Chicago Open - Before

I will try to concentrate on the following issues during this tournament:

Not worry about rating points - actually since I am back on my floor there are no points to lose!

Overconfidence I - Although I try, I have a problem with not taking the game seriously if my opponent is low rated (more than 200 points less than me). It won't be an issue here since there won't be any low rated players.

Overconfidence II - Do not relax till the game is over. I have a pattern of getting good positions and then relaxing, usually drawing or losing winning positions.

Don't Panic - Chess is infinitely complex and there often are defensive resources available, when none seem to exist. I have lost many games when an unexpected move by me opponent sent me into panic mode. If I had searched a little bit more I would have found the correct defensive move.

Take a "time out" when necessary to completely re-evaluate a position. An example is when you are attacking, and the opponent plays a move (usually a sacrifice) that forces you to go on the defensive.

Impatience - Realize that there is plenty of time, double and triple check everything if time permits. Especially watch for offensive possibilities of defensive looking moves. For instance there is a line in the advance variation of the Caro-Kann where White plays c3, which looks like a defense move with the goal of strengthening the d4 square, but in fact c3 opens the path for the queen to get to a4 which attacks an unprotected bishop on g4 and double attacks the pinned knight on c6.