I was so close to my goal of 2400 USCF, but from the first round, I could tell something was off. I was struggling to focus and missing obvious tactics. Sure enough, I lost the first game. If it was a Swiss style tournament I might have gone home right there, but it was quads, meaning if I dropped two of my opponents would get one fewer game than they were expecting, so I toughed it out. I ended up going 0-3 and dropping 27 rating points. I wouldn’t manage to cross 2400 until almost a year later.
At the lower level for those adult improvers like myself I believe ratings are important. The higher the rating the less blunders and the more interesting the games. I would rather win or lose based on just a good game of outmaneuvering an opponent than through a silly error. As I Inch upward slowly I choose opponents a little higher rating level than myself - I only play correspondence chess on chess.com. My only goal is as one YouTube adult improver puts it ‘play good chess.’
Enjoyed your discussion of the value of a rating goal. Thanks
At the lower level for those adult improvers like myself I believe ratings are important. The higher the rating the less blunders and the more interesting the games. I would rather win or lose based on just a good game of outmaneuvering an opponent than through a silly error. As I Inch upward slowly I choose opponents a little higher rating level than myself - I only play correspondence chess on chess.com. My only goal is as one YouTube adult improver puts it ‘play good chess.’