Need some chess psychology help

[mightytiny]

Expectation can make the hobbies we enjoy into millstones around on neck. Addicts/alcoholics experience this in tolerance to the substance. Poker players can experience this with dissatisfaction at the profit or level of ring game they were once at. Something about the ego and the need to push for some future goal instead of being happy in the moment.

That being said, it is strange that we can not be happy with the improvment we have experienced when it stops happening according to our wishes. We are still improving but the rate has not stayed the same or the rate has not increased more, so we feel sad/angry/depressed over it.

If I had an easy answer then I would be a self help book guru...just fight thru it and remember that the higher you go rating wise, the steadier the formulas get. 1900 is still a crap shoot of results against lower rated players. Swingy...those at 2200 might have less swings.

A psych trick for rating points in the weekend tournies that have worked for me is this. I play boring drawish chess. My opponents want those rating points or to win SO bad that they end up playing worse moves because they are expected to win in their own mind when over the board they are expected to draw. I use a lot of time and during that time I can see some people squirm trying to squeeze that win out when it all is like sand thru the fingers.

GL and try playing for some draws...you will get some more points that way