It sneaks up on you

Sometimes- The competitive fire, desire to improve, intense concentration, hundreds of tactics exercises, hundreds of games, a satisfying, steady rise in one's rating, then one day it happens; 20 months without a break, and the concentration vanishes, a string of losses to lower rated opponents pile up, and it's time to face the truth - burnout, it sneaks up on you. Damn...I wish I wasn't born with the need to prove something to myself, but it's who I am. There's some comfort in knowing this is not uncommon. Taking a month or so away from chess. There's always home projects, I suppose.

Just had to tell someone. 😕

@mchill

Play some slow games here. 😉

I will echo your sentiments exactly. I took all of 2021 off cuz I was definitely in burnout mode. I've just started back into it this week. Sometime you just have to chill I guess. Happy Holidays and Enjoy the game !

After some time I found each day my rating is lower and lower.....

I can understand the OP on this very well. And burnout isn't just in chess--it can rear it's ugly head in various parts of life.

In chess, since this is the Only Chess forum, I have gone long periods of time here without playing (almost a year). Contenchus and I have enjoyed some wars of late. He is a lot of fun to play.

I do like the suggestion to just find someone who will be patient enough that no matter if you take a week to move, they'll wait. I see many on here that play 12 more games or more at a time. I'd be so confused--I wouldn't remember my own strategy from game to game. I only play one or two games at a time. That way I can keep moving, multiple times per day, and sort of remember my own plan from game to game.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Above all, HAVE FUN.

@Liljo

One day I will win...😡

@liljo said
I can understand the OP on this very well. And burnout isn't just in chess--it can rear it's ugly head in various parts of life.

In chess, since this is the Only Chess forum, I have gone long periods of time here without playing (almost a year). Contenchus and I have enjoyed some wars of late. He is a lot of fun to play.

I do like the suggestion to just find someone who ...[text shortened]... sort of remember my own plan from game to game.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Above all, HAVE FUN.

Many thanks. 🙂

@liljo said
I can understand the OP on this very well. And burnout isn't just in chess--it can rear it's ugly head in various parts of life.

In chess, since this is the Only Chess forum, I have gone long periods of time here without playing (almost a year). Contenchus and I have enjoyed some wars of late. He is a lot of fun to play.

I do like the suggestion to just find someone who ...[text shortened]... sort of remember my own plan from game to game.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Above all, HAVE FUN.

Anyway, best of luck to you. Above all, HAVE FUN.


I'd have a little more "fun" if my 0 - 14 record for the last 14 games were a slightly better. 😞

Sometimes it jumps up and hits you upside the head. Literally.

Over 2021 I had two strokes, both effecting the area of my brain that controls cognition. Short term memory is seriously compromised, and I had problems focusing. Chess playing simply left me confused and discouraged.

Strangely enough, I discussed this with my neurologist and she told me that giving up chess was the worst response I could have done. She told me that games and activities like Chess help the brain to build new pathways to get around the damaged areas and might return some functions.

I tried a couple games on RHP, but I've discovered that I'm more comfortable playing games vs my Chessmaster 10 program as I find myself looking at a position where I simply draw a blank as what to do. Does this mean that I'll get to the point where I play online again. Don't know. If I can get past the fear of embarrassing myself I might. Don't know, but I'm enjoying playing again even if it's against a computer program (and Chessmaster is probably the closest thing to actually playing a person since you don't play a level with it, but a "personality".

I've also been playing "classic" game collections. Simply going over the moves and looking at them and trying to figure out what each player was trying to do also is beneficial in rehabbing. In fact since starting doing that I've actually increasing my win percentage vs the computer. I figure if I can get to a 1200 level vs Chessmaster, I might be ready to try RHP again. Right now I'm only about a 900, so there's some ways to go.

Like the phase from "Galaxy Quest" says, "Never give up, never surrender."