chess online
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rookie879 26-Jun-10, 10:26 |
 Advice for slumping players |
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Enjoyment can help relieve some of that stress. When you are in a tailspin, some of the enjoyment is sucked right out of you and will often exacerbate a feedback mechanism that makes the situation much worse. You need to find a way to break the cycle. |
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Try and get your confidence up again? |
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Want to improve your play?Stop eating any fast foods and no McDonalds or Burger King! Yes,thats right!Eating brain foods will improve your overall brain health,improve motor neuron connectivity and simply give you overall better cognitive ability.That is one of my secrets,atleast.So you don't eat these junk foods?Then ok,forget what I just said and concentrate on what is mentioned above my post.But most players cannot avoid eating junk foods.But if you can avoid them for atleast a few months,I firmly believe that you will see yourself play better games,and get yourself out of that slump!Hate wild Salmon?Try to learn to love it!Its one of the best "brain foods" on Earth! Check the list here on which foods to eat and the ones NOT to eat. Best chess play involves deep brain functions.Nurture your brain and improve your play! www.increasebrainpower.com Good luck! |
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4mind4life.com Berries like blueberries(fresh)and the other berries listed are also a super nourishment for the brain and your chess game.And if anyone says..."well they have fish sandwiches at McDonalds"...sorry,no good!That fried and oily mess combined with the heat and that type of fish does NOT contain the nutrients your brain wants and needs to improve. So,eating properly comes way before looking at some database,book or other strategies. |
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maca 27-Jun-10, 09:52 |
Now if you want to improve your rating here, considered reducing the number of games you're playing. Also, your average time per move, 1.5 hours, is pretty quick. Try to spend a bit more time on an individual position. Regards, MaCa. |
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So,1400-1500 seems ok to me and your right maca,rookie879 is probably not in the slump as much as he thinks he is.But like I mentioned above,nutrition can help alot,along with reducing the # of games ect.But if you can't think as clearly about moves because of a bad diet(and quite alot of research has been done on this issue,even with chess),then in reality,as a foundation and base ladder to other issues,I would rate diet above # of games and other issues that anyone can think of in this forum.For example what good would the best chess books do for a player,if that player shows disinterest,or less cognition in understanding the books because of poor diet?Believe me,those who do not take these diet issues seriously,are simply deluding themselves.Now,a young player like rookie879 will find it much harder to stick to a brain tuned diet,this I understand,but if he combined atleast a good number of those foods listed with an occassional "Big Mac"then atleast there is better hope in improving chess play as well as other life issues. Even Fischer ate Herring at the Spassky match!!!Yes,its true! Hmmmm...good,brain food! |
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baronderkilt 27-Jun-10, 12:59 |
if its worked till now |
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On a side note,there has been research done by several leading scientists and Medical Universities between USA grade school and High School students doing much more poorly(in the last decade or so) in their test grades and overall concentation and cognitive abilities directly linked to guess what?............Diet.The fast food industry is not only making many of us more obese,but the fats,high calories,artificial ingredients and more are clogging up some of the synapses of the brain!Yes,drugs and alcohol will do this too,but according to the reports I have read,the bad US diets far outweigh the other two factors! Take for example,a chess player that cannot possibly concentrate for long periods of time on just 10 games.So he plays 100 games and takes 15 seconds to make a move decision and goes on to the next game.The question remains....Does he need all these games because he becomes bored too easily,and needs to respond quickly,or is it because he really cannot "concentrate"for too long and look deeply into the game,for improved play?And the second question then would be...if he cannot "concentrate"for too long a period of time,even if it is 3 games,then why?There are many possibilities,but guess what?.....Diet can be at the root of the problem!!!I have a degree in Psychology and know these things. So eat your double cheeseburgers while laughing at my post,in the meantime,i'll eat my acai berries and move up to 16th place on the GK list! |
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I sometimes use a specific type of vanilla candle to help me think. When the guy who sold me the candles told me about it, I thought he was full of it. But I liked the aroma and bought them anyway. When I actually tried it, I noticed a significant improvement in my ability to write when burning one. It helps for any form of creative thinking. Tasks typically took half the amount of time for the same amount of work. The key is to not be overpowering and it should be a calming, soothing scent. Other flavors might work. Not all vanillas are equal. So you need to be picky and find one that works for you. |
