Games at the Same Time

This post isn't about simultaneous games in the exhibition sense, which are quite popular at larger tournaments. In those "Simuls" a top player, usually a Grandmaster takes on the challenge of playing a bunch of other players, each on their own board. It's an exhibition and I've done that a couple of times, even being a totally non-rated player.

I used to work in water sports in the tourism industry and sometimes the weather just doesn't cooperate with deep sea fishing, water-skiing, sailing or scuba diving, so I had to find something to do to keep guests from bitching too much. One place I worked at had 5 chess sets available for guests and that gave me an idea.

I would give a 30 minute lesson on how the pieces moved and guests got to play against "the victim", usually me, and usually for drinks. You can build quite a hangover just playing some chess during a day of miserable weather but that was more than enough to get a lot of laughs around the dining room table.

That's some fun from my work history that's not really what I'm talking about here.

I play for Team Canada in Vote Chess and Team Matches. In the team matches you literally get matched up against a player from another countries team for two games. You play a game as white and another game as black, and some of your opponents do some funny things.

Maybe someone here could enlighten me?

I'm currently in a couple of year end friendlies and both of my opponents are only playing one of their games against me. Neither of them has started their game where they would be playing White, and I'm wondering why. They have a time limit, 3 days or I get the win based on their time-out. You don't get any points when you win that way but at least it looks good on your record!

I started my White game more or less on time and I've been playing as I work out my move. To give both of my opponents credit they are doing the same and they both appear to be quite good, but neither has started their white game and they both have only a little over a day left to do so, or I win.

I'm not good enough to scare anyone away from a game so I'm really curious what the thinking is. I've also decided to wait and more or less force the matter. I have 3 days to make a move in our active games while they have 1 day left.

Let's see how this apple falls to the dirt.

[Edit: Since starting to write this one of my opponents started his white game but still, why the delay?]

[Edit 2: Either my other opponent reads this blog too (not likely) or he realized I was prepared to wait him out. He moved his first White piece.]