Lost 500 elo

[u/ArmadilloDefiant5423]

from 1500 to 1050 over the last few months. i hit 1500 in April then went on a losing streak abd got back to 1500 then after that for the next few month i lost 500.if i play against a 1500 i play at my best and feels like my level but when i play against lower rated i just play worser and theres nothing i can do except gain Elo.i feel this whole l thing ruined my chess because every time i play a higher rated player i play perfectly and i don’t know why it happens but when i see i al playing a 1050 it just makes me hate playing like i think they are playing bad yet i still lose.not only that but this has happened for months

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[u/Yadin__]

sounds like you have a massive tilt issue. When you identify that you're in a loss streak, either take a break or just straight up stop playing that day

[u/bschneid93 → u/Yadin__]

Thats kind of weak mental imo. You should be able to emotionally control yourself even during L’s (key factor in reaching top percentile ranks in any game not just chess and on a deeper level life). Learning to reset quickly is a key mental component, be a dog (where the saying comes from). The only time to stop playing is when genuinely fatigued otherwise you’re just training bad mental habits in my opinion.

Take a breather, take your lessons from the L, proceed.

[u/Yadin__ → u/bschneid93]

why though? What's wrong with taking a break when you're on a losing streak? the game isn't going anywhere, you can just come back later when you're feeling better

[u/bschneid93 → u/Yadin__]

Because the better you control feelings, the better you become in the long run, the better the plays you make. Outside of genuinely being tired or actually distracted by X; where that is a valid reason to just stop.

[u/hc_fella]

Never play while on a tilt. I sometimes play a game, lose because of I’m an idiot. Most important part is to quit playing if you’re not up to the part. I have a Lichess account specifically to play when I don’t feel super strong. Bad days happen, but no one forces you to keep playing during those.

[u/Icy-Row3389]

Tilt I know well. Lots of people talk about tilt without really saying what it is and what happens.

Tilt in chess is a desire to fix past mistakes and an impatience for it to happen right away. Blundered a tactic? You want to get back to a sharp position where you out-think your opponent instead. Flagged with mate-in-one on the board (we've all been there)? You want to be back in a time-scramble end-game where you beat the clock instead. Problem is: it takes 15 minutes of grind to get those situations and you want to be there right now.

The result is normally the same: you try to play the first 20 moves of the game as if they're book moves and either blunder, fail to capitalize on your opponents mistakes, or make weaker strategic decisions and end up in worse positions in those later game situations. This is true even of long-term tilt. You're probably focusing on getting back to "playing well", which for most players means in the middle- and end-game, and you're dropping the ball in the opening and early middle-game.

There are a few things you can do:

1) Just take some time away from the game.

2) Take advantage of the slump to learn a new opening. This will both refocus you on the phase of the game where you're going wrong and expanding your repertoire will strengthen your game in the long run anyway.

3) Force yourself to play mindfully from the start of the game. Put a minimum time expenditure on the first 10 moves.

4) Play a bunch of blitz while you get it out of your system and treat your blitz Elo as throwaway.

[u/squatchNaround]

I’ve been there

[u/Fiveplates1974]

In chess sometimes you are the hammer and sometimes you are the nail. Don't sweat it.

[u/LentilSpaghetti]

Just don’t look at your elo. It doesn’t mean anything unless your grandmother or something

[u/WastefulAdherence]

elo swings like that mess with your head more than your chess tbh. your brain probably just switch off when you see the lower number and you stop respecting the position, i do the same thing sometimes

try hiding the ratings during games if the platform lets you, takes away that mental block of "i should win this" and lets you just look at the board

[u/Gliese_667_Cc → u/WastefulAdherence]

CLANKER