I just finished the worst tournament of my life. Going 1-3 with all games played against lower rated players I managed in the course of one event to shed around 70 rating points, dropping all the way down into the 1650’s!
There are two good takeaways from it however.
The first is that it’s over! At least I can’t lose any more games in the one.
The second is that in all three losses I had good positions, including an almost winning position on the white side of the Dragon in one, and then lost because I rushed.
Rather than taking time and increasing the pressure on my opponent I tried to force things instantly and went for knockout blows that just weren’t there.
While I’m being somewhat glib about the first takeaway, the second gives me something to work on. I need to work on technique. I need to go through some well annotated wins and especially some strategic crushes to really learn to work on the continued accumulation of advantages in better positions.
I’ll have some positions from the games I played annotated and will post them at some point in the near future.
While I’m not happy with my results at all, I’m also not overly upset as I’ve done this twice before where I’ve had massive 150+ point ratings swings in a short period of time in either direction.
So I know I can dig my way out of this.
Til Next Time,
Chris Wainscott
If you like this blog, please consider becoming a Patreon supporter. Any money I raise will go towards lessons and stronger tournaments.
If you can spare it, please click here and become a supporter. Even $1 a month can help me achieve my dream.