Have I Been Sandbagging for Nine Years. Help?!

I was confused because I have read some stories about a young Caruana being withdrawn from tournaments "to protect his rating". I don´t know how that would have work.

You don´t care about the games? The tournament experience? Are you only interested in the big money in chess? 

When people have a bad first (or first few) rounds (they're in bad form for whatever reason) they sometimes withdraw to avoid even more losses in future rounds.  It doesn't make the games already played disappear though.

A page or so back there was some discussion of the definition of sandbagging.  Here's the way I view it:

- Entering the U1200 might be arguably unethical, but not really something a TD could ding you for.  The OP would be simply be playing a tourney 9 years after his last provisionally-rated tourney.  I still would not intentionally choose a bigger $$$ tourney for this, but it's not against any rules that I know of.

- The OP's discussion about calculating how many games he could play and still hold his rating under 1200 for a second money tournament *is* sandbagging if the OP were to go through with it and take any actions whatsoever that helped hold his rating down.  

The thought process involved in the description of how the two tourneys are to be chosen and entered in the U1200 section is leaning heavily in the sandbagging direction ;).  But thinking about something is not punishable, doing it is.

You all did notice that his provisional rating went down, right?

Not sandbagging, not unethical, just overly optimistic.

But if he stopped playing to avoid making 3/4 in the tournament to avoid getting over 1200 (because he was going to finish out of the money), isn´t that sandbagging?

So in your world, attempted murder is not a crime? ;)

No.  He, obviously, played in the proper section. 

I'd bet he didn't finish 'cause he was mad.

It was albeit years ago when I played in any money tournaments, but in the 2 I played in HB global and one in Las Vegas I was never asked if I believed my USCF rating was an accurate indicator of my strength.  So I have no idea when anyone would have the opportunity to "claim" their strength is the same as their rating.   

I am sure that most people who enter these tournaments believe they play stronger than their rating.  So if they had to answer that question they would either lie or tell the truth.  If everyone told the truth you would basically have at least half the catagories playing up.   But really if they asked that question honest people wouldn't play in the tournaments.  How much that would effect turnout depends on how honest your think chessplayers are.  

Bottom line in these sorts of tournaments you should make no assumptions based on their rating.  

And by the way children are to be especially feared especially if the tournament is in october like the million dollar tournament.  The Scholastic nationals are in the spring.  Most kids will not have any tournaments and therefore any rated games between spring and when the chess season starts up again in November or December.  That 10 year old who had an X rating in the spring might very well be playing 200 points higher come next fall.  

Martin_Stahl

Is right on the money with his comments.  OTB is much different than playing online.  Lots of people think they will do well and find that different things about over the board chess are distracting (writing moves and remembering to hit the clock) looking at real board is different than a 2d screen, and that otb its harder on the nerves until you get used to it.