Blunders and tilt

I was watching a video series by IM John Bartholomew(which I really recommend, as I find it super instructive) where he plays against players in the ranges of up to 1000, 1000-1200,1200-1400,1400-1600,1600-1800, and 1800-2000 respectively on chess.com in seperate videos. I found myself doing very well after watching them(I don't want to sound like another one of those 'silver bullet ads' but that's what happened to me.It could have a different result for you) since I noticed that many players in my level(at that time it was in the higher 1100s.) blunder against him and that he simply knew how to punish them for any tactical opportunities that had not been accounted for, so I found that the so called 'big trick' was to play the game correctly with moves that don't compromise any material(correct moves as in moves with purpose that actually help your position the right way. No I'm not talking about 1.h3) while also checking that my opponent fails to do the same.This worked with him all the way to the 1600-1800 range(although I must say that players at the 1800-2000 rating range are not immune either. I think if I remember correctly, the first player he faced in that range ended up blundering too.)

After my rating skyrocketed to 1300 with this strategy, I played one guy at the 1457 rating or something, I lost an ending where I was two pawns up, which demoralized me, and he whooped me several times after 2 more rematches. I was enthralled to see that I was the one blundering after careful play. 

This brings me to the concept of tilt. Tilt, in video gaming terms, is when a player goes on a set of losing streaks due to the demotivation and frustration that comes from your first few losses. This phenomenon is recurring in many video games and happens in chess as well.

So what is the solution? From the videos that I've been watching about tilt, the solution is to take a break from chess for a little bit. That could probably reduce your blunders and help you last much longer in your games  than you would be with the smiley face turned upside down.

While breaks can be the solution for tilt, what would be a more direct solution to preventing blunders? I'd like to hear your thoughts in the comments and tell me what did and did not work out for you .

what i do may not work for you, but play a few and take a break.

There is tilt mode during the game not just after a lost. Chess is psyhological game. Battle of minds. I will demonstrate with a game.

stop playing video games and focus on chess.

some treat games on the computer still as video games

i don't just play chess online. i do play OTB chess as well. when i mean video games i mean stuff like call of duty not noughts and crosses.

Even though this is a very old OP

Yeah, that's basically how it works.

There are 3 basic checks after they move

1) can I win anything immediately? if no, then
2) are they threatening to win something immediately? if no, then
3) Imagine your candidate move as if it's been made, and check if they can win anything immediately in response.

In between check 2 and 3 you should find a sensible candidate move.

I made a post about it
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/a-way-to-stop-hanging-pieces-to-simple-tactics

of course

you mean it that way, nethertheless chess on a screen is also treated as a video game.

and your point is????

it's like me saying eat vegetables like broccoli and tomatoes. and also eat fruit like apples and grapes and then you say 'actually tomatoes are fruit not veg so there' that doesn't mean you shouldn't eat tomatoes.

to transfer that into this example my point was focus on chess and defer from playing video games like call of duty. and you say chess online is a video game. does that mean you shouldn't play chess. no. maybe chess online but not chess in general. 

You r taking things way too seriously. You've got my point. Eat it or forget it.

tilt is the worst threat

jan 10 2024