Overcoming a Tough Loss

From teaching chess to children, talking to friends during tournaments, and my own experiences, I've found that everyone has occasional trouble getting over a difficult loss. Maybe you were winning, then hung a piece; perhaps you blundered early on and never recovered against an opponent you know should have defeated, or something else about the game is bothering you. Regardless of the cause, there's often a carryover effect heading into the next game if you can't get over your last loss.

I've been thinking about this topic lately because of a recent loss of mine. After a game where both sides missed opportunities for the advantage, my opponent -- a master -- blundered away a pawn early in the endgame. I now stood better, and decided to push for the win rather than offer a draw. Sure enough, not only did I fail to win the game, I managed to lose! A draw against a master would have been an excellent result for me, so blowing what seemed to be a sure half-point stuck with me for a while.

In my case, I was lucky: this was a club tournament, and I had a whole week to get over it before the next round. By then, I'd gone over what had been an interesting game several times, and was mentally prepared to play my game. But what should you do if you're at a weekend tournament where the next round might be in just a few hours, or even a few minutes?

In my experience, the answer to that question is different for everyone. Depending on my mood, I might take a walk away from the playing area, analyze a friend's game, or call someone who doesn't play chess at all (they tend to be good at putting these things in perspective). What do you do to get your mind off of a particularly frustrating game?