user7352: I’ve been in a big time slump lately. I play a lot of chess on the chess.com platform. I am sure that you all know the platform. My question is this: How does someone get out of a slump? I am losing to players I shouldn't be losing to. Do I just need to get my mind right? 

user9012: How's it going? Any improvement yet? A slump could be as a result of a lack of concentration amongst other things. Maybe this post can help you out - http://www.chessfiles.com/chessfiles-blog/oh-man-am-i-in-a-slump-again

user9027: Slumps such as this happen to me often. It's extremely frustrating isn't it?
It is very similar to tilting in say poker. When this happens to me in chess, I realise I have started playing for rating, akin to when you chase your losses in poker. Rating, not the enjoyment of chess, becomes my main and sole goal. When this happens, it is easy to start letting emotion affect your game. Then your rating goes down and down. Your game is no longer your best game. It is your C game or even your D game!
If this is happening to you, take a step back. Realise that you are playing chess because you enjoy it and not because of your rating. Paradoxically, this is how your rating will return to you. You will start playing your A game again and it will be but a matter of time before you get your rating back.
Good luck!

user7189: I think you have hit the nail on the head with "Do I just need to get my mind Right?"
For many years I had very inconsistent form, I would try very hard and work on my game frequently, I saw gradual improvement but yet I would still find myself losing to players I really shouldn't...
Chess is a game which will never be played perfectly (not by any human), every game is riddled with mistakes from World Champion to absolute beginner, as players we tend to focus only on the bad things we do, "I just blundered a piece stupidly" or "I missed a simple tactic" rather than thinking about the deeper reasons for our mistake, oversights and tactical errors almost always occur when you don't understand the type of position you're playing or spending enough time to appreciate the finer points in the structure!
To play yourself into form, (or get out of bad form), you should spend a little more time getting to the bottom of why you've made the mistakes in the games you truly believe you should be winning!
Here is an article I wrote on my own improvement a year or so ago: If it looks interesting, play it!

7352: <p>I’ve been in a big time slump lately. I play a lot of chess on the chess.com platform. I am sure that you all know the platform. My question is this: How does someone get out of a slump? I am losing to players I shouldn't be losing to. Do I just need to get my mind right? </p>
 9012: <p>How's it going? Any improvement yet? A slump could be as a result of a lack of concentration amongst other things. Maybe this post can help you out - <a href="http://www.chessfiles.com/chessfiles-blog/oh-man-am-i-in-a-slump-again" rel="nofollow">http://www.chessfiles.com/chessfiles-blog/oh-man-am-i-in-a-slump-again</a></p>
 9027: <p>Slumps such as this happen to me often. <strong>It's extremely frustrating isn't it?</strong></p>

<p>It is very similar to tilting in say poker. <strong>When this happens to me in chess, I realise I have started playing for rating</strong>, akin to when you chase your losses in poker. Rating, not the enjoyment of chess, becomes my main and sole goal. When this happens, it is easy to start letting emotion affect your game. Then your rating goes down and down. Your game is no longer your best game. It is your C game or even your D game!</p>

<p>If this is happening to you, take a step back. Realise that you are playing chess because you enjoy it and not because of your rating. <strong>Paradoxically, this is how your rating will return to you.</strong> You will start playing your A game again and it will be but a matter of time before you get your rating back.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>
 7189: <p>I think you have hit the nail on the head with &quot;Do I just need to get my mind Right?&quot;</p>
<p>For many years I had very inconsistent form, I would try very hard and work on my game frequently, I saw gradual improvement but yet I would still find myself losing to players I really shouldn't...</p>
<p>Chess is a game which will never be played perfectly (not by any human), every game is riddled with mistakes from World Champion to absolute beginner, as players we tend to focus only on the bad things we do, &quot;I just blundered a piece stupidly&quot; or &quot;I missed a simple tactic&quot; rather than thinking about the deeper reasons for our mistake, oversights and tactical errors almost always occur when you don't understand the type of position you're playing or spending enough time to appreciate the finer points in the structure!</p>
<p>To play yourself into form, (or get out of bad form), you should spend a little more time getting to the bottom of why you've made the mistakes in the games you truly believe you should be winning!</p>
<p>Here is an article I wrote on my own improvement a year or so ago: <a href="http://yorkshirechess.org/looks-interesting-play/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">If it looks interesting, play it!</a></p>
