Can you get addicted to internet chess ?

It is now the second time that I met an opponent who is playing > 400 online games simultanously. The result is that he can´t manage to do all the moves in the time and loses several hundred games on time together with a drop in his rating somewhere between -400 to -800.

I can´t see a point in that so I wonder if those guys already suffer from some kind of addiction ...

For many players, 400+ games is just a sign that their eyes are bigger than their bellies.

Its lack of patience and self control. One may compare it to drinking alcohol, two or even three drinks can be very pleasent but to overstep the limit causes pain and ultimately addiction. To sit and look at one position and to try to figure it out, to wrestle with the problem is playing chess. To bang off dozens of moves in the desperate hope of beating the clock is total madness.

Perhaps the site should limit the number of games for the sake of the multiple opponents who are disappointed. Might I suggest fifty games maximum.

No, that's just wrong.

I very often have more games than that going.

I've been here over 2 years, played almost 5000 games, and I had 2 timeouts, and that was because I couldn't figure out how to turn off vacation from my cellphone.

If you want to punish someone, punish those that can't cope, not everybody.

Some people can get addicted to turnips if you let them.

One way to think about it is, if someone has 500 games going, and makes thirty-forty moves a day, that's the same amount of moves in a standard online chess game.  So it's similar to playing one online game of chess a day.

Not my thing, but I've played people who have hundreds of games going and it didn't seem to effect their play and I managed to lose in a convincing manner.

 Yes I take your point, its a difficult one, rather like limiting drink. I was just trying to think of a way of saving people from their own over indulgence which after all does affect others.

Emm, yes i believe so :D

Well, addiction and multiple CC games are completely separate matters (please see limit on a player's max. concurrent games?).

However, though one cannot become physically addicted to chess, psychological addiction is possible, and has certainly occured. The rule of thumb for any addiction diagnosis is: When you neglect family or work duties to do [addiction].

 If what you say is true and "compare it to drinking alcohol", would you tell an alcoholic ... just drink less? No, because it won't work, its an alcoholic game...ie, try to decrease or change to a different type of alcohol...eg, wine instead of hard liquor,,,, beer instead of wine etc. There is a old book I really like on this kind of thinking...its called "Games People Play", then the follow up book was "Games Alcoholics Play". Its old school.

I know someone who is addicted to chess.com. This is the only hobby this person has. It amazes me how they can spend endless days sitting at the computer. It most certainly can't be for the challenge, because,well you know,  ....... An "assisted" win is worthless. What ever happened to the honor and integrity OTB chess? I wonder what the great chess masters of the past would say about how chess is being demeaned here?

That being said, there are folks out there who really don't care why or how the chess game is played on the net. The drug they get in return is much more intoxicating  than the values they leave behind. And by no means is chess.com at fault. They started out with the best of intentions.

See my blog, chess addicts #9

LOL zlhflans: Great thread !!

an assisted win? only if you cheat in some fashion or another. otherwise, it's much like any other corresponence chess. don't get me wrong. I love OTB chess and try to play as often as possible but I love this site as well. it gives me ample opportunities to play people of different strengths and styles from all over the world. otherwise, I could never do that. I don't see how that's demeaning to chess.

I have over 100 games going on all the time. I have played over 10000 so far here. I am playing the same opening in every game possible to find that line that white wins. Many people go on vacation. I would think a good chess player can look at board and see next move in a matter of seconds. If you want to spend the time you can probably see next 3,4,5 or even countless moves ahead, but where is far enough? Maybe I just love this game . Or maybe it is the only way I can stay on page 1 since the beginning of the all time tournament point leader board. Restricting anyone to any amount of something they enjoy and pay for is ridiculous, if they can keep up and hold a job and not let it affect their relationships.

My husband has another wife: CHESS...................................

i hope that my second wife will be a woman.

I like players that do dozens or hundreds of online games at once.  I only do 3 max, and so I know I am spending at least 10x the amount of time/move that they are.  This makes for a very significant advantage in a correspondence chess arena...but I guess I am used to the old snail mail chess games where you would be staring at a board for at least a week before your next move came in.  Now that's how you really dig into a position...

i hate online chess, when i want to make a move its not my turn and when im totally not in the mood i have a move to make. I know its stupid and i should wait till im in the mood but i always think it will take too long to get in the right mood, but then after i made bad moves much sooner than i thought i again like to play chess. Im really too bad of an organizer for online chess.

so i have to have 400+ games to hide my bellies..

Deep and powerful ,but can one be addicted to posting topics just to get responses/attention?   ......I think so.