I disagree completely honestly. Sometimes players just get on streaks. This isn't exactly a new concept in competitive games. Sometimes you just aren't "yourself." I was just trying to say that I do have weaknesses however at the moment I don't believe my rating reflects my capability, but ok w/e I guess I'll just have to get off this streak to prove it...
Everyone has been in a position where they have lost 200 points because they were just not themselves. I was trying to start a discussion that explores this topic as it relates to chess, but instead I feel like half of my posts are me defending myself.
"I feel like half of my posts are me defending myself."
You are defending yourself because you are defensive, and you are the one who brought up the fact that your rating is lower than your ability.
I certainly know that people have streaks, both good and bad.
As I told you on the first page, "it's darkest before the dawn"...Often my losing streaks are followed by wins.
when you're in a bad streak the most likely reason is that you're actually playing badly and tilting off. if that's the case, it will just fix itself over the next days without you having to worry about it, been there already myself way too many times
What goes up, must come down.
Spinning wheel, spinning round. :)
1000 lichess points for me :S. I bet I have the greatest drop in the shortest amount of time. :P
There is a natural ebb and flow to be sure that we all experience to be sure. Sometimes I play people who just keep playing after many losses. My rating then goes up unnaturally. Sometimes there are much higher ranked guys who like me or my play. I lose points for the benefit of playing better players. And many times I just play badly and that's my strength that day. And then some people just have my number even on my good days. There is no shame in having a certain rating considered not so good. The only shame for me is not enjoying the game, the people, and not working every now and then to learn a little to try to get a bit better. For years my online rating was stuck below 1600. I still played but just sporadically. Last summer I spent a lot of time going through a couple of tactics books and after years experimented with my opening repertoire for blitz. I picked up ideas I cannot unlearn that are now reflected in a bit better rating.
Though your rating here even at its highest is that of someone at the beginning of learning. I don't know if you play slower games somewhere else. I see you've only played 5 games at the classical level. The first time I got the chess bug almost 20 years ago I played a lot of blitz in a local park. I got better but an experienced tournament player with a master blitz USCF rating told me that my ability to grow would be limited if I didn't take time to become a club player. I resisted his advice for awhile. But then I joined a great club for people like me. I had to write my moves down and afterwards stronger players went through my game explaining ideas in a way that computer analysis doesn't do. They showed options and gave the why for certain ideas. I learned how much I didn't know and was exposed to a whole new world when I went to tournaments with friends. In time I got a bit better and more experienced players strongly recommended playing 2 slow games weekly for steady improvement over time. I followed the advice until I got tired of studying. If you've never been a club/tournament player then I recommend it highly to you and to anyone who really wants to improve. Use this link to find out about local clubs in your area if you're in the USA:
http://www.uschess.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=198 While I pass this on I'm content to be a blitz patzer! Best
It's very normal to have loosing streaks, it's also normal to have winning streaks. I get them all the time. It's a mind set. Grandmasters prepare themselves for important matches. I'm not sure who it was who said he prepares himself like in making sure he sleeps well, doesn't have any worries so he can focus 100 %, even things like eating ok, focusing on the right mind set etc etc. If I'm tired I loose a lot, and it can be just as simple as having to play for the sake of playing that makes you loose. Sometimes I can correct myself by just kicking myself out of submission and wake up and concentrate and try something different in a studied opening
Study is important. I used to play e2 e4 and after 5 years or so I decided that there are far to many complicated black replies so now I only play d2 d4 as white and play the London regardless, and now the black reply are easier to control. Kasper of played the London when he was young but then gave up on it. For people my strength the london contains a lot of unexplored territory !!