A Strange Online Chess Phenomenon

https://www.chess.com/game/daily/828084082

Anywhere you have modern online chess, you'll find this: a person loses their Queen early on, usually because they are overly aggressive, and yet continue to play, despite the material loss and their worsening position. Please mind that the game I shared is a correspondence game, not a bullet or blitz game. The only reason I can think of that they would continue to play is because they think they may win. I know a person can still win a game even if down their Queen, but they are still up in other material and have a strong position and perhaps passed pawns. But to just keep playing as position and material dwindle away, only to resign one mover short of checkmate shows the problem with younger people who have learned chess from their mobile devices and play predominantly faster chess, where they win on time or due to exploiting their opponents blunders, while all the time making as many blunders or more. I wonder how many people here even own a real chess board an dhave ever owned a real chess book? Not many I will wager.

I donny a book but I have read some and I do own a real chess board

You seek my approval? Okay, you have it. Go and sin no more.

don't own*

This "play on until the end" advice that coaches often give seems to be based on the weird idea that the student can devote an infinite amount of time to chess.

If we assume instead that the student has only a finite amount of time to devote to the game, then we have to ask which course of action will give the student more chess training and knowledge, to keep playing on endlessly in a hopeless position, or to resign gracefully and start a new game, from which the student might LEARN something.

It’s rational approach. If your student is 6 years old there is a risk that he will start resigning in positions where he lost “only” 1 piece. And since such student plays against same “GM”-level - it’s ok to wait for the blunder in return and do not surrender.

After gaining certain experience such players stop playing up to the end.

Yeah, but I think there is hope for those students. I doubt most, if any, here who lay that way can reflect on the game in any way than "I wonder what my good moves and my bad moves were". And it is not true that ALL coaches teach playing to end, unless you mean a game where the student is actually playing the coach, and he is telling why this or that is a good or bad move. As I said, they actually think they can win, and that is why often one move short of checkmate they resign. They do not actually play until the end.

Well, if everyone here is the student of a GM then you have a valid point, but they are not. They are someone on an iPhone playing blitz game after blitz game after blitz game.

To be honest I don't actually mind if an opponent wants to play on and force me to checkmate them. At least they are playing chess. It's the ones who just walk away from the game and leave you staring at the board until their time runs out that frustrate me the most. Maybe they are hoping I get bored and doze off because sometimes they suddenly make a move with 30 seconds left! 😂

These guys to be reported for stalling.

I actually took your "Report and Forget" advice onboard. They don't bother me as much nowadays. I can imagine it's a much worse problem on 30 minute games, you could be waiting over 20 minutes! 😵‍💫

Yes, 30 minutes game gives plenty of space for such behavior…And even without such behavior it’s not clear: is your opponent thinking? Did he went to make a coffee? Is he still there?

I would feel ashamed if I reported somebody for 'stalling' when they were just a 'deep thinker' or had a medical emergency (or toilet emergency). Someone playing a 30 minute game clearly likes more time to ponder. I suppose the 'Fair Play Team' will be looking for patterns. Players who do it after every loss.

Yes, sure. I do not say to report everyone who started to think for 10 minutes. But I start to think if he is really into the game or already sleeping)))

haha

🤣

David Bronstein would have been banned from Chesscom. He once sat for an hour with his clock ticking before making his first move. When asked about it Bronstein replied, "I was just thinking about all of the possibilities!" He still won the game, maybe his opponent fell asleep too! 😂

So the opponent dares to keep playing an online game after losing his queen, getting bad position, probably having no real chess set, no chess book and no respect at all. In this case the player may just win the game and move on