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Any food high in preservatives is going to be bad. That means canned food can be far worse than any junk food you might occasionally partake. Typically, junk food is not bad for you because of what it is...but rather what they put into it to keep it (supposedly) fresh. Chocolate is typically considered a junk food. Yet in moderate amounts, dark chocolate has proven to have many positive effects on thinking ability. Not everyone likes chocolate, so the effect will vary from one person to the next. Too much of anything can be bad. Some items are bad even in small amounts. These include most carbonated drinks. Sodas with caffeine might allow you to stay awake longer, but you will crash. The long-term effects are going to be negative. Hopefully you can use common sense to guide you through all the TMI (too much information) available on-line on the subject. |
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baronderkilt 27-Jun-10, 22:23 |
I like Vanilla too ... |
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There are other, chessic, things.... I've had a look at rooki879, his profile, in particular the ratings graph. Pretty much a roller-coaster ride, highs of c.1600 (achieved more than once); lows of 1400 or less. That indicates, I suspect, a problem of consistency. Sometimes onto it, at other times not. Motivation can affect consistency; as can diet, sleeping habits - all sorts of exogenous factors (by which I mean factors having nothing to do with chess). I don't fully subscribe to one's 'real' strength being assessed as an average over some period of time. That rookie879 has reached 1600 two or three times strongly indicates a potential to reach that level again, and to maintain something close to that level, instead of falling away again. But it is maintaining that level that's the trick. You might have to look at he way you are playing the game. Try and figure out what you are (have been) doing on the upswings that is different from your practice on the down-turns. If you find that your level of interest - your competitive spirit - seems to you stronger on the upswings, you might find that those are the times you are putting in more effort, thinking about the moves more, better assessing your chances and those of your opponent. All these are general ideas that might be investigated before looking at your chess strengths and weaknesses. Cheers, Ion |
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Other reasons for 1400 to 1600 rating swings can be a matter of something not as controllable all the time...A.D.D. But putting those factors aside...playing too many games(at one time) is definitely not a good idea.Well,some can handle it better than others,depending upon ones lifestyle,free time ect.But if you have alot of other activities going on,school work,chores and more,then minimizing the game load factor is going to atleast increase the probability of playing a better game against your opponents.One player on this site had a massive time-out not long ago,due,in my opinion to too many games...playing in excess of 100 at one time.He lost,if I remember correctly,about 200 rating points!And even if it was not due to the amt of games or some other factor,timing out on less games would be better than dozens!Now,this player is doing the same thing over again and averaging almost 70 time-outs a year.He most likely will end up losing massive amts of points again.Play less games...it better for qualitative play over quantitative play. Getting back breifly to the food thing...I actually improved several players ratings at the Marshall Chess Club by holding a mini seminar on food vs chess play.One guy was eating at the Golden arches several times a day and 2 buffets on the weekends!After giving him a strict diet that he first hated,but then learned to love,his game play in tournaments dramatically increased in strength!I know this to be true,because he was at 1800 for 20 years.In 3-6 months after the diet kicked in he went from 1800 to 2200!And no,he was NOT coached by anyone,nor did he read any kind of chess books ect ect!Wow! |
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food moderation? I guess fruits in general work as well? |
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So,if you eat wildcaught salmon or a nice salad with olive oil,and later that day or the next day you eat a Big Mac,Fries,milkshake and go to Sonic and have a huge lovely ice cream sundae dripping in wonderful hot fudge,covered in tasty nuts,dried fruits,cherries and a half of can of whipped cream...you might as well forget about the salmon or any other thing on the lists above! You mentioned fruits,like oranges.Yes,those are good.But research has shown that the pure juice of the fruit is actually better for your brain,than the actual whole fruit,as long as its "from concentrate" and not watered down.Most people believe the opposite,but recent research has proved otherwise. Well,i'm leaving this string,too much talk about diets in a forum designed for openings and tactics.Seems somewhat out of place.I suppose there should be a "general discussion about anything"forum string instead....then we can discuss all the oranges you want! Bye, TA |
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Getting sleepy! TA |
