I'm a hobby chess player. I play on Lichess. And whenever I find the time, I love watching live tournaments. But I have a recurring issue: the moment I start watching, I inevitably end up rooting for one of the players. It feels almost compulsive.

The thing is, my bias isn't even consistent. It shifts based on the format, the tournament context, off-board drama, and sometimes just pure whims. Here are some specific examples from my own viewing habits:

Format matters: When it's Gukesh vs. Nihal, I root for Gukesh in classical time controls, but I switch sides completely and root for Nihal in bullet.

Leaderboard dynamics: When it's Gukesh vs. Pragg, my support entirely depends on the standings:

• If one of them is already mathematically out of title contention, I root for the one still fighting for the top spot.
• If they are right next to each other on the leaderboard, I root for the guy in second place (the chaser).
• If one is at the absolute top and uncatchable, I'll root for the other guy, even if he's not even on the leaderboard.
• If they are tied neck-and-neck on the leaderboard, I genuinely don't care about the result and just watch neutrally.

Controversy and personality override nationality: Despite being my fellow countrymen, Vidit and Samay have never been my favorites. In fact, I actively root against them. This is purely due to off-board reasons Vidit's public spat with the Liver Doc and Samay's insensitive jokes in his shows have completely turned me off.

This bias creeps in through identity, personality, context and sometimes just a completely irrational subconscious pull, like instinctively rooting for Gukesh against one opponent and then rooting for that same opponent against someone else.

The consequence is pretty frustrating. When the player I'm rooting for loses, I genuinely struggle to accept the outcome. Sometimes, it even ruins my mood for a while. This emotional toll has gotten so bad that I've completely stopped watching live chess for the past six months.

My question to you: Have you ever experienced this kind of shifting, irrational emotional bias while watching live games? How do you personally deal with it? Is it even possible to remain completely neutral as a spectator? And if bias does creep in, do you have any mental tricks or mindset shifts that help you accept a loss gracefully?

I really miss watching chess live, but I don't want to keep putting myself through this stress. I'd love to hear your experiences and advice.

(translated with help of AI)