"someone who doesn't see things." Thanks a lot, yo...

2008-07-20T10:14:00.000-04:00

"someone who doesn't see things." Thanks a lot, you fucking asshole.

- Gary Point

One of the best games ever with this line was Brod...

2008-07-11T19:04:00.000-04:00

One of the best games ever with this line was Brodsky-Kramnik, 1991.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1085652

Lately, I've preferred 12...Bg7 on the Black side of this.

Hi Elizabeth,It was nice to see you in Philly. Sor...

2008-07-11T14:43:00.000-04:00

Hi Elizabeth,

It was nice to see you in Philly. Sorry we didn't have more time to chat. Check your spam folder for some photos that I sent you earlier, including one of you and Angelica.

RC

You need to work on separating your emotions from ...

2008-07-11T13:02:00.000-04:00

You need to work on separating your emotions from your chess. You obviously recognize that, but seem unsure how to go about it. There is little concrete advice I can offer, but here is a broad tip:

Start by studying and analyzing very concrete chessboard emotions that you can recognize have given you trouble on multiple occasions - much the same way you would identify, analyze and strive to correct specific weaknesses in your play.

For instance, do you regularly get frustrated and depressed when you have bad positions, to the point you don't feel like putting out the effort needed to defend them?

Or, do you get caught up in a "blame game" against yourself, whenever you blunder (I can see from your latest post that the answer to that one is "Yes!")

Once you've identified a particular situation and/or emotion that regularly stymies you, you can monitor your own state of mind so as to maintain a sort of "automated alert" for just that situation or emotion. If you're conscious of the emotion, and of the need to lean against it whenever it appears, you'll find the seemingly intractable emotion will gradually lose its power over you. After all, isn't that akin to what Freud said (emotional issues draw virtually all their power from operating below the conscious level)?

You can set that "automated aleret" for dangerous chessboard emotions, by keeping up a conscious dialogue with yourself while playing -

"What am I feeling? Am I nervous? Stay calm. I'm beating a guy rated 400 points higher than me, but he's no genius. Just play my game the same as I would if he were rated 2000."

"I just blundered. I feel like I suck - but I already know that feeling I must suck after blundering has caused me to do still further damage to my game, on past occasions. So I'm not going to yield to it this time. I'm going to start fresh with the position I have, and do everything I can to turn things around. Now my opponent thinks I suck, so HE'LL probably get overconfident and relax..." etc.

For some concrete illustrations, see my December 2005 Chess Life article, "The Sense of Danger, Part II: When Emotions Attack."

This is not to say that emotions can, or should, be completely separated from anyone's chess play. GM Jonathan Rowson makes some profound observations along these lines (i.e., about getting your emotions to work FOR you, rather than just stopping them from working AGAINST you) in his exccellent (but perhaps overly erudite) "The Seven Deadly Chess Sins."

One other thing: In your final position against Gary Point, I don't see why you think Black should win. A draw looks like an appropriate result to me (although there's certainly enough play left to justify continuing - not to mention that you were a little higher rated).

Comments on USCL news and gossip: A Sveshnikov from the World Open

"someone who doesn't see things." Thanks a lot, yo...

One of the best games ever with this line was Brod...

Hi Elizabeth,It was nice to see you in Philly. Sor...

You need to work on separating your emotions from ...