opening style I like, which is basically e4/e5, king-side knight, king-side bishop, then d3/d6...or some variation of that depending on whatever factors (like if I'm black, and the opponent plays d4 or whatever).
Various tutorials I've watched say if the opponent gets the queen out too early or does too many queen moves (like in the analysis you've shown), not to get scared. So in that case, I was basically "ignoring" the white queen when possible, trying to just focus on development (or at least that was my mindset). But as you saw, the opponent owned me.
Other opponents who've owned me have also done "bad" moves like getting the queen out really early and turning the queen into Pac-Man, or wrecking me while mostly only moving pawns whereas my minor pieces are developed, I'm castled, and rooks are connected. Losing to players like that makes it even more frustrating, as I'm following what's supposed to be solid chess principles, and in the end I'm still getting destroyed.
Another issue I have is after developing minor pieces, castling, and connecting the rooks, it's like every square I see is defended pretty well — my opponent always has more defenders than I have attackers, so it's as if no matter what I do, I'm toast. My opponent has no holes, the defense is impregnable and it's my move...but all moves are bad. So it's like I'm going to lose no matter what as it'll end up going into an endgame where I'm ultimately at a material disadvantage.
Another issue I have is after developing minor pieces, castling, and connecting the rooks, it's like every square I see is defended pretty well — my opponent always has more defenders than I have attackers, so it's as if no matter what I do, I'm toast. My opponent has no holes, the defense is impregnable and it's my move...but all moves are bad. So it's like I'm going to lose no matter what as it'll end up going into an endgame where I'm ultimately at a material disadvantage.
In that sort of situation, you should choose a more modest short-term goal. Decide which of your pieces is the least active (or the most poorly placed) and improve its position.
This is a game, people, sometimes we win and sometimes we lose! Just accept this simple fact of life!
Looking at your results it seems you have lost only a few more games than you have won. You probably feel bad about your play because you realize you are playing poorly even when you win, victories coming when your opponent makes more mistakes than you do. Realize that this is true most of the time for most players, especially low-rated players, and that the measure of chess strength is how few and subtle your mistakes are.
You would probably benefit from reading some chess lessons designed for beginners. Figuring out how to play on your own, especially when your opponents are also playing poorly, would be a long and difficult process. Grandmasters have a great talent for the game and still spends countless hours studying chess in order to achieve and maintain their playing strength.
Siegebert Tarrasch (The Game of Chess) and Jose Capablanca (Primer of Chess, Chess Fundamentals) were world-champion caliber players who took pains to explain chess basics to new players. Check them out.
Well, as I've said you played the entire game in less than 2 minutes. That is too fast, there is no way you will come up with anything too great like that. That is speed chess which will not work for you. If you played slower, perhaps you wouldn't left you bishop hanging like that.
Your opening was pretty good, as I've said. You were a little bit better as black after the opening, which is great. He won because you left the undefended bishop and missed an easy tactic where he can exchange queens and then just take it which is a win if he plays well.
By the way, you didn't need to resign that early, on that level a minor piece isn't always a decisive advantage. But I understand that you were frustrated which is understandable.
As for not having a plan. The plan in most cases will not be like that - I have more attackers and I take something, I mean yes, someone might make a mistake, but in most cases you will have to work for it. How? By improving your position. You don't have to panic if you don't really have too much in the position. Look at what can you do, try to predict what the opponent will try to do and see if you have to respond. If not, perhaps your rook can be put on a semi open file, perhaps you want to double the rooks. Perhaps (like in this game, the opponent have an apparent weakness where he can't move his pawn, and it is a backward pawn that can be attacked. Or as I've described, maybe your plan is to put a knight on that outpost. In general, you want to improve your pieces and doesn't want to allow the same thing for your opponent.
If you have a comfortable position and your opponent doesn't, you will have some tactical shot sooner or later. But in order for all that, you'll have to see it. That is why everyone is saying tactics. It is not like you have to overdo it, you just have to try 5 puzzles a day but not to guess 5 puzzles a day, but to try really hard to solve them.
And you need to study about chess in general. You have a membership? Good, do lessons every week. Apart from that, see what is best for you. At this level YouTube content is great, you might learn many things. I have this for you, so I don't have to type too much in one message:
https://www.chess.com/blog/nklristic/the-beginners-tale-first-steps-to-chess-improvement
If you have the time to read, see how much of this you are doing.
If I got a lobotomy, it wouldn't matter because I'd play just as horribly. I usually get destroyed by the ~10th move, and if I don't resign by then it's a drawn-out, humiliating defeat. People tell me to "have fun," but how can I have fun when I'm constantly regressing?
And it's not like I'm playing against super-geniuses or anything, I have a low ELO and I highly doubt everyone else I play is amazing. I'm just a moron. My ELO should probably be set in the negative range for life, I'm not going to get better, just worse. When people tell me what I'm doing wrong and what I can do right, I don't understand why I should make certain moves. It seems like I was dropped on my head when I was a baby and lack basic chess thinking.
I'd make smarter decisions in life by just burning my money instead of spending it on a membership here (thankfully not that much money to burn since I'm too dumb to get a good job).