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If you drink tea, preferably it should be unsweetened. Too much processed sugar is bad for brain and body health. The sugar substitutes are equally undesirable too. Just drink water whenever possible. Don't drink diet stuff. It only queues your body to crave more and mess with your body chemistry. You cannot go wrong with a cold glass of filtered water. |
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rookie879 28-Jun-10, 21:46 |
What I've eaten today. To drink, 2 bottles of Water,a Gatorade, and a glass of Orange Juice Anything wrong? |
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baronderkilt 28-Jun-10, 21:52 |
Sit-up straight and walk with a (Chess-)book on your head~! |
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baronderkilt 28-Jun-10, 22:08 |
BTW ... *** I did that for my otb tournament games a long time ago and found that move 18 was by far my most common move for an error (other than right before time control ending), and I had an error range between 18 & 22. Move 26 was one other for me to watch out for. From 8-11 I would often be unhappy with my position, tho largely a subjective feeling. But from 12-16 I would usually have advantage. *** Just knowing that info, I began to circle move 18 as a reminder and start using extra care there. Oddly it was not greatly dependent upon what opening I was playing. Perhaps all mine tend to gel near the same moves. *** It just makes sense that you must know what is wrong with your game before you can fix it with any kind of efficiency. |
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baronderkilt 28-Jun-10, 22:12 |
BTW, PS ... |
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Advice for slumping players focus on your game in the right frame of mind. Not rushed, nor distracted - just focussed on each move and each game as if it is the only move, the only game. Carefully find the right move - then stop and explore the better one - it's always there! Play each game as if it were the final. When the game is over - go back and examine what happened. I see you do a lot of annotation - this is good. I find the GK post game computer analysis invaluable and try to analyse every game I play. Its scary to see the inaccuracies, mistakes and blunders I make even in the games I win - let alone loose. I see you have analysed only two games - savillesr and caknight - go over them again - there are many lessons waiting there. I analysed the last game you played against banned1 - you lost this game but you were three moves from mate on move 45. Why did you make that move? I see on your post you view chess as a science and an art -we all believe that- but I suppose you must want to win enough - like your Minnesota Vikings and focus on that. You registered in March 2008 - no longer a rookie? - maybe time to change your name to M Viking? |
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Going from 1530 to 1455... |
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rookie879 07-Jul-10, 06:22 |
going from 1400 to 1540 |
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baronderkilt 07-Jul-10, 13:09 |
btw Other things take more explaining. For EG you cant live vs a pawn roller. Takes a bit of explaining multiple stategies (Center strike, Opp wing counter, or defense) And practice. BTW those are given in my own preferential order. [When I first came to GK I was missing B-N5 moves repeatedly. And it was costing me at a time I was making a Serious effort to get over 2100 provisional; until taking those T/O's. (eg ccmcacollister vs coyotefan, I am objectively lost imo at the timeout due to d6, despite superficial counterplay. Passed up drawish lines early. But Bg5 oversight started the downfall)  game Figured out it was simply the Vertical nature of the monitor view vs 30 years of board view. But simply knowing did not solve the problem, stangely. (REal Bad shachistica-amourosis!? You know what I mean) The solution was pretty humbling. To actually check B moves every move. Even for a work intensive player, well a formerly work intensive player ha, this is a bit yuk. But you got to pay your dues. Those who dont should not complain nor expect improvement by osmosis imho ] }8-) Unless of course you are Magnus Carlson ... we all know He never works on Chess )) |
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baronderkilt 07-Jul-10, 13:15 |
What ? |
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food for the brain, rookie 879, if you sincerely want to improve your chess Well, it has been a year since you began this thread with the plea: <"I am in a tailspin and I can't seem to get out of it? What can I do to muster up to 1600 again?"> It has been a year since you have received advice about burning candles and eating berries. Maybe you took the well-meaning advice, maybe not. Your current rating, to the extent it indicates your goal, is not the 1600 to which you aspired, but below 1500. I suggest the food you need is food for your brain. In looking over your recent losses, I prescribe the following book, based on the way you play, if you sincerely want to improve your chess: TACTICAL CHESS EXCHANGES by Gennady Nesis . |
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rookie879 14-Jul-11, 13:19 |
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right, if you don't play the moves, you can't win, but first you need to want to play the moves CHESS PRAXIS by Aron Nimzovich. |
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