Answers.Body: <p>You are probably just tired. Go for a walk, sleep well and come back the next day. It could also have an impact on your confidence (making a mistake on this game will thus make you more likely to make another mistake on the next one)</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-11T11:29:12.070Z
Answers.Text: That could be. I have been sick the last few days and only recovered recently. I will be more patient with how my general health affects my chess play in the future.
  
  Also, that part about the confidence is really true. When you start blundering, you doubt your every decision.
Answers.UserDisplayName: postnubilaphoebus
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2020-05-10T21:54:05.550Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2020-05-10T21:54:05.550Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: David
Body: <p>I have played more online Blitz recently and it was quite some fun, until I encountered what I would call the "blundering phase". Every once in a while, my chess ability takes quite a hit when I apparently lose my ability to think properly. I have lost about 100 rating points online. In many games, I get a winning advantage, only to throw it away with utterly stupid mistakes. I do not know what the root cause of this is, could it be psychological? I'm doing daily tactical exercises between 20 minutes and one hour, so that can't be it. Do you have experience with this and maybe can propose a remedy that has worked for you?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-05-10T22:04:23.307Z
Comments.Text: Is this "blundering phase" occurring during the same session? If so, you are "tilting", it happens to most people, even GMs.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Akavall
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-05-11T11:31:47.600Z
Comments.Text: It was not tilting, it went on for several days in a row. I think it just happened because I was sick. I underestimated the toll the illness would take on my ability to think properly, even after having recovered recently.
Comments.UserDisplayName: postnubilaphoebus
Tags: <psychology><blunder>
Title: Blundering phase
ThreadText: # Blundering phase
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-10)
  
  I have played more online Blitz recently and it was quite some fun, until I encountered what I would call the "blundering phase". Every once in a while, my chess ability takes quite a hit when I apparently lose my ability to think properly. I have lost about 100 rating points online. In many games, I get a winning advantage, only to throw it away with utterly stupid mistakes. I do not know what the root cause of this is, could it be psychological? I'm doing daily tactical exercises between 20 minutes and one hour, so that can't be it. Do you have experience with this and maybe can propose a remedy that has worked for you?
  
  **Tags:** psychology, blunder
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Is this "blundering phase" occurring during the same session? If so, you are "tilting", it happens to most people, even GMs.  
  > **username_0**: It was not tilting, it went on for several days in a row. I think it just happened because I was sick. I underestimated the toll the illness would take on my ability to think properly, even after having recovered recently.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2020-05-10. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  You are probably just tired. Go for a walk, sleep well and come back the next day. It could also have an impact on your confidence (making a mistake on this game will thus make you more likely to make another mistake on the next one)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: That could be. I have been sick the last few days and only recovered recently. I will be more patient with how my general health affects my chess play in the future.  Also, that part about the confidence is really true. When you start blundering, you doubt your every decision.  
  
  ---
  
  