Discipline in Correspondence Chess, Part 6

Plateau Season

For several months now, I had seen my rating settle in a range. Despite a conscious effort to produce games of better quality, the aspect of strategy seems to escape me. There is a certain numbness that creep in one's game after playing day after day. You become inattentive, even careless. The ratings and game results show it. And no one else knows more about what's happening than yourself, as you review your games and see how you could have won some but blundered your way and lose.

I suppose that no player is immune to this. It has probably occurred to even the better players at one point or another. And I suppose it's even more acute and pronounced in cc than otb chess. For one, cc games can drag on for weeks, your attention shifting from one game state to another, with one or two moves for each of your several games interspersed within the day. In contrast to the more concentrated type of play in otb, where outcomes can be determined within hours, and definitely within the day.

Minus the "distractions" of one's daily life (or inspite of it), in its purest sense the main cause has to be one's concentration aka mental toughness and discipline. Better players are able to discipline themselves to keep on standing where others have already fallen and let down their guard. They can allow for "off" days and probably not make moves. Or probably limit moves to more or less "harmless" ones, which would include those games wehere there are currently no other alternative moves or essentially a build-up in the opening game. And yet they can coax themselves out of a prolonged "slump". (I am making these assumptions based on what I observe other athletes do in other sports. I would surmise that this is the case for chess players also. An alternative view, if any, is appreciated from the reader).

Like I had usually intimated in previous articles on this series, recognizing the problem is oftentimes more than halfway of getting it solved. Recognizing your current state will allow you to make a better decision of how to approach your games. A day or two away from them all is sometimes all that is needed to come back refreshed and energized. A conscious mindset in front of the boards is another way of "being there". Pacing your games and not hurrying to make moves in so many games can usually bring quality results. And yet, we should not lose sight of the fact that we play chess to enjoy and to learn at the same time. If you feel compelled to make a move, it's usually a sign you should put it off, maybe even for just a few hours (for cc at least you can do that). You may probably end up making a better move and enjoy your game better, maybe even gain the upper hand! And yet, "slumps" is something that we should conciously strive to gain control over.

Like many things in life, playing chess is a paradox: you don't enjoy it half as much as when you are taking it seriously, but you can't perform half as well as when you recognize it's just a game.

Good game everyone!

Part 7 here
Part 5 here
Start of series here