A couple of 'tactics' I've noticed becoming more prevalent on Live Chess that players may want to be aware of:

1. Beware the draw offer when you're winning the game.  People unfamiliar with live chess may click without reading.  Make sure you read everything thoroughly before you click it.  Some will offer a draw just before you mate them in the hopes you will accidentally click the accept button.

2. "Oops, my mouse slipped."  While this may be true, it may also be true they simply blundered.  Blunders happen much more often in Live Chess than in the other formats.  At least they do for me.  However, I've noticed a good 50% of blunders made by my opponents are due to a 'skipping' or 'slipping' mouse.  Use your judgement on this one and DON'T be bullied by someone trying to use guilt as leverage on you.

For the most part, Live Chess is a lot of fun and the players are fine.  I'm sure the above will be familiar to some and probably unfamiliar to others.  Personally, I've noticed both happening more often and thought I'd call some attention to it.

The first one is applicable to all forms of chess, many players will offer a draw when they feel that their position is worsening. One strategy to counter this is to always ask yourself, "Why do they think their position is worse?", when you are offered a draw.

The 2nd is peculiar to the internet, as in OTB, a blunder is usually followed by some exclamation, usually rude :) and resignation. My personal feelings are that mouseslips are just part of the game, you'll win some, you'll lose some because of them, so unless it is an opponent I know and trust, mouseslip equals blunder, live with it.

Good points, thanks (both) for sharing!

The mouseslip issue becomes a much bigger deal once the live chess site offers the takeback option.

Then it turns into "I mouse-slipped, I deserve a takeback". On other sites, oftentimes people just say "no takebacks" in their profile information. But then, of course, you should never ask for one. This is my policy.

I treat them like gross blunders in friendly games.  Sometimes the opponent will let you take it back (or offer a draw) and sometimes they won't.  I never expect it, but thank them if it happens.  I offer a draw if it's someone who was chatting with me, usually.  The silent type, though, gets the stoney face!

as for mouse slips, it happen to me and to all of us. My personal policy is to offer a draw for a mouse slip.  then a rematch, I think it's fair but I understand not for everybody.

I've hit the "Offer Draw" button via a mouseslip on live chess -- it is quite close to the "Resign" button which is the one I was actually going for.

One suggestion I might make is to provide the option on live chess, of touch-move (as it's currently implemented) versus having a submit button -- similar to the option provided in turn based chess here.  It might be a little more cumbersome to play the shorter blitz games with the option turned on, but it will eliminate any excuse for mouse slips.  Perhaps a player could configure it in such a way that it automatically reverts to touch move if the have less than a chosen amount of time left.

I likely wouldn't turn it on at all personally, but with it there I'll also accept my mouse slips and take my lumps because I'd know it was within my power to prevent them.

I think the option of a 'submit' button would be nice in Live Chess.  I want to punch through my monitor when I accidently make a move I didn't want.

live chess is supposed to emulate LIVE chess... do you submit moves or do you play touch moves in real life? I know I only play touch move.

Mouse slips happen so do blunders, why are you guys complaining? This is just a game.