I recently played in a OTB tournament, and placed 3rd in u1600 usfc. However, at my club, i beat a 1800 9/10 without prep. My boss at the club says it was because of me not prepping, but i drew a 1371 after a long game. Did he overestimate my skills ( my guess) or what could i have done differently ?
I remember that back when I was playing chess on regular basis, there were opponents that I felt quite conveninent to play against and scored much better against them than expected, there were even players who had better results in general but I never lost to them. And also the opposite, players who I didn't like to play and scored poorly against even if their results were mostly worse than mine. Often this comes from you finding their playing style convenient or inconvenient to play against but over time it can even develop into some "personal tilt". Psychological aspects play a big role in chess after all and feeling comfortable is very important. Coming to the board thinking "Oh no, it's X again, I always lose against him." does not help to play your best.
On the other hand, playing in tournaments also takes some time to get used to. Not only for people used to play online from their home but even compared to playing at a small club it's usually quite different. Big halls (or small and crowdy room), noise, sometimes bad air, weird piece sets or boards, ... It all takes time and practice to get used to. Even a "stage fright", being nervous that this is important and you want to show yourself, it all can harm your performance.
So I would say keep playing, both at the club and in tournaments and see how it goes.
(Note: I have to admit I'm a bit confused here. Your comment sounds as if you were disappointed with your tournament performance but third place doesn't really look like a bad result; so I might have misunderstood you.)
On the other hand, playing in tournaments also takes some time to get used to. Not only for people used to play online from their home but even compared to playing at a small club it's usually quite different. Big halls (or small and crowdy room), noise, sometimes bad air, weird piece sets or boards, ... It all takes time and practice to get used to. Even a "stage fright", being nervous that this is important and you want to show yourself, it all can harm your performance.
So I would say keep playing, both at the club and in tournaments and see how it goes.
(Note: I have to admit I'm a bit confused here. Your comment sounds as if you were disappointed with your tournament performance but third place doesn't really look like a bad result; so I might have misunderstood you.)
3rd place isnt bad, it was the expectation of my skill level that i am confused about, as i do not believe i am over 1600 usfc, but my boss seems the think i am 1800 and that i should have won
Not that I would have much practical experience with winning tournaments but IMHO actually winning a larger tournament (with, say, 50 or more participants) is quite hard even if you are actually best by long term rating. These are often decided by one point or less and you can always meet someone underrated, someone who has a really good day or simply have an unfortunate moment that I call "an eclipse of the mind". Playing for a win knowing that you are supposed to and that even a draw is going to be a disappointment can be hard and requires a lot of confidence and mental strength. Being in that position 7 or 9 times is even worse.
IMHO the only way to tell what rating would be really appropriate for you is to give it more time, play in more rated events over a longer period of time and see where does your rating stabilize.
IMHO the only way to tell what rating would be really appropriate for you is to give it more time, play in more rated events over a longer period of time and see where does your rating stabilize.
TELL your Boss that Overconfidence isn't a good trait to have
' ... Confidence is what I see Congradualate @soccerfreak1213 for the 3rd place finish & you may be proven correct about 1850 1900 Soon enough as long as U have paeitence Bossman
' ... Confidence is what I see Congradualate @soccerfreak1213 for the 3rd place finish & you may be proven correct about 1850 1900 Soon enough as long as U have paeitence Bossman
Ok, thanks yall