Answers.Body: <p>Chess can honestly be a very tiring game since it takes a considerable amount of brain power to play. You simply play worse when you play a lot of games in a row compared to several over the course of a few days because you're just tired, it happens to everyone to a certain degree. The last thing you mentioned is called going on tilt, its a common occurrence in gaming where a lose can be demoralizing and cause you to play worse which may cause you to lose again and continue the cycle. The best way to deal with tilt is just take a break. Also if I understand you correctly you were talking about blitz chess, in my opinion blitz chess is more inconsistent compared to normal timed chess as in the time factor will give you a greater chance to beat a higher rated player compared to if you were playing normal time control chess but also a higher chance for you to lose against a lower rated opponent. I think fatigue and all those other factors I mentioned could play a part of you losing to "weaker" opponents.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-04-14T06:53:55.023Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-04-14T06:53:55.023Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Krane
Answers.Body: <p>I think the tendency is to overplay positions vs lower rated opponents. They make a bad move and you want to show them how bad it was so you play aggressively and sac material</p>
  <p>Just play solid moves And beat them in the endgame if you have to.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-05-12T07:18:23.640Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-05-12T07:18:23.640Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Savage47
Answers.Body: <p>If you want to win against lower rated opponents, see the tips in the answers you can find <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/38784/adapt-play-style-when-playing-against-stronger-weaker-opponents">here</a> and <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/22257/should-you-always-try-your-best-play-as-if-your-opponent-is-a-grandmaster">here</a>.</p>
  <p>I would especially like to highlight Philip Roe's advice: &quot;<strong>Avoid exchanges and keep the Pawns unbalanced.</strong>&quot;
  Don't play unnecessarily risky. If they are lower rated, they'll eventually make a mistake that you can exploit.</p>
  <p>Upsets will happen to almost any player. I still remember a painfull loss against an opponent rated 800 points below my rating in the King's Gambit.
  There are multiple accounts of major upsets even at GM level.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-05-19T12:01:21.253Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-05-19T12:01:21.253Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Hauptideal
Body: <p>I play many blitz games on Lichess per day, 5 + 5 and up. When I play my A game, I can beat any 2000+ player with ease, like today. Sometimes 2200, but I don't play them much.</p>
  <p>Anyway sometimes like what happened last week, I lost many back to back matches against various 1500, 1400 and even 1200! My rating dropped just like that to 1600, perhaps less, now I'm at 1850 looking to be back at 1900 maybe 2000 soon as I'm on a winning streak.</p>
  <p>That's the only reason I'm not 2200 player, coz one day I might win against 2200, next day I might lose against 1200. I mostly play Queen's gambit or Sicilian, no crazy openings.</p>
  <p>Does that happen to all of you or is it just me? I play too many games per day, is that why this is happening to me?</p>
  <p>I noticed that if I play one game or two, every few days I can win higher rated players with ease. I noticed that if I play many games per day I start feeling numb and anxious and stop seeing the board. Is it just me or does anyone play totally rubbish after many games?</p>
  <p>I think I have chess addiction, if there's such thing, where I continue to play until I start losing and then play and lose more and it's so annoying.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-04-14T08:01:28.423Z
Comments.Text: In my experience there basically is no lower threshold to how bad one can play if tired, unfocused, unhappy, etc.
Comments.UserDisplayName: BlindKungFuMaster
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2020-12-03T04:17:09.547Z
Comments.Text: In Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), Wan (GM of Xiangqi) once made an illegal move by capturing a piece with his Cannon by jumping two pieces, where the rule only allows a Cannon to capture by jumping one single piece.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Zuriel
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-16T12:56:03.083Z
Comments.Text: "I think I have chess addiction, if there's such thing". Sure, there is such a thing. If practicing an activity makes your performance in that activity worse overall (not counting rare slipups), I would consider that a sign of (behavioural) addiction. Losing streaks happen to everyone at some point as Krane pointed out. Either way, if/when you experience that, taking breaks and cutting down the total time you spend on chess is a good idea. I would recommend practicing puzzles for 3-5 minutes (say in chess.com or lichess.org) as one of the ways to spent little time and improve your game.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Cyriac Antony
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-05-16T13:00:27.157Z
Comments.Text: Also, I feel that fast-paced games more addictive (it is just a guess, to be fair). I definitely support Krane's recommendation to play more slow games.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Cyriac Antony
Tags: <psychology><online-blitz>
Title: Losing against lower rated opponents
ThreadText: # Losing against lower rated opponents
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2016-04-13)
  
  I play many blitz games on Lichess per day, 5 + 5 and up. When I play my A game, I can beat any 2000+ player with ease, like today. Sometimes 2200, but I don't play them much.
  
