What a Difference a Year Makes

What a difference a year can make when it comes to chess.  Last year on August 16th my rating had fallen to 1560 after having been at 1711 only eight months before.

It seemed like I couldn't so much as sit down at the board without dropping game after game to players rated 1200-1400.  Every time I played I felt like I was going to lose.  It was a terrible outlook to have but I just couldn't help it.  I was wondering if I would make it all the way down to my floor of 1500.

Then, something happened.  I remembered that in the first year of my return to competitive play I had taken my rating from 1500 to 1720.  Yes, I then dropped 160 points, but so what.  I had gotten there, hadn't I?

I had gotten cocky and hubris had bitten me.  It was time to relax and remember how I had made it in the first place.

So that's exactly what I did.  I started working hard again when I would study.  I started to remember that rating differences exist for a reason.

Essentially I remembered that if I just played my game the results would follow.  I lost the fear.

In the past 12 months I have been over 1700 for about half that time, and am currently at my all time ratings peak and I feel like I am still trending up.

Here is the game that I credit for turning my attitude around: