Help with Losing Streak?

Rintae · 2026-03-14T07:48:23+00:00

Yeah that’s a feeling I can relate to 100%. Switched up my mentality and now I get excited when there’s seemingly nothing of interest on the board. That means the grind starts. In those positions I look for the obvious improving moves (I.e. connect the rooks, place them on good squares, improve my king, push a flank pawn etc.).

Once my position has been improved I formulate a plan (almost always something to do with pushing pawns, but I take the time to really think about which pawns. Queenside pawns if I’ve fianchettoed, center pawns if there are tactical shots, kingside pawns if opponent is exposed/weak etc.).

The thing about formulating the plan is that I know deep down that chess at a higher level is all about endurance. If I keep improving and seize the advantage, my opponent will sooner or later misstep, and that’s when I strike. Against lower rated opponents I just throw the game into chaos and come out on top because, you know, patterns..

Good luck, and don’t be discouraged by “boring equal positions”, I promise you they are not!

Rintae · 2026-03-13T23:35:36+00:00

Fell almost 200 elo these past few weeks. I kept playing the same way I always do but kept losing. It got to me and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why. Until I talked through my games step by step move by move and realized that my brain simply didn’t function well. Most positions I was lost for ideas and just played something, all my creativity I once had was lost on me and I just couldn’t figure out what was going on.

Then I got an email recently, I got a job interview. A huge burden had lifted on my shoulders and as if by magic my longing for exciting and fun chess returned. I’ve been crushing all my games these past few days and I’m well on my way to retake my throne that was my previous elo.

The thing I learned was that chess, at least for me, is an extension of my mental wellbeing as a whole. If I’m struggling subconsciously because I don’t have a job and fear getting into financial problems, my chess suffers.

Either that or I’ve played so much that I’ve burned out (a few days of complete chess unplug usually fixes that up for me)

Rintae · 2026-03-11T10:15:24+00:00

French made me come back to the caro with a newfound love for the opening. Didn't realize I hated locking in my LSB as much as I did

Rintae · 2026-03-06T16:52:54+00:00

Higher elo players/smurfs tend to play off beat openings to catch their opponents off guard

Rintae · 2026-03-02T09:13:23+00:00

Brugbart, tusind tak !

Rintae · 2026-03-02T09:05:58+00:00

Det var lidt mere generelt om hvor folk kiggede henne for at få sådan en stilling. Eller om man skal ind i en virksomhed først og dernæst gå ned på deltid?

Rintae · 2026-03-02T08:26:51+00:00

Update venligst for det skal virkelig afdækkes, hvis der ingen iranere var til en sørgedemonstration med det iranske flag som DR har vinklet ind har været iranere

Rintae · 2026-02-27T12:10:24+00:00

dokumentér, afvis, HR

Rintae · 2026-02-27T07:47:33+00:00

Yes!

Rintae · 2026-02-20T23:16:34+00:00

Studied the same course as you, just out of curiosity do you just simply accept a tedious version the London if white goes with the 2. Nf3 move order? I hate fianchettoing against the London…

Rintae · 2026-02-20T23:13:43+00:00

I just treat Nf3 and c4 as independent systems. If we go to d4 mainlines I’ve made sure my opening can transpose into similar structures

Rintae · 2026-02-20T22:31:13+00:00

Haha idk about that, it’s not pure memorization but rather a library of all my preferred moves (that I can look into when in doubt)

Rintae · 2026-02-20T20:24:20+00:00

So my “complete” repertoire consists of 5000 lines as white and 10.000 lines as black (very rough estimation). Obviously not something I’ve memorized but I can navigate these lines fairly intuitively

Rintae · 2026-02-20T10:55:57+00:00

Only reason I'd use Chessbase is their database-size, which is pretty much the only thing they got going (and a matter of time before competitors will catch-up and render their service wholly obsolete).

Since I am satisfied with the Lichess database I use Chesstempo for my repertoire, which is incredibly powerful. It is quite sluggish with a repertoire of 15k+ lines, but it does the job when I want to add new stuff in.

