Chess Motivation

As a DIY improver it can be pretty hard to keep up the motivation. There are tricks, e.g. “form a group”, “talk about it in public”, “follow a strict plan”, “surround yourself with masters” but we all know that it’s not easy especially when the results don’t come. Nobody expects to improve much in 3 or 6 months but what about 1 year? Or 3? How much dedication is needed to master the game?

It’s so easy to fall into a fruitless cycle. You think that with everything you have read and studied you should be much (at least 100 or 200 ELO points) stronger so you feel disappointed when you lose against better players. On the other hand winning against weaker players is no real challenge and you don’t get much joy because they are not on the same level. Don’t be like that!

Be proud of your achievements!

Every game must be won no matter how weak your opponent is so be happy with your good result and have others cheer for you. Allow yourself to feel good.

Treat every game as a lesson that brings you closer to mastery, and be grateful for that.

Of course everyone wants to win but the opponent wants the same and you cannot guarantee a victory. Instead use the opportunity to identify a weakness so that you can work on it in your future training.

In my first game this year for instance I ran into time trouble twice. This made me lose game #1 despite having winning and drawing chances, and I had to settle with a draw after messing up my winning chances in game #2. Strict time management became the rule of the day and this truly helped to play better in the following games.

Blunders are another typical problem. Keeping up the concentration after 2-3 hours is easy for some and harder for others. It’s important to find an anti-dote, a mental reminder that will slow you down when you are about to make a sub-par move. Tournament players are quite good these days and chances are low that you can recover easily.

What helped you most in your chess career?

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