Hi! My name is Lucy and I am around 1200 USCF. I do a good amount of puzzles, hours of play, and study some endgames and openings. However, when I try to analyze one of my own games, I am always terrified of finding some crazy tactic I missed or a sneaky way to draw a losing endgame because then the game sticks in my brain for months or even years, and I sometimes even panic attacks while trying to analyze. I know this is my next big step to improvement, but this fear is really getting to me as a player. Does anyone relate and/or have some advice on how to handle this?
Chill out it's just a board game. You are old enough to realise this. Don't be kiddish. Man up
To me it's to laugh -- at myself. Whenever I do that kindof self-analysis I'll whisper quietly, "mirror, mirror on the wall," knowing full well that the mirror don't lie.
I like to find my mistakes, put them behind me. Someone once suggested that we are all born with some number of mistakes. The secret to success is to use them up as quickly as possible.
Somebody else said that the winner of a chess game is the one with the fewest mistakes. Always liked that perspective.
I like to find my mistakes, put them behind me. Someone once suggested that we are all born with some number of mistakes. The secret to success is to use them up as quickly as possible.
Somebody else said that the winner of a chess game is the one with the fewest mistakes. Always liked that perspective.
@Lucy2007 said in #1:
> Hi! My name is Lucy and I am around 1200 USCF. I do a good amount of puzzles, hours of play, and study some endgames and openings. However, when I try to analyze one of my own games, I am always terrified of finding some crazy tactic I missed
The same shyt, Lucy. Errare humanum est. It's in our human nature to make mistakes, since that's our payment for our free will. Computers do not miss because they are not just allowed to diverge from their code. So faq it and enjoy your freedom to move pieces right or wrong but on your own decision.
> Hi! My name is Lucy and I am around 1200 USCF. I do a good amount of puzzles, hours of play, and study some endgames and openings. However, when I try to analyze one of my own games, I am always terrified of finding some crazy tactic I missed
The same shyt, Lucy. Errare humanum est. It's in our human nature to make mistakes, since that's our payment for our free will. Computers do not miss because they are not just allowed to diverge from their code. So faq it and enjoy your freedom to move pieces right or wrong but on your own decision.
I think it's a matter of attitude. Being a student at university I discovered a way to not have any problems. I decided not to use the word "problem" anymore. I decided to use the word "challenge" instead. Perhaps, when analyzing your games, you could be motivated by all the knowledge you could acquire by researching the topics related to your mistakes in every game.
Yep, I no longer say that I'm doing Puzzles. Now I call em Opportunities.
But seriously OP, did you think that you were playing like Carlsen (immune from error)? All those "sneaky/crazy" things you missed could after all be looked upon as valuable lessons.
And if you buy a book of instruction, are you terrified by the thought of all the stuff in those pages that you don't know about? Jeez, I hope not--not a real fruitful approach to learning, I'd say.
Then again, maybe your anxiety stems from the notion that you feel like you're the only one out there making mistakes. lol Guess again! That damned Gadget is always demonstrating to me what a total patz I am...
And if you buy a book of instruction, are you terrified by the thought of all the stuff in those pages that you don't know about? Jeez, I hope not--not a real fruitful approach to learning, I'd say.
Then again, maybe your anxiety stems from the notion that you feel like you're the only one out there making mistakes. lol Guess again! That damned Gadget is always demonstrating to me what a total patz I am...
@Lucy2007 said in #1:
> I am always terrified of finding some crazy tactic I missed or a sneaky way to draw a losing endgame because then the game sticks in my brain for months or even years
Shouldn't that be exactly what people want? (So that they don't miss the same opportunity again next time.)
@Cedarviolin said in #3:
> Someone once suggested that we are all born with some number of mistakes. The secret to success is to use them up as quickly as possible.
The version I know is: "An expert is a person who already made all known mistakes in certain field." (With unspoken "...and learned from them", of course.)
> I am always terrified of finding some crazy tactic I missed or a sneaky way to draw a losing endgame because then the game sticks in my brain for months or even years
Shouldn't that be exactly what people want? (So that they don't miss the same opportunity again next time.)
@Cedarviolin said in #3:
> Someone once suggested that we are all born with some number of mistakes. The secret to success is to use them up as quickly as possible.
The version I know is: "An expert is a person who already made all known mistakes in certain field." (With unspoken "...and learned from them", of course.)
Hi, Lucy!
Your profile says you also play violin. Analyzing your games is quite like recording your performance and listening to it afterwards. It is indeed a terrifying experience, but you will discover some mistakes you won't repeat.
There is no shame in mistakes, even GMs make blunders that we could understand (look at move 55 by Wesley So, letting the pawn go ahead: lichess.org/broadcast/champions-chess-tour-finals-2023/title-match-1-game-3/pjyXCZV8 ).
For me, the key is not so much reviewing mistakes just because is "the right thing to do", but having a structured plan to learn from them. I think delaying the review some days or weeks could help. Maybe take a quick look first, tag the mistake like "missed fork", "poor endgame", "hanging piece", etc... and write a note to review it later.
Your profile says you also play violin. Analyzing your games is quite like recording your performance and listening to it afterwards. It is indeed a terrifying experience, but you will discover some mistakes you won't repeat.
There is no shame in mistakes, even GMs make blunders that we could understand (look at move 55 by Wesley So, letting the pawn go ahead: lichess.org/broadcast/champions-chess-tour-finals-2023/title-match-1-game-3/pjyXCZV8 ).
For me, the key is not so much reviewing mistakes just because is "the right thing to do", but having a structured plan to learn from them. I think delaying the review some days or weeks could help. Maybe take a quick look first, tag the mistake like "missed fork", "poor endgame", "hanging piece", etc... and write a note to review it later.
Yea; @Lucy2007 That's what you WANT . You WANT to be 'looking' at your games & jumping out of bed & screaming I missed That ! well let's check that out . Many years ago' that meant going to the coffee table in the Living Room at 4am . So you're on the Right Track ! Now u know u might just love chess so Study Play Play Study @Lucy2007
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