Lost

All chess players have lost games. All chess players have lost games while being in a good position, maybe up some material. It is usually the most painful experience when you lose a chess game that you were winning just a move before. A little, tiny thing you do in one second can ruin previous hours of concentrated work and great amount effort put throughout the game. The price of a wrong move is too high in chess. For instance, in basketball you can make a mistake, allow your opponent to score and you can keep playing and still have a good chance winning the game. In the game of chess if you drop your queen or miss a mate there is no way you can recover. Chess players are all different, but in one thing they all the same: no one likes losing. Due to individual characteristics, chess players react very differently when they lose a game. How many times have you noticed that you opponent got mad, aggressive, apathetic, upset or distressed after the negative outcome of their game? What about yourself? It is pretty sure that you have some negative emotions when you lose a game, why else would you be reading this article right now? It is impossible to say what reaction is the best or the worst, but it's not important how to react right after losing a chess game. It is important what you learn or do some time after that painful experience of losing.  Some, in fact many, people give up after the painful defeat and say, they will never play this game again. They are not mentally strong enough to get over the lose and to keep playing. Some on opposite, get motivated by the defeat (by a stronger) and turn it into a win (beating a weaker) by training and getting better. Then they come back and win. GM Maurice Ashley stated: "Look at Garry Kasparov. After he loses, invariably he wins the next game. He just kills the guy. That's something that we have to learn to be able to do."

Most players do not like losing, and consider defeat as something shameful. This is a wrong attitude. 

Those who wish to perfect themselves must regard their losses as lessons and learn from them what sorts of things to avoid in the future.