  Anyway sometimes like what happened last week, I lost many back to back matches against various 1500, 1400 and even 1200! My rating dropped just like that to 1600, perhaps less, now I'm at 1850 looking to be back at 1900 maybe 2000 soon as I'm on a winning streak.
  
  That's the only reason I'm not 2200 player, coz one day I might win against 2200, next day I might lose against 1200. I mostly play Queen's gambit or Sicilian, no crazy openings.
  
  Does that happen to all of you or is it just me? I play too many games per day, is that why this is happening to me?
  
  I noticed that if I play one game or two, every few days I can win higher rated players with ease. I noticed that if I play many games per day I start feeling numb and anxious and stop seeing the board. Is it just me or does anyone play totally rubbish after many games?
  
  I think I have chess addiction, if there's such thing, where I continue to play until I start losing and then play and lose more and it's so annoying.
  
  **Tags:** psychology, online-blitz
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: In my experience there basically is no lower threshold to how bad one can play if tired, unfocused, unhappy, etc.  
  > **username_2**: In Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), Wan (GM of Xiangqi) once made an illegal move by capturing a piece with his Cannon by jumping two pieces, where the rule only allows a Cannon to capture by jumping one single piece.  
  > **username_3**: "I think I have chess addiction, if there's such thing". Sure, there is such a thing. If practicing an activity makes your performance in that activity worse overall (not counting rare slipups), I would consider that a sign of (behavioural) addiction. Losing streaks happen to everyone at some point as username_4 pointed out. Either way, if/when you experience that, taking breaks and cutting down the total time you spend on chess is a good idea. I would recommend practicing puzzles for 3-5 minutes (say in chess.com or lichess.org) as one of the ways to spent little time and improve your game.  
  > **username_3**: Also, I feel that fast-paced games more addictive (it is just a guess, to be fair). I definitely support username_4's recommendation to play more slow games.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2016-04-14. Score: 8
  
  Chess can honestly be a very tiring game since it takes a considerable amount of brain power to play. You simply play worse when you play a lot of games in a row compared to several over the course of a few days because you're just tired, it happens to everyone to a certain degree. The last thing you mentioned is called going on tilt, its a common occurrence in gaming where a lose can be demoralizing and cause you to play worse which may cause you to lose again and continue the cycle. The best way to deal with tilt is just take a break. Also if I understand you correctly you were talking about blitz chess, in my opinion blitz chess is more inconsistent compared to normal timed chess as in the time factor will give you a greater chance to beat a higher rated player compared to if you were playing normal time control chess but also a higher chance for you to lose against a lower rated opponent. I think fatigue and all those other factors I mentioned could play a part of you losing to "weaker" opponents.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2022-05-12. Score: 3
  
  I think the tendency is to overplay positions vs lower rated opponents. They make a bad move and you want to show them how bad it was so you play aggressively and sac material
  
  Just play solid moves And beat them in the endgame if you have to.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2022-05-19. Score: 1
  
  If you want to win against lower rated opponents, see the tips in the answers you can find [here](https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/38784/adapt-play-style-when-playing-against-stronger-weaker-opponents) and [here](https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/22257/should-you-always-try-your-best-play-as-if-your-opponent-is-a-grandmaster).
  
  I would especially like to highlight Philip Roe's advice: "**Avoid exchanges and keep the Pawns unbalanced.**"
  Don't play unnecessarily risky. If they are lower rated, they'll eventually make a mistake that you can exploit.
  
  Upsets will happen to almost any player. I still remember a painfull loss against an opponent rated 800 points below my rating in the King's Gambit.
  There are multiple accounts of major upsets even at GM level.
  
  
  ---
  
  