Answers.Body: <p>I started writing this before your comment that it is online chess. My answer is geared more toward over-the-board tournament chess. I will add a little blurb specifically about online chess at the bottom, but a lot of this applies to both.</p>
  
  <p>There is a lot to your question. Primarily how you deal with it comes down to experience and practice. The unfortunate part is that everyone gets that experience all too often. The initial key to not getting into that situation as often is to try to stay calm and relaxed when you play, and use your time wisely, and do not get into deep time trouble.</p>
  
  <p>The first question is how bad is the error? If it is bad enough that you lose the game, you have to just put it behind you, and prepare mentally for the next game. I find that while I take the game seriously, because it is not my profession, I do not take it too seriously, and therefore, I can put it behind me easily. Do not beat yourself up over something that you can no longer control.</p>
  
  <p>If it is a mistake during the game, and not so bad that you lose, that is different. It is important to mention that sometimes you will make a losing mistake that is not obvious to your opponent, but you see it. It is important to keep an absolute poker face so you do not clue your opponent in that there is something there. When you make that type of error that you have to get in the habit of buckling down and trying that much harder at the board until the end of the game. Staying as positive as possible is important.</p>
  
  <p>Other ways you can cut down on such “accidents” are making sure that you sleep and eat well. I would be careful of eating a lot of carbohydrates, or you might go into a fog that I call a “carb coma”. I also think that reading short exciting games without a board, but absolutely keeping the position in your head, will help your concentration before you even sit down at the board.</p>
  
  <p>For online chess, you will lose games…a lot of games, but they really do not matter much, so put it behind you, and click rematch, and move on to the next game.</p>
  
  <p>In the end, practice, practice, practice.  Good luck!</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T01:27:48.467Z
Answers.Text: +1 for Do not beat yourself up over something that you can no longer control. because that's not just an over-the-board chess thing, not just a chess thing, but a life thing.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Marvin
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T03:08:27.620Z
Answers.Text: For the kiddies modern technology such as tv with commercials all the  time and short attention between them trains them to be UNable to sit and focus for long times.  Being addicted to social media and cell phones also exacerbates the problem.
Answers.UserDisplayName: edwina oliver
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T17:45:38.487Z
Answers.Text: I agree with PhishMaster on "reading short exciting games without a board" my  practice is to attempt to follow variations in my head even when I have a board and only use the board when I get lost.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Michael West
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T00:14:16.027Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-01-17T00:14:16.027Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: PhishMaster
Answers.Body: <p>First and most important is Your physical form.</p>
  
  <p>That's where most opinions on chess and good chess players are wrong - all top chess players take care of their physical form - very popular are swimming, tennis, table-tennis, football(soccer for Americans).</p>
  
  <p>Also you have to sleep well, enough but not too much. Don't eat too much before game - also makes you sleepy. In classic game stand-up and have a walk every now and then to make blood circulate.</p>
  
  <p>Being fit helps you to keep concentration. </p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T09:08:16.220Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-01-17T09:08:16.220Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Drako
Body: <p>How do you do deal, with losing your concentration during a chess match? Then making a bad blunder? I constantly lose concentration. </p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-16T23:15:45.937Z
Comments.Text: In OVB or online? Which format?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Algebrah
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-16T23:45:57.793Z
Comments.Text: The games are usually online.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Chess Newbie
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T00:01:00.090Z
Comments.Text: What's the usual time control? Are these like 5 minute games, or longer ones, like 30 minutes?
Comments.UserDisplayName: D M
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T00:58:37.673Z
Comments.Text: 30 minutes, I tend not to be able to properly put up a fight in 5 minute matches. Whereas, I don't use the time up in the 30 minutes, I constantly lose my attention, then get beat. At the start of the match, I feel concentrated, then just lose it.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Chess Newbie
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T03:06:32.647Z
Comments.Text: Either more coffee or less coffee depending on the cause.
Comments.UserDisplayName: edwina oliver
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-01-17T16:36:57.473Z
Comments.Text: I feel your pain. As a sufferer of misophonia, and a club player, I'm in the unfortunate situation that my club often offer tea and biscuits to players about one hour into matches. I usually play well until all the crunching starts, and often blunder soon after.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Darren H
Tags: <tactics><psychology>
Title: How do you deal with you losing your concentration
ThreadText: # How do you deal with you losing your concentration
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-16)
  
  How do you do deal, with losing your concentration during a chess match? Then making a bad blunder? I constantly lose concentration.
  
