And Just Like That

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 ... and just like that I lost 17 points. The details are too painful to recall but after losing two games in a row I lost that number of rating points. I spend most of the morning grappling with AI and coding and was fairly mentally fatigued. For some reason, I decided to play some online chess and was clearly not mentally prepared.

The lesson to be learned here is that I should be in the mood and most importantly fresh, not mentally fatigued from previous activities. I might consider playing on the TV in the bedroom as I still find the laptop screen a little confining. It's worth a try. For the time being I need to regroup and not get too depressed by the current setback.

The first game I lost was simply due to basic blunder and I saw my mistake out of the corner of my eye the moment I'd made it. I was under no time pressure so I don't have that to blame. The second game I resigned because I'd moved my Queen but had not let go of my mouse. I changed my mind about moving it and returned it to what I thought was its original square. It wasn't and I lost my Knight.

The point here is that in over-the-board chess you can't pick up a piece, return it to its original square and then move another piece. I should not do this online either as it facilitates the sort of mistake that I made in this second game. At least I refrained from smashing my fist on the table after losing, unlike Magnus Carlson when he lost his classical game to Gukesh.

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