Today we’re going to talk about an important topic that, in my opinion, deserves enough attention from both chess players and coaches.
Many decisions in a chess game are made not only based on a player’s knowledge, skills, and current form, but also on their mental condition.
🧠 I think each of you has faced a situation where you see the best move, but end up choosing another — a worse one.
And after the game, you can’t explain why you rejected the correct decision.
Some players constantly fall into time trouble, some struggle to make decisions, some underestimate or, on the contrary, fear their opponent, or can’t cope with anxiety before a decisive game.
The causes of all these situations lie in the psychological dimension.
📔 One useful method — a psychological diary
I recommend trying to keep a psychological diary.
This is a tool that has long been used successfully in sports.
After each game, you can write down:
• what you felt when making decisions in critical positions;
• when and why you spent the most time;
• what thoughts came to your mind besides analyzing the position.
Sometimes it turns out that the problem is not weak understanding of the position, but outside emotions or doubts that distract you from focusing on the main task.
📚 My selection of literature on sports psychology:
1) Tim Gallwey — The Inner Game of Tennis
2) A. V. Alekseev — Psychological Training in Sports
3) Brad Gilbert — Winning Ugly
If you’re interested in the topic of psychology in chess — leave a 💬 comment and share your experience.
Let’s continue the discussion.
