Simple Chess: Dealing With Losses

Well the past 5 weeks have been rough. Out of five games, I only managed to win one of them. Of course, that can be demoralizing for some people. Yet, I'm not going to sit here and pretend that it doesn't frustrate me to no end. However, at the end of the day, the goal is to get better at chess, not to win all of my games.

Wait?

But winning means a higher rating. And a higher rating means you are getting better at chess, right?

Well, to a certain extent, yes.

For me, it is about increasing my knowledge and my strength and that means my rating will take care of itself. These past few losses have earned me some great lessons that I would never have gotten if I won those games. I have been playing stronger players and those losses have resulted in four free lessons. I can't think of a better deal when it comes to chess lessons.

I challenge you this year to take your losses with stride and try to learn something from them. Don't just blame your openings, or claim that you were winning and missed a simple knight fork. Actually take the time to go over your games and truly figure out why you missed the win. I can pretty much guarantee that by doing this and objectively understanding why you lose your games will improve your chess more than anything else.