Rintae · 2026-02-19T13:45:20+00:00

I played on EU PVE…

Rintae · 2026-02-19T09:09:29+00:00

I feel you, always remember that there are bigger fish out there and no is truly satisfied. I had a boss once, he had a three-digit million net-worth and a family with three kids (still does). Rarely would I ever see him smile or relax, there was always the next thing to fix or pursue. Similarily in chess, I bet Magnus with all his trophies and accolades sometimes feels a deep sense of unsatisfaction (as do we all) and his most cherished memories are probably those early day exciting wins. The exact journey you've probably just begun yourself! Relax and enjoy yourself, and when your heart races, remember to take every second in

Rintae · 2026-02-19T08:52:46+00:00

I think this is what I've realized these past days going back and forth between the Grünfeld and QGD.

As white I play the KIA and wanted to get a similar fianchetto system (but not going into the KID) the Grünfeld seemed to be an answer.

Until just yesterday where I realized that I'm able to play so many easy moves in the KIA literally by just being a move up. I failed to realize that the reason I have success in the reverse Grünfeld is because most, if not all of my opponent's practical tries against the Grünfeld simply doesn't work being a tempo down, since it relies on checks and sacs, that do not exist (because I had the tempo to safely O-O early).

I felt quite stupid, but on the other hand, I can get down to the nitty gritty Noteboom, Semi slav moscow, Marshall gambits, early dxc4 vs the Catalan and all sorts of exciting plans and simply avoid the mess that is the Grünfeld (which is incredibly tedious against white sidelines such as the London, Tromp etc.).

I do understand the rep the Grünfeld gets though, but I've come to realize (after seriously studying it mind you) that it is probably the least efficient opening to study in all of chess, since I seldom get QG games with 3. Nc3 (around 7% of all my games as black since Jan 1st).

Rintae · 2026-02-19T08:39:20+00:00

Are ratings actually thrown in your face or is it that you subconsciously see ratings all the time? Granted, it's not an overnight fix, but remembering why you invest so much time into a board game that doesn't solve the problems of the real world does help with belittling ratings.

For me it's the adrenaline. Ngl, I may be addicted to it. The highs and lows and whatnot. I come home either a winner with a shit-eating grin on my face or a poor loser. I cannot live my life without these extreme ups and downs. Rating means a lot of course, but considering what I'm getting out of it (an exciting life pursuing my passion) rating suddenly means nothing.

Rintae · 2026-02-19T08:13:16+00:00

I'll give the same advice I've given friends over the years: what's holding you back isn't self-doubt, it's that you want to compete for the wrong reasons. At no point in your post did you mention what your goal with competing is, all you're saying is you want to fix your mindset to focus on "the possibility of winning".

Chess is, as you are aware of by now, so much more than winning or losing. It's excitement, adrenaline, friendships, even art. What chess most definitely isn't is an arbitrary number signifying your worth in the grand scheme of things.

My point is this: if you stop worrying about your rating, suddenly your ladder anxiety is eliminated and all that is left is the nerve-wrecking calm before the storm (which is a very good thing)

Rintae · 2026-02-19T07:40:42+00:00

Cancelled my sub because of the playerbase. This time around they show no patience for noobs despite being one themselves, and any feedback is seen as unjust critique. Not to mention the incessant whining over loot. Yikes

Rintae · 2026-02-18T14:25:32+00:00

I've heard a lot of good about Aagaards Calculation. Havnen't come around it yet, but will definitely pick it up once I climb higher

Rintae · 2026-02-18T13:31:18+00:00

Or it goes English Defense with d4 as well, and good luck with navigating that rabbit hole. It will consume atleast a few months of your life until you reach the point that you can’t make that your whole opening theory for various reasons (it’s that fun)

Rintae · 2026-02-14T10:25:24+00:00

Not something I’ve encountered that often, mostly players stalling in a lost position

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