The heat of battle

The recent hoopla over the "armageddon game" in the U.S Women's Championship final Irina Krush vs Anna Zatonskih where at the conclusion Krush sends one of her pieces flying into an unsuspecting spectator got me thinking about the demands of the sport on our brains.

The story Paul Hoffman relates in his excellent book "Kings Gambit" about the highest rated player he had ever beaten comes to mind here too.  At the end of the game he was so frizzled he didn't realize that he had won and even logged the game as a draw on the directors score sheets.

Of course both these episodes were the product of time scrambles which obviously is not always the case.

Thought it would be interesting to hear other stories of the temporary insanity or immobility brought on by chess.  I encourage you to share some of your most embarrassing encounters at the board.  WARNING this exercise is not for the faint in heart.

One time after a tough tournament game my brain waves for walking seemed to get crossed and I almost fell over at my attempt to leave the table (I'm a dancer).

If you read this but are to shy to share tell a friend who isn't about it, or, if you don't think they'd mind, you could share something goofy an opponent did.

Well, i've seen and (tonight was responsible for), someone getting angry over quickplay finish rules.  Also, enforcing the rules on recording moves before making another didnt go down well.  It becomes quite important when you have under a minute left.  The first time i saw someone claim a draw, his opponent got super angry, which was hilarious!  For some reason the player who has spent the entire game hanging on for dear life suddenly thinks he is owed a win just because the player going for the win gets low on time.  

I have also lost on time during my opponents turn, when with 5 moves to make i wanted to know exactly how long i had left to the time control (I think it was about a minute and the position was such i might have made it, but i'll never know how long or if i'd have made it), so i turned the clock a bit, and my arm had a kinda spasm cos of the adrenalin of a prolonged zeitnot and the flag jolted down.   Was surreal watching it fall. 

Sometimes i've been concentrating so hard on chess i find it hard to subtract 15 minutes from the clocks.  Usually I have to do it visually rather than working out the time.  I can do chess, or maths, but not both it seems.  

Also, again in timetrouble, I accidentally checkmated someone, when i didnt realise my pawn was controlling a square.  My intention was simply to win the queen by forcing the king onto this square on the same diagonal, so i just said 'check' hit the clock, recorded the move, and sat there.   several spectators too, who all noticed. 

Sometimes when i notice someone has forgotten to hit their clock, after i've made my move, I still hit mine by reflex, which feels like the chess equivalent of trying to go up another step at the top of a staircase, and also jolts the other player into remembering about the clock.   

I saw a player in my club resign a game in moderate time trouble, immediately after a sacrifice, but his opponent had made the wrong sacrifice, and the one he made didnt win. 

Apparently punches have been thrown, and boards overturned in the past by some players.   Never seen it myself though. 

Any one else?

Ok I'll do another one.  I was playing a pick-up game at club here in the hills, with the club pres no less.  After taking a break, I returned to the board to find another club member there with him, there was a weird energy in the air, a quick glance at the position showed that he had made his move and that it was a horrible blunder, that would immediately cost him his queen.  I looked up at him he at the other member and then back at me with what I took to be a little embarrassment.  I asked him if he'd like to take the move back.  He answered--with a perfect deadpan expression of sad resignation--that he'd made the move and would have to live with it.  Even after taking his queen I did not see that I was in deep do do, but once he made his next move I could see that the mating of my king would soon follow.  The lyrics to a popular Police song comes to mind as I recall the moment--I will turn your face to alabaster, when you find your servant is your master.   

I rememeber my first and only OTB chess tournament when I was in highschool...

After cleaning up most people in my schools chessclub (with the exception of one boy who was a good 6 -7 years younger than me) I was feeling pretty confident if a little out of place in my first tournament.

I can't remember my exact record but I do remember losing one game in four moves, stalemating my opponent in another clear win, and in a game against the young genius from my school who I'd never really played with much success... I was getting pummeled and doing my best to make sure my defense held all the while my clock was ticking down what seemed to be twice as fast as his.  He made a mistake and I was able to turn back his attack leaving him using up half his remaining time to find his way out of it.  After his move I had mate in 9... I gave it some more thought no I can mate in 7! I look at the board and all the pieces seem to shift to the position that I needed for mate in 5! I double check the board, pick up my queen move it to a nice attacking square and announce check as I hit the clock... before I even finish hitting the clock a bishop comes from behind a row of my pawns and knocks my queen off the board and my time is ticking again.

 I just stood dumb founded.  I had the game won but by trying to be doublely clever I threw it away.  I can only imagine the look on my face as a bishop from nowhere suddenly appeared to destroy my hopes of winning the game. 

I couldnt believe the mental exhaustion that that game caused.  The rest of the day I was in a slight daze wandering through the chess hall.