Chess, anyone?
September 29th, 2012 at 5:34:25 PM
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September 29th, 2012 at 5:39:28 PM
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We tried a site tourney about 18 months ago. I think we made it to the semi-finals - I'm not sure that they were played - and then it kind of fizzled. I think that was the one time I've played chess since highschool, and it took me about 20 minutes to lose in round 1. Based on how that went, I think there would probably be interest in a (much shorter) tournament or organized game(s) of some sort.
"So as the clock ticked and the day passed, opportunity met preparation, and luck happened." - Maurice Clarett
September 29th, 2012 at 7:01:05 PM
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i want to get better at chess. i'm ranked 1300 after about a dozen small tournaments. (All players start at 1200.)
So how does one get better?
So how does one get better?
Craps is paradise (Pair of dice).
Lets hear it for the SpeedCount Mathletes :)
September 29th, 2012 at 7:11:15 PM
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Quote: 100xOddsi want to get better at chess. i'm ranked 1300 after about a dozen small tournaments. (All players start at 1200.)
So how does one get better?
You have to study the game, mainly openings, and play superior opponents. I've been playing Chess for some time and I'm probably only around a 1600, mostly due to the fact that I open exclusively with Grob's Attack, playing as White, a really weak opening against a decent opponent. You can beat people who haven't ever looked at it and aren't ready for it, but that's about it. I could learn a traditional opening, I guess, but I don't have the patience required to memorize a bunch of move sequences, I prefer just shooting from the hip, and Grob's Attack is good for that.
The people who have extensive knowledge of Chess Openings mainly use one traditional strategy or the other to counter Grob's Attack, it's really pretty simple for anyone who has looked into it or seen it more than a handful of times. Ultimately, I've gotten to the point with the Opening that nobody unfamiliar with it has a prayer of beating me, and I don't have a prayer of beating anyone familiar with it.
I might have a match with one of you guys if you want to, but if you are familiar with defending against Grob's Attack, my resistance will be pathetic, at best. I do pretty well playing correspondence, if anyone is interested, even with those familiar with the Opening. I'm about 7-2 in all correspondence games, a few against superior opponents.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 29th, 2012 at 7:34:04 PM
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September 29th, 2012 at 7:44:21 PM
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"Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine."
– Rudolf Spielmann (1883 - 1942)
– Rudolf Spielmann (1883 - 1942)
In a bet, there is a fool and a thief.
- Proverb.
September 29th, 2012 at 8:08:58 PM
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Quote: sodawater
Of course, you should be a little familiar with the basic ideas of what makes a good opening -- Developing pieces, controlling the center, connecting your rooks, getting your king to safety -- but return on investment for your study time will be much greater doing endgames and tactics until you are at the club level of play .
Make no mistake, based on SodaWater's post there can be absolutely no doubt that I wouldn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of even coming close to being a border-line reasonably formidable opponent for him. It would be a massacre.
Grob's Attack blatantly ignores, and intentinonally, everything that I quoted SodaWater on above, except you can develop your Rooks late. Your pieces will be undeveloped, you will sacrifice control of the center (for the most part) and there is no point in Castling...your King will be exposed to an attack regardless of what you do.
The advantage is that it will be a shoot-out, so if you are against an opponent who is not reasonably good with respect to tactics, or one who is reasonably good (but no better) that has never seen the opening, you will annihilate him.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 29th, 2012 at 8:12:47 PM
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September 29th, 2012 at 8:21:00 PM
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It wouldn't, I would be mercilessly pounded into an unrecognizable puddle. You're familiar with Grob's Attack. I would be happy to play you, but my falsely inflated rating is based on mercilessly assailing people who are completely unfamiliar with the opening and nothing more, kind of like what your friend did to you in college!
I do not have the patience to invest a few hours for that, I'm afraid. My modus operandi is, "You want a war? I'll give you a war!" I consider the resultant games from those openings very boring, I just want to throw down the gloves and get it on!
Happy to play you one, though, even tonight if you want.
I do not have the patience to invest a few hours for that, I'm afraid. My modus operandi is, "You want a war? I'll give you a war!" I consider the resultant games from those openings very boring, I just want to throw down the gloves and get it on!
Happy to play you one, though, even tonight if you want.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 29th, 2012 at 10:03:27 PM
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Quote: 100xOddsi want to get better at chess. i'm ranked 1300 after about a dozen small tournaments. (All players start at 1200.)
So how does one get better?
