lichess.org
Donate

Which external factors have an influence on your success in chess?

As for me:

- I play very badly whenever I am tired or exhausted.
- I play EXTREMELY badly whenever I am disappointed because of losing the previous game (sometimes this turns into a vicious circle as I continue playing in order to "save" my rating even though I know that I should take a break)
- I simply can't play chess and drink at the same time. I don't even need to be tipsy, but according to my impression even 2 or 3 beers make my ELO drop 200 points as I make hilarious blunders, don't know why :) So for some reason I can't play chess and have a beer at the same time
- I often have winning streaks, so if I win one game, I will also win the next game just because I am in a good mood..

Have you made the same experiences or do you always play chess on the same level, no matter under which circumstances you play? ;)
Sleep and tiredness have a big impact. Even when I feel perfectly fresh despite not having got enough sleep, what happens in my blitz games shows that it does have a noticeable effect on my mental alertness and speed of thought.
For me it is losing a game that was totally winning for me. I keep thinking about what I should have done and I get distracted from by current game.
If my cats sit on my laptop it really doesn't help. Or when the phone goes... otherwise I usually win :D
Definitely sleep is an important factor. Sometimes, even if I'm well rested and focused, I will need a warm-up depending on how recently I've played chess.

I find that sometimes when I am on a winning streak, I will get too comfortable and then I blunder. You have to stay grounded, even if you are doing well.
Being overly comfortable is problematic for me. I'll be doing some puzzles or tactics and when I get a dozen or so in a row correct, I get overly confident and may start to miss things. That's usually when I end up blundering 4-5 times in a row. I have to tell myself to focus and slowly count to 10 while looking at the board before even considering a move.

Sometimes it happens in a game when I calculate a few variations of a line and like what I see. I'll quickly rush into it, assuming my opponent is following the same line. Then they might play something I wasn't expecting. It happens while playing in longer games, especially. Just have to force myself to slow down and think after every single move - even if it's a position I looked at a few moves earlier.
Walking in the woods give positive effects on my play. When I do less physical exercises, my game quality really decrease (maybe some 100 elo points). Besides physical training, playing environment may also have a big impact on my games. I noticed that my games are better when everyone went to sleep in my house. The problem is me too also get sleepy in this great playing environment. Great Rothbard always used nights great advantage on silence and deep concentrations. He knew it except he was not a chess master, but a great writer.
Lately I suspected that my mental disposition is affecting my chess games. All the above commentaries confirmed my suspicion that my mood is affecting me. It is like something is gnawing you at the back of my mind. Very good for bring up this topic, mirlife. Thank You friends for sharing your thought.

This topic has been archived and can no longer be replied to.