chess

I have been physically and mentally off since the state chess championship.   I've had some problems sleeping, but mostly last week. 

​My family

 and I ate Chinese buffet in Columbus on Saturday, which I normally love and it was our third time that week, but I then had diarrhea for 

​4​

days

​.  I'm still feel off and borderline sick.​

My results in the State Championship were good, and just slightly better than I would have expected.  I nearly lost to a 13 year old prodigy who was rated almost as high as me, but my experience enabled me to get a draw.  I also had trouble with another teenager, but my experience allowed me to barely squeeze out a win.  I also beat a chess master and former state champion.

I feel like age is a factor in playing in these long tournaments.   I took a bye in round 4, which you are allowed to do, because I thought that five games of four hours each would be too much in one weekend.  Against the current state champion, I was holding my own, but lost some of my focus about 3 hours into it and lost.  I enjoyed the tournament, but it was so long and so hard that it was also an ordeal.  I told my friends that it would be better for me to play shorter tournaments.

Apparently I have experienced some chess burnout after the tournament.  I have spent 20 months studying chess trying to get as good as I can and only got minimal improvement for my investment of time.  I normally take great enjoyment in going to the chess clubs, and to some extent playing online, but these last few days I felt like I was just going through the motions.  I lacked focus, which for me is normally pretty intense.

I wondered if I was experiencing some sort of personality change, because I wasn't feeling the same level of joy playing this game that I normally would?  Normally I really enjoy playing, but not so much this last week.

I think what is really happening is that I have developed an interest in writing computer code again, and this has been very much in my thoughts.  So my interests are shifting to writing computer code.  I don't want to abandon chess, but for the moment I don't want to give it the same level of intensity.

Best wishes,

​John Coffey​