My best rating was 2138 OTB and 2129 Postal. I quit tournament chess in 1996. The way you get good at chess is by living and breathing it obsessively. It's hard to describe the level of obsession I had, but I started to hate the game. I especially hated losing. Just hated it. No amount of winning could overcome that. It was making me sick and depressed, so I quit cold turkey for 3 years. I played one more rated tournament in 8/28/1999, but that was it. Done. There's much more to the story, obviously. And yes, I still play, almost every day. How does one get better? That is the question, isn't it?
Climate Casino: https://climatecasino.net/climate-casino/
September 29th, 2012 at 10:11:33 PM
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September 29th, 2012 at 10:22:43 PM
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That sounds good to me, just let me know what time EST. I can probably do a fifteen minute one, even if I have work-related distractions. If you want to go thirty, though, I promise to play as fast as possible.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 1:57:57 AM
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I don't suggest another tournament, just was too hard to do. It never finished?
It was interesting though. I drew as opponents AZ Duffman and then the Wizard, and got lucky. Next, though, was mkl54321 who made mincemeat out of me.
Perhaps I can comment now on those games. In my own losing games, I tended to notice that I tend to get a pawn behind on the trail to defeat, and that it often involves a pin on an advanced pawn in the middle. I approached Duffman and Shackleford with this in mind and succeeded in turning the tables on that problem, to my surprise. I think I was roughly the equal of these two in experience, and somehow my focus was just luckily the right one.
mkl guy, though, played such a superior game I hardly knew what hit me. He came out with an opening called "the orangutan" which was a pawn advance left of center [my right flank]. My experience with openings I know nothing about, that eschew pawn advances in the middle, is to claim the middle yourself with your own pawns. This evidently is exactly the wrong thing to do vs the Orangutan! [g] The next thing I knew the guy had attack lines into my back row I could do nothing about. But in any case, it was pretty clear I was doomed anyway against somebody that good.
This is the thing with chess. You have to be reasonably matched or it is quickly 'game over'
Have not played chess since btw.
It was interesting though. I drew as opponents AZ Duffman and then the Wizard, and got lucky. Next, though, was mkl54321 who made mincemeat out of me.
Perhaps I can comment now on those games. In my own losing games, I tended to notice that I tend to get a pawn behind on the trail to defeat, and that it often involves a pin on an advanced pawn in the middle. I approached Duffman and Shackleford with this in mind and succeeded in turning the tables on that problem, to my surprise. I think I was roughly the equal of these two in experience, and somehow my focus was just luckily the right one.
mkl guy, though, played such a superior game I hardly knew what hit me. He came out with an opening called "the orangutan" which was a pawn advance left of center [my right flank]. My experience with openings I know nothing about, that eschew pawn advances in the middle, is to claim the middle yourself with your own pawns. This evidently is exactly the wrong thing to do vs the Orangutan! [g] The next thing I knew the guy had attack lines into my back row I could do nothing about. But in any case, it was pretty clear I was doomed anyway against somebody that good.
This is the thing with chess. You have to be reasonably matched or it is quickly 'game over'
Have not played chess since btw.
the next time Dame Fortune toys with your heart, your soul and your wallet, raise your glass and praise her thus: “Thanks for nothing, you cold-hearted, evil, damnable, nefarious, low-life, malicious monster from Hell!” She is, after all, stone deaf. ... Arnold Snyder
September 30th, 2012 at 5:32:28 AM
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Quote: Mission146It wouldn't, I would be mercilessly pounded into an unrecognizable puddle. You're familiar with Grob's Attack. I would be happy to play you, but my falsely inflated rating is based on mercilessly assailing people who are completely unfamiliar with the opening and nothing more, kind of like what your friend did to you in college!
LOL. And on the Internet you can meet people who know unusual openings inside and out. Somewhere I've got a chessbase file where some random guy I met on chess.com and I play Bronstein's Ukranian from start to finish without a single word exchanged.
I like chess.com for chess, and wbaduk for Go. The latter is a Chinese site mainly used by players in China who are insanely good at Go. I really really like Chinese chess (Xiangqi), but I don't know anywhere good to play it online. I use HiddenLynx (or sometimes Qianhong) to play Chinese chess on my computer. Oh, and Fritz for international chess.
September 30th, 2012 at 4:18:36 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 4:37:22 PM
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I'll be ready to roll!
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 5:05:59 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 5:10:53 PM
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I'll say it now, if you draw White first, I want a rematch!!!
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 5:13:21 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 5:17:39 PM
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Cool!
My FICS handle is "Pavlovian" I just created it last night, so I might need a couple seconds to adjust. I've not yet played a game on the thing.
