Funny Live Chess Moment
So last night I'm playing live chess as I like to do, it's fun, chess is fun, live chess is mostly fun, except when I lose with is often, but at least I lose with panache, and I know when to resign (either right before you checkmate me or if I'm majorly down in material, what? That's how I play :) Though if I've got the clock on my side and you're winning you best be prepared to checkmate me quickly because I will happily take a win on time, a win is a win, and if you totally mis-managed your clock, that is in no way detrimental to me feeling good about myself for beating you. Imagine Paul McCartney singing band on the run but substitute the word King, that's me when you have all the pieces, ten seconds left to defeat my pawn obstical course, get me in the corner, not give me a chance to create a stalemate and do my happy dance because your clock ran out, you were a higher rated player and my rating is on the up and up.....kinnnggg oooonnnnn the ruuuuunn :)
Anyhow, on with the funny moment, or at least I thought it was funny, there's no accounting for humor in this world. I just finished losing a game, I was playing black, made my usual horrible game killing blunders which allowed my opponent to run amok and thoroughly trounce me on the board. I felt I could have done better against this fellow so I offered a rematch. To which he declined because OBVIOUSLY he proved his superior play by beating me as white. No big deal, on with new games!! So I create a seek.........who in it's infinite wisdom did live chess.com decide to pit me against?? The very same individual who just declined the rematch, I chuckled, he closed the window, I created another seek.....BAM!!! Window opens and it's the SAME guy.
Now at this point I'm thinking his understanding of how seeks work is a little fuzzy. My understanding is that if similar seeks are created then chess.com unites those seekers using infinite chess wisdom and cutting edge algorithms (chessorithms?), thanks chess.com for speeding up the time which I wait for games to start. I NEVER pick up seeks from the game window during online chess, I just create them, 'cause that's how I roll.
So the dance has begun, I create a seek, he creates a seek, it's a match, window opens, he closes it, I laugh out loud. I believe on his side of the screen he's saying "Why won't this dude leave me alone, gawd, I've beaten him as white, doesn't he know I'm a superior player, pshaw!!" and other things along those lines but probably much wittier than anything I could ever come up with.
On the last seek that connects, he types the word "No" in the window. His perception of what is happening is that he's creating a seek, and I'm immediately accepting it!! I really want to tell him I'm not stalking him, but he closes the window so fast I have no time to explain, it's not me!! It's just the universe saying we should probably play another game. Eventually he cleverly alters his seeks to be accepted only by a rating higher than mine. Which kudos to him for figuring out, because I was rather enjoying the whole open window, close window game, and would happily have continued the adventure if only to see how long it would go on!!
I imagine now he will never play me again on live chess, since his impression of me is a crazy chess stalker with an uber competative streak who can't let a loss go. Which for anyone that knows me or plays me is so completely opposite from everything that constitutes the person that I am. Chess is fun, play me, don't play me, let's have a competitive game, maybe you can teach me something new in the way you beat me, thanks for the game :) Which is why the whole scenario was decidedly funny to me as I was most certainly not chessalking (chess + stalker) this player.
Last thing, I love live chess!! I rarely get booted from the board through disconnects so I'm sure what all the hubbub is about on the forums, I use firefox and it runs as smooth as ice!! (even at work, shhh!!) I think the game adjournment plan looks decidely fair and takes into account the needs of the live chess playing community.
gg chess.com!!
Chess337