Roll up, roll up for the OTF chess tournaments

[Wouter D]

We're off. Have fun!

[The_Purple_Cow]

My position against Etienne is already close to resignable. Fell into my old habits of playing too quickly without stopping to think, and after too many glasses of red wine.

[Etienne]

Reminder for Bored!

[Bored Of Education]

I apologise as I have already lost two games on time. I have had work up to my eyeballs in the last two weeks, it doesn't quite look like it is going to let up and I am not sure I will be able to give the tournament my best attention. .I also realise that I have handed two slightly-easier-than-normal wins over me to Wouter and TPC which is a bit unfair on others. I will do my moves now on the remaining games but I am genuinely thinking that I will let the games run out on time and step out of this tournament.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Oh man - I've just completely brainfarted in my game with Etienne. Serves me right, multitasking in a Maseru hotel, eating room service, prepping for training tomorrow, watching the NI-GER game and following Wales on the internet.

[Etienne]

I logged on, saw I had two notifications, and found that both you and TPC had inexplicably gifted me their queens within minutes of each other.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

That's the way we roll....

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Bored, sorry to hear you're over-stretched - hope things get into a better balance for you before long!

In contrast to the multi-tasking/playing drunk etc. explanations from some players for below par moves, I have to say that I get into losing positions quite often just because I'm not very good! I've just realised, for example, that choosing my first three pawn moves against VT as (in whatever order) e6, c5 and a6 was probably pretty stupid and gives me nothing but a choice of weaknesses.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

In contrast to the multi-tasking/playing drunk etc. explanations from some players for below par moves,

Just getting my excuses in early. But I am in Maseru, by the way....lovely people.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Glad to hear that VT, hope your training is a triumph. I now know some geography facts I didn't know before you posted about your location. (including that the country in question is the only sovereign state in the world, the whole of whose territory is over 1,000m above sea level - I may use that somehow in the annual office quiz which I am a few colleagues are setting this year, as the price of having won last year's).

[Etienne]

I logged on, saw I had two notifications, and found that both you and TPC had inexplicably gifted me their queens within minutes of each other.

It's an epidemic.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

[oh, I get it. Levin too.]

[Etienne]

I guess it could have led to everyone worrying that it was them who had done it.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

well, I did check my own game against you, I must admit.

[The_Purple_Cow]

I logged on, saw I had two notifications, and found that both you and TPC had inexplicably gifted me their queens within minutes of each other.

In my defence, my wife was harassing me about not working hard enough on my recuperation at the time. I should have put my phone down and engaged her in polite discourse - rather than randomly and distractedly giving away my Queen.

[Etienne]

Engaging with your wife ahead of playing chess is always the correct course of action!

While that move was the worst option, I don't think you had many good options though.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

Engaging with your wife ahead of playing chess is always the correct course of action!

.

Hell yes. I'd be a much happier man now if I'd understood that several years earlier than I did. Not just chess of course.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

It's an epidemic.

It's happening so much that I get to benefit too.

[Evariste Euler Gauss]

My all-time high ranking on the site for standard Daily, gained shortly after I first joined a few years ago, was 1488, a misleading figure reflecting the very low number of matches I'd played etc.. I've never got very close to that since, but thanks to a few wins in this tourney I am now level with my high for this year of 1474, and if I drag out the matches I'm losing and avoid mistakes (ha ha) in one game where I think I'm slightly up and win that one first, I may just scrape a new record level before dropping down as my inevitable defeats trickle in.

[Etienne]

I've just reached 1700 in live chess for the first time ever (I'd not been in the 1600s much either), rather anti-climatically as I was struggling in a game and then my opponent lost their connection. I think I should probably step away for a while.

Quite surprised to be ironytowersing this tournament. Perhaps finally winning last time has released me psychologically or something.

[The_Purple_Cow]

Last night I threw away another game, but nobody to blame but me this time. I saw that playing rook d4, lost the rook to a king rook fork, and then about 15 minutes later I thought “ I know, why don’t I just play rook d4?”

[The_Purple_Cow]

I need some advice. Supposing you are playing a three day game on chess.com and you are in a totally drawn position but your opponent refuses the draw. What do you do? Carry on playing for ever? Or just resign?

[Etienne]

I'd probably want to play on in that position as your opponent, at least for a bit longer.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

I need some advice. Supposing you are playing a three day game on chess.com and you are in a totally drawn position but your opponent refuses the draw. What do you do? Carry on playing for ever? Or just resign?

I spotted that I refused your offer of a draw with me before I actually saw the offer. Hence my re-offer...

[The_Purple_Cow]

No, for the record i wasn't referring to that. This relates to a ridiculous game I'm playing against a Spanish bloke. I don't know what point he is trying to prove.