My FICS handle is "Pavlovian" I just created it last night, so I might need a couple seconds to adjust. I've not yet played a game on the thing.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 6:26:50 PM
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Instructions on how to watch?
Or just post a link to the completed game, if possible.
If not, would you post the moves here?
Or just post a link to the completed game, if possible.
If not, would you post the moves here?
In a bet, there is a fool and a thief.
- Proverb.
September 30th, 2012 at 6:34:18 PM
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Quote: WongBoInstructions on how to watch?
Or just post a link to the completed game, if possible.
If not, would you post the moves here?
I have no idea how to watch. Posting the moves should be sufficiently embarassing.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 6:50:28 PM
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It's been a couple months, at 0-4, practice matches are not going well.
I'm trying to do these five minutes or less games and I panic everytime my opponent has more time on the clock and do something stupid. One other game I was clearly outmatched, but ahead on time, so I tried to cat-and-mouse my way to victory and failed.
I'm trying to do these five minutes or less games and I panic everytime my opponent has more time on the clock and do something stupid. One other game I was clearly outmatched, but ahead on time, so I tried to cat-and-mouse my way to victory and failed.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 6:53:41 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 6:55:07 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 7:09:05 PM
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Thank God that's over!
Good games, SodaWater, on your part.
Good games, SodaWater, on your part.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 7:13:44 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 7:18:08 PM
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Thank you for the compliment, it certainly took me more moves in the second game to realize I didn't have a chance.
You didn't make any mistakes against Grob's Attack, and it's pretty clear that you are not going to. I'm afraid that I forfeit to you for life, as I have no interest in a guaranteed defeat.
What do those percentages mean?
You didn't make any mistakes against Grob's Attack, and it's pretty clear that you are not going to. I'm afraid that I forfeit to you for life, as I have no interest in a guaranteed defeat.
What do those percentages mean?
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
September 30th, 2012 at 7:21:47 PM
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September 30th, 2012 at 8:20:17 PM
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Here's the PGN of my most recent game, just to prove I am not a complete idiot!
I'm playing as Black.
White: AlwaysCheats
Black: Pavlovian
AlwaysCheats ELO: 1528
Pavlovian ELO: Not Very Good
Result Description: AlwaysCheats Resigns
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Nc3 Nc6
4. Bc4 Nf6
5. d4 a6
6. dxe5 Nxe5
7. Nxe5 dxe5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
9. Bxf7 Ke7
10. Bb3 Bd7
11. Bg5 Bc6
12. Nd5+ Bxd5
13. Bxd5 h6
14. Bxf6+ gxf6
15. O-O-O c6
16. Bb3 b5
17. a4 b4
18. Rd2 Rd8
19. Rhd1 Rxd2
20. Rxd2 Bg7
21. Bc4 a5
22. g3 h5
23. h4 Bh6
24. f4 exf4
25. Rg2 f3+
Forfeit.
I'm playing as Black.
White: AlwaysCheats
Black: Pavlovian
AlwaysCheats ELO: 1528
Pavlovian ELO: Not Very Good
Result Description: AlwaysCheats Resigns
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 d6
3. Nc3 Nc6
4. Bc4 Nf6
5. d4 a6
6. dxe5 Nxe5
7. Nxe5 dxe5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
9. Bxf7 Ke7
10. Bb3 Bd7
11. Bg5 Bc6
12. Nd5+ Bxd5
13. Bxd5 h6
14. Bxf6+ gxf6
15. O-O-O c6
16. Bb3 b5
17. a4 b4
18. Rd2 Rd8
19. Rhd1 Rxd2
20. Rxd2 Bg7
21. Bc4 a5
22. g3 h5
23. h4 Bh6
24. f4 exf4
25. Rg2 f3+
Forfeit.
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
October 1st, 2012 at 11:11:32 AM
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sodawater, in game 2, your move 14, why did you take the centre bishop with Rxd4 instead taking the rook with Bxd1?
I could be missing something, but it looks likes Bxd1 gains material.
I could be missing something, but it looks likes Bxd1 gains material.
Wisdom is the quality that keeps you out of situations where you would otherwise need it
October 1st, 2012 at 11:34:44 AM
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October 1st, 2012 at 11:58:40 AM
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I miscounted... I also thought I saw a blistering attack, that just fizzled. gg
Wisdom is the quality that keeps you out of situations where you would otherwise need it
October 1st, 2012 at 1:52:06 PM
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Quote: sodawater14...Bxd1 15.Bxg7 and now I'm the one losing material
That would have been fine. lol
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/gripes/11182-pet-peeves/120/#post815219
