The Chess.com Off Topic Forums

Jan 12, 2023, 9:41 AM | 5

I often find myself opening chess.com to end up spending little to no time actually playing chess, or doing anything really chess related. Rather, I hop onto the forums and participate there. And again, despite it being on chess.com, I rarely talk in any of the chess forum boards. Instead, you’ll usually find me hanging around the Off Topic forums. And that’s what this blog post is about, the Off Topic forums and my experience of it.

I usually have very inconsistent activity on this site, so it may seem strange that I call myself an Off Topic forum regular. However, I’m sure a few people would recognize me from various forum games though, such as my occasional activity in Change One Word and one that I made myself, the Alphabet Game.

One of my favorite things about the Off Topic forum is how you can talk about nearly anything you want. It's a great place to try and find people with similar interests as you! You can also join in one of the many forum games there, or make your own. It's a pretty different place from the rest of the chess.com forums, with a way more chill atmosphere (at least to me). It's truly a wonderful place.

There's a few different main types of people I usually notice in the Off Topic forums. I've made a mental list of them, and sometimes fit people into these types. Here's an explanation of them all.

The Immature

This type of person is usually on the younger side, around 13-16. Occasionally, a younger child might slip by as well. Their behavior is usually similar to that of a young child. Pretty self explanatory.

The Troll

Self explanatory. Just a troll looking to cause problems and annoy people. This isn't exclusive to Off Topic though, they can be anywhere.

The Veteran

Long-time chess.com members. These people have usually been active on the site for several years, and are known by the community. A lot of them that I've seen are also active participants in other areas of the forums.

The Regular

Usual active participants in the Off Topic forums. Usually seen posting on many different topics, and have created a few of their own. Typically not as widely known as Veterans, but still recognizable. Most people you see will probably fall under here.

The Newcomer

Usually new to the forums, not having many points, if any at all. Most make one or two posts on the Off Topic section and either become a Regular or don't return. I don't know how to explain this one well, but usually you know one when you see it.

There's a variety of different types of topics in this section, making things very interesting. My favorite type of forum post is the forum games. There's all sorts of games, such as the very long lasting You're Banned game, or, one of my personal favorites, The Person Below Me.

A really popular game with many variations is The Word Game. You start with one word, and the next person will come up with a different word that begins with the last letter of the previous word. For example:

Person A: Demonstrate
Person B: Even
Person C: Number

It's a very simple game, but still popular on the forums. Several people have made their own posts of this game, and some have even made different themed variations of it! I've even made one or two myself. Here's a list of some if you'd like to check them out!

Some forum games are also quite similar to the word game! A good example is one I've made, called the alphabet game. All you do is post words in alphabetical order, from A-Z. When the last letter is reached, the game repeats.

Somewhat off topic, but I used to be active on a different forum somewhere else a very long time ago. On that same forum, some of these forum games were also very popular, and I would participate in them! The word game was one I really enjoyed, as well as that site's version of You're Banned. I also remember starting the color game on that site too! So these games aren't just exclusive to this site. Just something I thought was interesting!

I've had a positive experience on the Off Topic forums during my time there so far. My first topic there, all the way back in 2021, wasn't much at all, but it started something. Something that still lasts today. My love for the Off Topic section has never changed. I don't know exactly what it is, but something about it keeps me coming back to this website every so often.

Overall, I think the Off Topic forums are a very fun place that you should consider checking out if you haven't already. There's a lot to do there, and it's nice if you're looking to talk about something other than chess for a while.

notes about this post (this is completely irrelevant, feel free to skip)

woo second blog post!! i actually figured out how this whole thing works! im experimenting with my writing a bit. dont really know if i like it though. i also had no idea what to use for the image so i had one of my irl friends pick one for me LOL

The Chess.com Off Topic Forums

tee's ramblings