I'm playing in a tournament from last night until Sunday night. Two games a day but the first game was last night.
These lists will not be interesting. I'm just trying to hold myself accountable. When I have time between games (if I do) I will write down some things I learned. Some will be game specific and some will be more psychological or strategic which might be more relevant for other aspects of life.
It's hard for me to do this. To play again in these tournaments after a 25 year break. There's a much younger group of people here than when I last played. And they are strong.
Sometimes I ask my wife, "why do I give myself these challenges that can sometimes be so disappointing?"
Like, standup comedy is great. I LOVE doing it. But on the occasion when it does not go well , it's a miserable feeling. Why do I set myself up for miserable moments?
Same with entrepreneurship, although the rewards are much greater.
I like the challenge of hard tasks. I've always done that since I was a little kid. But sometimes I don't know if it's worth it. The highs are high but the lows are low.
Round one I lost. But I don't feel that bad about it for reasons I mention below.
In general, the biggest task when losing a game is not to learn from it but to make sure you bounce back for game two. But, that said, I feel I am getting better at learning quickly from my losses and being happy with the result.
(image: as embarrassing it is, this is the final position of the game. I am, of course, playing the black pieces here and he had just moved).
These lists will not be interesting. I'm just trying to hold myself accountable. When I have time between games (if I do) I will write down some things I learned. Some will be game specific and some will be more psychological or strategic which might be more relevant for other aspects of life.
It's hard for me to do this. To play again in these tournaments after a 25 year break. There's a much younger group of people here than when I last played. And they are strong.
Sometimes I ask my wife, "why do I give myself these challenges that can sometimes be so disappointing?"
Like, standup comedy is great. I LOVE doing it. But on the occasion when it does not go well , it's a miserable feeling. Why do I set myself up for miserable moments?
Same with entrepreneurship, although the rewards are much greater.
I like the challenge of hard tasks. I've always done that since I was a little kid. But sometimes I don't know if it's worth it. The highs are high but the lows are low.
Round one I lost. But I don't feel that bad about it for reasons I mention below.
In general, the biggest task when losing a game is not to learn from it but to make sure you bounce back for game two. But, that said, I feel I am getting better at learning quickly from my losses and being happy with the result.
(image: as embarrassing it is, this is the final position of the game. I am, of course, playing the black pieces here and he had just moved).

Preview
1. Round one: was paired against a former World Under Ten Champion.
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Most people in tournaments used to be older. Like the age I am now. And very few young players. Now a lot of sharp young players. There is a lot of discussion among "adult chess improvers" (i.e. people coming back to the game later in life) on how to deal with this new crop of young geniuses.
I will discuss some of that in this game.