SLOW PLAYERS

Ive been playing a lot of games lately and these "slow" players are really starting to bother me.  They don't make any useful moves just hope you make a mistake.  Granted I am not very good, but it seems like these "slow" players should be able to be destroyed with simple moves.  I just have a hard time in the middle game forming any sort of plan and end up losing to these "slow" players and beating myself.  I try to get my pieces out in the opening and get my king to saftey but after that I have a hard time seeing anywhere to continue weather it be attacking or just improving pieces.  How do I combat these "slow" player?

Way to hang in there all the way through that 14 move slog.  Must've been a trial.

You made thoughtless moves and got owned. Maybe the "slow" players are thinking about the moves they make? You should try it.

Wait, didn't you win? You seemed to do a fair job punishing his lack of development.

If you're ever stuck again like that, there is one sure-fire way to take advantage of your developmental gain: castle in opposite directions and start shoving your pawns toward his king. At that point, the better developed side usually wins.

Yeah, I can't stand these people who think about their moves and actually use the time on their clock ... Very inconsiderate!

I assumed by slow he meant players that don't really play past the 6th rank, I didn't realize he was referring to time.  In which case, there is nothing wrong with taking the time alotted to make moves, unless, of course, in certain situations a player is purposely trying to frustrate you by delaying the checkmate move, etc.

That game hardly looks relevant to this topic...

I think it's mistaken notion that you should be able to quickly destroy someone just because they play bit slow and defensive. In fact the opposite is true: if they don't do anything stupid it will be a long game. Just play normal healthy chess. You can hope that your opponent won't have as much counterplay as with more active play although this may change if you take unprepared action.

@rebelxx1313: oh, maybe he meant that. I assumed from the title he was talking about time ...

Against someone who's playing solidly and defensively, I don't think you have much choice except to build your position and try to provoke and exploit any weakness you can find without creating any in your own position. Or, you can look for an opportunity to play a gambit to create imbalances.

Sounds like you need a positional book to tell you about imbalances.  If you know those them you can formulate a plan much better.  Also look for potential weaknesses, which is where calculation comes into play. 

Your post seems to be about how you've struggled against slow players. You can understand that you wont get the feedback you're looking for with your example game, which to the contrary, seems like you simply posted your best "demolition durby" game against a seemingly clueless opponent. It's hard to find what moves you're making wrong when you post a game where your opponent, not you, made all the wrong moves. You feel me? It's as if you made your first 100 on a paper, brought it to study group, and asked them to spellcheck it for you... just always make sure when you are picking a plan to commence an attack that you factor your opponents most likely moves into your calculation- this will help you improve your position without letting your opponent exploit any tactical combinations. Never attack without a plan that is well-calculated. Besides that, you handle slow players the way you did, by punishing their lack of development and king safety. When you have a lead like that in development there will almost always be winning tactics if you attack smart and you attack immediately, before they can get developed. For better results, next time choose a game that better demonstrates the point of your topic.

Why should you care? Blitz/bullet chess is about making good moves vs the clock. If your opponent is dawdling over their moves and not making particularing good moves for the time taken then you are winning.

Ridiculous. That reminds me of when we took IQ tests in middle school. We were warned by the teacher that we may not finish, and I didn't finish, but some kids did finish and bragged how easy it was. I thought the test questions were really deep and clever, and I wondered how the other kids could have figured them out so quickly.

Years later I found out my IQ and realized that those kids *didn't* figure them out quickly. They apparently had below average IQs and the depth of the questions had simply eluded them, which is why they could finish so quickly--they simply got the answers wrong.

I play chess very slowly and I frequently have opponents complain about that. Then I beat them. I can only assume that, like foolish students taking IQ tests, they simply didn't realize the complexity and depth of the problems facing them.

----------

(p. 65)
   A brief disclaimer. Chess is infinitely rewarding precisely because it is
the world's most demanding game. Or, as one writer put it, chess is "the
gymnasium of the mind." Even an epochal genius such as Robert Fischer
commits errors, a few of them serious.

Alburt, Lev, and Larry Parr. 1997. Secrets of the Russian Chess Masters, Volume 2: Beyond the Basics. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

(p. 180)
The middlegame is extremely difficult to play correctly. Quite often, players
who are otherwise quite good at the game find themselves unable to navigate
these murky waters adequately. They may know the opening principles and
understand where to put their pieces initially, but after those moves, these
players are at a loss as to what to do next.

Eade, James. 1996. Chess For Dummies. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.

Not at all! If they play Black, they will often just have a space disadvantage, if they are White, you will get not even that.

"I just have a hard time in the middle game forming any sort of plan and end up losing to these "slow" players and beating myself."

This is probably a worse sign of your ability than complaining about slow players.  You arent even capable of giving your opponent any credit for a win.

In addition...you post a win, which has nothing to do with the topic. 

I played in a knock out tournament here at chess.com and played with opponents who waited till the last hour to make the move in a 3 day per move games. I thought it was ok, but eventually found it so disgusting.

How about you guys what is your say on this?

:-)

Much sarcasm , wow. is every chess player destined to reach such lame attitude?

You'd only be so lucky.

Guys he IS talking about "players that don't really play past the 6th rank"! You can see it in the OP! He's not referring to time. Stop bashing him. (but if he is that's stupid)