I'm really tired of all these juvenile questions about chess etiquette: "Can I ask him to resign?" "He's not checkmating me, he wants to take all my pieces off before he checkmates me. That's so rude!" "Can I bring a lawnmower to a tournament and start it up while my opponent is thinking?"

People. Please use common sense. Act normally. And at the chessboard, don't say anything. That's it. Extend your hand at the beginning of the game and say, "Good luck," and shake his hand at the end and say,"Good game." No teasing, resigning, not resigning, all these babyish tactics. Just be NORMAL. Thank you.

Hmmm, isn't this just a thread about forum etiquette?  What's the difference?

Is it me or is this part of the chess forum for question like that? I thought this was that area that people could post that without someone coming down on them and telling them this is a stupid thread or wrong forum. Most forums have a room like this where those questions can be asked without taking up room in the other areas that are more specific in what is posted there.

I do understand what you mean, but I don't think your going to stop anyone from posting. I mean there is one guy around here who tends to post in here mostly just to stroke his ego. Thats just how it is.

Normal is not interesting.

Robert James Fischer, In Belgrade, 1970, during World vs USSR called main referee and tournament director in his hotel room. They both come, thinking it was something important. When they entered in Fischers room, he asked them - Can Petrosian first make a move and then right it down, and not to first right it down and then move his pieces. They were both surprised since there is no rule about how it should be done. Fischer said he will not play if it was not done how he wants and Petrosian accepted just to save the match. Is that normal?

Now, do you think Fischer was obsessive enough that he actually cared how it was done or do you suppose it was a psychological tactic to assert some degree of control or dominance before the match even started?

Im going with Obsessive enough.

you know, on the last tournament i attended i seriously considered taking a lawn-mower

thanks for responding to my 'juvenile' post here and not in my post where i could read it...

iono, but claiming you where born at the turn of the last century seems a little more juvenile than asking a chess-related question on a chess-related forum.

Petrosian was not present when that conversation happened. Fischer was just obsessive.

He didn't have to be present for the conversation for it to have been an effective psychological manipulation -- he did acquiesce which means that the demand ultimately made it's way to him.

Ooooh . . . Mimchi.  Can't say 'Good luck' . . . people get all bent out of shape about that.  They think you're indicating that they can't beat you unless they get 'lucky'.  No, no . . . if this is about a etiquette, then steer clear of that one.

:-)

Sometimes old people like me forget to write down a move...especially during a time scramble.

I usually remember to press the clock though.

How old was Petrosian when this happened?

Is it really that much of a psychological manipulation for someone to write a move down before moving it instead of moving it then writing it down?

Or are these guys that into it that the slightest thing like that could throw their entire game off? So much so that they lose a tournament.

Mimchi, the last time we played, you wanted to draw a position in which I was winning, saying you "had to go." After I declined your draw and beat you, you stayed around for yet another game (apparently your appointment wasn't that pressing) and not only did you lose the second game, but the insulting chat made the victory twice as good. I can assure you I've played against worse, but when it comes to complaining about, well, ANYTHING, I'd say you don't really have the right.

I'm leaning towards obsessive as well, but if you thought disrupting his move ritual it might throw Petrosian off his game what's the harm in insisting?

TheGrobe - both.

Fischer tried plenty of tricks to gain the psychological edge, but he was also a bit of a nutter anyway.

The best way to start a chess game is to ask your opponent: "Which color square does the queen go on?" Then you r opponent will grossly underestimate you and you can go on to crush him...

Only kidding! I agree with the original post-just use common sense and common etiquette. 

Feel the burn...!!!

Yeah I want to see the responce to this.

Someone like fischer is obsessive enough to care about that rule. He was annoyed with it, just like the lighting (which karpov agreed with!) while he was playing. He does psycholoigcal tricks, but I think this was just fischer being fischer, but if it was a trick, it was a weak one. He won because he was the better player.

I'm not sure why, but international players think it's kind of cheap sometimes to write the move down first but I don't understand why. I just check my move but why is writing it down first such a advantage? I always write my move after I make it because that's just how I do it. I don't think it would make a difference if I wrote it down, but anyways, alot of strong players think it's an advantage, so I'm not suprised fischer would have the nerve to change the rules.

Well, on the other side of the coin, could he perhaps have been sensitive or obsessive enough to consider writing the move down first as an insult?

"I could stop my clock and then write the move down, but I don't feel the need against you."