How to handle losing a chess game

How to handle losing a chess game

Hello Readers,

We train hard to improve at Chess to win more games, but we will regularly lose, so it becomes essential to figure out how to handle the emotions that arise when we lose a game!

We have all felt awful when we lose a game, and we are not sure what to do as we want to blame ourselves or someone else for losing the game, and it also affects our upcoming rounds in the tournament, creating a negative energy and loop.

So what can we do to be better prepared when we lose a game in our next tournament?

There is no foolproof method or a one-stop solution to handle this, but let me share a technique that would work well to better handle your emotions after losing a chess game.

Simulate your loss!

The biggest problem when we lose a game is the uncertainty that arises after the game and the emotions that cloud our judgment, and we end up making rash and stupid decisions at that moment.

How about we simulate that scenario ahead of time so we know what to do when we lose a game?

SOUNDS GENIUS, right? 

How to simulate?

Create a routine that you will do every time you lose a game. The routine could be something like this

1)Quick Analysis of the Game in your head or with the opponent

2)Save the game on your laptop, and save your on-game analysis thoughts on your computer

3)Having a great healthy meal to distract our thoughts from the loss

4)Pick an entertainment activity. It could be watching a comedy movie or comedy clips that would further distract you from the loss

Steps 3 and 4 must be pre-determined even before the start of the tournament! For example, you should be like ok I will eat the following particular menu (Ex. Thai Food, and I will get Yellow Curry or something, be that granular specific so that there is 0% uncertainty)

It would be best if you also had a playlist of clips or movies you would like to watch right after a loss, so there is no uncertainty in that aspect.

I suggest you watch comedies, not horror or other genres, as other genres might not help you distract you from your loss.

It would be best if you were not scrambling after the loss to decide which movie to watch, as that would be a waste of energy and might lead to more uncertainty in our thought process.

If you are not into watching movies, or so you could decide to take a nap for a specified duration (Ex 30-45 min) so that you can forget the previous round’s loss.

That’s what I wanted to share in this month’s newsletter! This Simulation of Loss helps you better handle your emotions after losing a game.

If you liked the suggestion, do share this blog with your friends and ask them to subscribe to the newsletter!

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