  **Tags:** tactics, psychology
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: In OVB or online? Which format?  
  > **username_0**: The games are usually online.  
  > **username_2**: What's the usual time control? Are these like 5 minute games, or longer ones, like 30 minutes?  
  > **username_0**: 30 minutes, I tend not to be able to properly put up a fight in 5 minute matches. Whereas, I don't use the time up in the 30 minutes, I constantly lose my attention, then get beat. At the start of the match, I feel concentrated, then just lose it.  
  > **username_3**: Either more coffee or less coffee depending on the cause.  
  > **username_4**: I feel your pain. As a sufferer of misophonia, and a club player, I'm in the unfortunate situation that my club often offer tea and biscuits to players about one hour into matches. I usually play well until all the crunching starts, and often blunder soon after.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 2 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2020-01-17. Score: 6
  
  I started writing this before your comment that it is online chess. My answer is geared more toward over-the-board tournament chess. I will add a little blurb specifically about online chess at the bottom, but a lot of this applies to both.
  
  There is a lot to your question. Primarily how you deal with it comes down to experience and practice. The unfortunate part is that everyone gets that experience all too often. The initial key to not getting into that situation as often is to try to stay calm and relaxed when you play, and use your time wisely, and do not get into deep time trouble.
  
  The first question is how bad is the error? If it is bad enough that you lose the game, you have to just put it behind you, and prepare mentally for the next game. I find that while I take the game seriously, because it is not my profession, I do not take it too seriously, and therefore, I can put it behind me easily. Do not beat yourself up over something that you can no longer control.
  
  If it is a mistake during the game, and not so bad that you lose, that is different. It is important to mention that sometimes you will make a losing mistake that is not obvious to your opponent, but you see it. It is important to keep an absolute poker face so you do not clue your opponent in that there is something there. When you make that type of error that you have to get in the habit of buckling down and trying that much harder at the board until the end of the game. Staying as positive as possible is important.
  
  Other ways you can cut down on such “accidents” are making sure that you sleep and eat well. I would be careful of eating a lot of carbohydrates, or you might go into a fog that I call a “carb coma”. I also think that reading short exciting games without a board, but absolutely keeping the position in your head, will help your concentration before you even sit down at the board.
  
  For online chess, you will lose games…a lot of games, but they really do not matter much, so put it behind you, and click rematch, and move on to the next game.
  
  In the end, practice, practice, practice. Good luck!
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: +1 for Do not beat yourself up over something that you can no longer control. because that's not just an over-the-board chess thing, not just a chess thing, but a life thing.  
  > **username_3**: For the kiddies modern technology such as tv with commercials all the  time and short attention between them trains them to be UNable to sit and focus for long times.  Being addicted to social media and cell phones also exacerbates the problem.  
  > **username_7**: I agree with username_5 on "reading short exciting games without a board" my  practice is to attempt to follow variations in my head even when I have a board and only use the board when I get lost.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_8 on 2020-01-17. Score: 1
  
  First and most important is Your physical form.
  
  That's where most opinions on chess and good chess players are wrong - all top chess players take care of their physical form - very popular are swimming, tennis, table-tennis, football(soccer for Americans).
  
  Also you have to sleep well, enough but not too much. Don't eat too much before game - also makes you sleepy. In classic game stand-up and have a walk every now and then to make blood circulate.
  
  Being fit helps you to keep concentration.
  
  
  ---
  
  