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Why Losing At Chess Hurts So Much (And The Antidote)

Well the guys who play Monopoly feel this pain too. Board games hurt and bring joy :)

Well the guys who play Monopoly feel this pain too. Board games hurt and bring joy :)

Great topic, yet the "GM" title in the signature looks a bit ironic in light of given advises.

Great topic, yet the "GM" title in the signature looks a bit ironic in light of given advises.

How does one lose at tic-tac-toe? That would be way worse than losing at chess.

How does one lose at tic-tac-toe? That would be way worse than losing at chess.
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I've suffered from this a lot. I thought something was wrong with me. I've participated in a lot of other sports and am pretty decent at some of them. I've always thought that I was a graceful loser.

I think it has to do with the fact that complete 180-degree turnarounds happen in chess, which is impossible in most other sports, especially for noobs like us. Imagine you're leading a football game 12-0; it's the last minute of stoppage time, and your opponent scores a goal right before the final whistle. Then, the referee tells you, "That goal is worth 13 goals." So, the score is now 12-13, and you lose. That's what it's like to lose bad chess games where you're completely winning and do something ridiculous. [ actually much worse, but I think it serves as a good enough analogy]

I've suffered from this a lot. I thought something was wrong with me. I've participated in a lot of other sports and am pretty decent at some of them. I've always thought that I was a graceful loser. I think it has to do with the fact that complete 180-degree turnarounds happen in chess, which is impossible in most other sports, especially for noobs like us. Imagine you're leading a football game 12-0; it's the last minute of stoppage time, and your opponent scores a goal right before the final whistle. Then, the referee tells you, "That goal is worth 13 goals." So, the score is now 12-13, and you lose. That's what it's like to lose bad chess games where you're completely winning and do something ridiculous. [ actually much worse, but I think it serves as a good enough analogy]

I personally couldn't care less, about losing a game of chess. Then again, I put about 2% effort into it. It's just a time-killer.
But I was, since my colleague is a club-player, at some events, where up to grand-masters were playing. You could actually 'feel' in the air, the incredible intense effort they put into that board-game.
So no wonder it hurts, when someone puts soooo much effort into it.

I personally couldn't care less, about losing a game of chess. Then again, I put about 2% effort into it. It's just a time-killer. But I was, since my colleague is a club-player, at some events, where up to grand-masters were playing. You could actually 'feel' in the air, the incredible intense effort they put into that board-game. So no wonder it hurts, when someone puts soooo much effort into it.

Great article and perspective on this subject.

Great article and perspective on this subject.
<Comment deleted by user>

That was a good read. I also like to think this way: if I learned something from my mistakes, I am a better player than I was before I played that game, even though I lost.

That was a good read. I also like to think this way: if I learned something from my mistakes, I am a better player than I was before I played that game, even though I lost.