Afraid of Getting Stabbed at Chess Tournament

[NoahsArk]

Hello. Recently I posted about getting distracted on a date because I was afraid my ex-would get jealous and do something terrible to me. Now, I'm having the same fear about specific opponents when I play chess. I taught chess in schools for many years, but then stopped for a while and am now getting back into it. I really want to go further in chess since I love the game and there is so much involved in it. Despite having some success, OCD has been a big road block for me and has made it difficult for me to reach my potential.

Yesterday I was at a tournament, and, for some reason, I was getting OCD that if I beat my opponent, he wouldn't be a good sport about it. Worse than that, though, I was thinking during the game that if I won he'd go crazy and stab me. I coudn't concentrate and lost in a winning position. Not all players have that effect on me, but something about his demeanor affected me that way. I won the next two games, but the loss to him prevented me from winning the tournament or getting second place. Are there any tips about what I can do in this situation? I want to be thinking about things like what my move options are and what a good plan in my position is, not debating in my mind what are the chances of him stabbing me afterwards! I should also say that this is maybe not even really a fear, because I don't actually get scared like, for example, I did as a kid when hearing a strange noise at night. It's more just a getting stuck kind of feeling.

For some reason, even when I generally have a good handle on my OCD, it can be hard to control when I'm playing chess because chess requires so much concentration, and on top of that there is an opponent trying to outwit you every move! What makes it worse is that just by having the thoughts I get annoyed at the fact that I'm having them. On the other hand I've heard that we can't really prevent the thoughts that come into our head, but we can control how much we obsess over them. Should I just be saying to myself something like "ok, well, that's an interesting though, I'll let it stay and wont fight it?". Any tips would be great.

Edited January 28, 2017 by NoahsArk

[AttemptingToHeal]

4 hours ago, NoahsArk said:

Should I just be saying to myself something like "ok, well, that's an interesting though, I'll let it stay and wont fight it?".

Yes. Ignore them and concentrate on your next move. Keep doing that and it will get easier.

[paradoxer]

Don't let an inane disorder put you in check mate. 

Edited January 29, 2017 by paradoxer
typo

[NoahsArk]

Thanks for the responses Attempting and paradoxer.

"Don't let an inane disorder put you in check mate". Haha it has in the past, but I'll do my best not to let it in the future! I will just try and concentrate on my next move:)

 

[paradoxer]