Best Ways to Lose a Chess Game

No one likes to lose, right? But sometimes when we know we are going down, it's best to lose in style. In this blog, we will cover more sophisticated ways to lose a game of chess. Enjoy!

  WARNING! Follow these instructions may make your rating drop by a little more than a few points. Don't try this at home!

1) Wearing shorts to a tournament

How could I not put this one on the list? Believe it or not, this actually happened to Canadian Grandmaster Anton Kovalyov in the World Cup last year! On the third day of the World Cup, Kovalyov  wore shorts and was approached by the Chief Arbiter, who told him to wear longer pants. Furious, Kovalyov checked out of the hotel and forfeited his remaining games. People are not sure where to stand with this. The FIDE rules state that

" 8.1 The Commission on Chess Publication, Information and Statistics (CHIPS) stresses the need for all chess players to take more care in their personal appearance. The image of the chess player should be a dignified one, and dressing properly would not only show respect for the game, but also to sponsors, potential or otherwise, to make it worth their while to spend their money. For example, some federations have barred slippers, sleeveless T-shirts and vests in their tournaments. Those with unkempt and greasy hair should be admonished, as well as those wearing old or torn jeans and battered attire generally. " 

This rule, however, does not mention anything about shorts, therefore validating what Kovalyov wore. On the other hand, it is the arbiter's decision whether or not a player is "dressed appropriately". Regardless, this is a great way to lose many games, and you should definitely try this out  (only if you want to)

2) Forgetting to press the clock

This, surprisingly, happens more often than you think. Often, players forget to press their clock and start watching other games. This actually happened to me once, and believe me, it was NOT an enjoyable experience. I was playing a classical game against a player of equal strength and i made my move - but forgot to press the clock! Of course, not realizing this, I walked around and checked out the other chess games that were going on. Some 20 minutes later, I wondered why my opponent didn't move yet and the position was exactly the same. Keeping a watchful eye on my opponent, I proceeded to watch the other games. After about half an hour, I checked over at the board, only to watch in dismay as the last few seconds on my clocked ticked away.....That game cost me first place in the tournament. (I got 2nd) 

3) Let your opponent invent rules

Okay, okay. I'm not talking about the ol' "Pawns can move backwards" or "Bishops can move to any colour diagonals". I am talking about the classic "You forgot to say check; you lose!", or "You made an illegal move; you lose!" I actually fell victim to this many times, and being oblivious about what was going on, I, being a good sport, offered my hand in resignation. This is not a fun way to "lose" a game, but it sure is amusing! (for your opponent that is!)

4) Writing things, other than moves, on your scoresheet

Most of you are probably familiar with this incident, where GM Wesley So had to forfeited a game against Akobian for writing on his scoresheet. And, logically, they weren't moves. So allegedly relied on motivational sentences that could give him energy during the game. And he had to give up a point for that 

One of So's scoresheets during the tournament

5) Going to a Madonna Concert

Yes, you read this right. In the early 90's, Tom Bottema, during the Dutch Championships, allegedly lost a game like this - 

Obviously, this is a championships, and the players playing are of a very high calibre. This begs the question, why exactly did he do this? Apparently, he (Tom Bottema) had tickets to a Madonna concert and wasn't going to miss it, hence him losing the game quickly, This line is now known as the Madonna Gambit.

Okay, so that concludes the article on the best ways to lose a chess game. Please dont try this out at home, (or suffer the consequences!) but I really hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading!

(Sources - https://www.chess.com/article/view/the-10-silliest-ways-to-lose-a-chess-game Please check this out. I got some of the information here)

• Please check out my other posts at https://www.chess.com/blog/BoboTheFlyingSheep67