Ability to control emotion!

Chess is bi-polar if you let it! It can force you to react or act, defend and calculate. Which rules YOU in chess...emotion, logic, or a little bit of both? 

I have recently decided that chess is so logical, yet extremely emotional for a serious player.  For example, I play 27 great chess moves against a 2100+ player in a 3 min. blitz match...the moves were so good for me, that after I tactically accomplished my goals against such a great player...I got emotional HAPPINESS.

I blunder...Immediatly after giving a great player a battle for 27 good moves.  I bulnder immediatly because my emotional mindset switched in a fraction of a second...One instance I am all powerful doing well...another I feel emotionaly controlled like a puppet.  I think in chess, I will have to conquer this emotional baggage. 

I can imagine tournament play...how much more emotion and tension there must be.  My first tournamt will be in the spring. The topic of this forum post...is to ask a question. 

What is the best way to contain all emotion, and or distractions during a competitive chess match?  Comments, are all appreciated.

James

During competitive chess, you can not always contain the events going on around you but you can choose how to react to distractions.  Unless you are by nature a calculating person who isn't emotional, you should use your emotions in chess.

I have recently read "The art of learning" by Josh Waitzkin and he talks about using your emotions to your advantage. Unless you are by nature a calculating person who isn't emotional, you should use your emotions in chess.

Distractions are inevitable in all matters of life. Rather than working against the distractions, you can work with them. For example, great sportsman take inspiration from adversity and use it to inspire themselves to win. If kibitzing distracts you, you can either get flustered about it or integrate it into your environment. If your opponent is playing loud music which distracts you, think to the rhythm of the music.

Blundering is an inevitable part of chess and the best way to avoid them is to maintain presence and always check your moves.

In dealing with performace psychology, I'd reccomend reading The Art of learning as it deals with all of the issues you have touched on.

I hope this helps

U both make nice comments.  The emotion side is where people go on losing streaks, & fall n2 slumps.  I play on the clock; which is the ultimate distraction; it makes me sharper!  Blundering boils my blood because, it gives my opponent a sense of accomplishment, that they haven't earned!  Talk about emotions... !

Recent tournament, I played a guy and blundered a pawn in the first 10 moves.  On the board beside me, same story.  After I realized I was going to lose a pawn I re-focused and prepared for the new game ahead and became determined to put up the toughest moves.  Beside me, a player who was in the same predicament, was visibly upset, and he started to move very fast.  Soon he was down a piece, then two pieces, and that game was over in 30 minutes.  I ended up drawing mine about 5 hours later :)

Of course it doesn't always work out so well, but there is definitely an emotional aspect to it.  I believe one reason I was able to draw was because my opponent became cocky in the endgame (I never re-gained material).  Part of tournament chess is finding the most crushing continuations... especially when you're winning.  If you pressure a weaker player they'll often find very good moves out of necessity, it's good to keep the same kind of urgency even when you're winning.

There's really no way to prepare this other than practice it.  Like Estragon said you'll find out what works for you.  If I feel myself getting too emotional, I'll distance myself from the game by recalling a good or calm memory or zooming out... visualizing myself in that room from above, then the building, then the city.  Anything that momentarily makes the event seem small in comparison, then re-focus and get right back into it :)

So they allow doping in chess, do they?