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Reverse Rating Anxiety

An intriguing piece of thought I recall from an annotated Alekhine game collection I looked at years ago: many masters incorrectly believe that they ought to avoid trading pieces at all costs, because such an approach leads to positions drawish by nature...

An intriguing piece of thought I recall from an annotated Alekhine game collection I looked at years ago: many masters incorrectly believe that they ought to avoid trading pieces at all costs, because such an approach leads to positions drawish by nature...

You're paired against someone 300 points higher rated than you, you see the rating, your heart starts racing, and before the game even begins you've already convinced yourself you're losing. You play passively, miss tactics, and often lose not because your opponent was stronger, but because you were intimidated.

Actually, I find it kind of liberating. Going into the game knowing that I'm supposed (and likely) to lose, I don't have to worry about the result and can simply do my best and see how it goes. It's my opponent who is supposed to come with something and prove themselves. In some of those games I even started playing worse exactly at the moment when I believed I was better and was playing for a win (even if I really was).

Playing against a (significantly) lower rated opponent or, in general, when I think I'm supposed to win, that's a different story. Especially when the game goes on and I'm still not getting any advantage. Then I often push myself into playing too aggressively and miss something.

> You're paired against someone 300 points higher rated than you, you see the rating, your heart starts racing, and before the game even begins you've already convinced yourself you're losing. You play passively, miss tactics, and often lose not because your opponent was stronger, but because you were intimidated. Actually, I find it kind of liberating. Going into the game knowing that I'm supposed (and likely) to lose, I don't have to worry about the result and can simply do my best and see how it goes. It's my opponent who is supposed to come with something and prove themselves. In some of those games I even started playing worse exactly at the moment when I believed I was better and was playing for a win (even if I really was). Playing against a (significantly) lower rated opponent or, in general, when I think I'm supposed to win, that's a different story. Especially when the game goes on and I'm still not getting any advantage. Then I often push myself into playing too aggressively and miss something.

My chess acquaintances are more likely to talk about reverse rating anxiety. Then again I've always hung out with chess players my own rating or better.

I guess it stands to reason that rating anxiety is the more common experience since representation is inversely proportional to rating (i.e. there are more players with a lower rating to have normal rating anxiety).

like @mkubecek higher-rated opponents do not intimidate me and so I have quite a few dramatic upsets under my belt.

My chess acquaintances are more likely to talk about reverse rating anxiety. Then again I've always hung out with chess players my own rating or better. I guess it stands to reason that rating anxiety is the more common experience since representation is inversely proportional to rating (i.e. there are more players with a lower rating to have normal rating anxiety). like @mkubecek higher-rated opponents do not intimidate me and so I have quite a few dramatic upsets under my belt.