Emotions Affecting our Chess Tournament Play Online
Skill and know-how are not the only things we need to master when competing in an online chess tournament. Few players realize the effects of emotions when playing. Emotions mostly are to blame for a lot of move blunders we make in the game.
First, we must realize the tremendous pressure a player feels when playing an online chess game the first time, let alone a tournament online. Simply hearing about a chess tournament played against players from various parts of the planet is nerve wrecking enough. What more if we have to play the game using ultra modern online facilities and tools? For first-timers the most important weapon to have here is sufficient knowledge.
What knowledge do we have to be equipped with? Aside from basic rules and strategies, simply knowing that online chess is a lot easier to play than traditional chess is equipment enough to make us feel capable in the game. If we know how to click on a mouse, we're ready to play an online chess tournament. Everything is merely clicked in this type of chess. We choose options by clicking on them. We move pieces by clicking on them. We put pieces on squares by clicking on them.
Other things are done for us automatically by the computer program. Computer program? Do we need to install a computer program and tinker on it while playing? No. The computer program is available on site and acts on its own. We don't have to activate it or install it. It will ask us options which we click on and off it goes to work to serve our every need. We get other details like time limit, score, time left, instructions, etc. automatically. We don't need to worry about them.
If we're not beginners, then the more we should watch out for unhelpful emotions. They often get in the way of victory. Wanting to win so badly is among the culprits of a chess play going haywire. The pressure of desiring a victory too much can trigger silly or untimely moves that would later cost us plenty—or a lost match. The proper attitude is to do our best while remaining cushy about winning. Tell ourselves that win or lose we're going to sit back and enjoy the tournament.
An online chess tournament should not be taken very seriously. Just aim to win but never obsessively. When we lose, learn from the experience and do better next time.
