i usually don't respond. play the best you can and try to be friendly afterwards. offer to help improve their chess, send a friend request, etc, etc. blah blah blah.
"Take it easy on me"

"I intend to give you my very best game."
I play my hardest against everyone. I wouldn't do others the disrespect of not playing my best.

Ive had it said to me a few times and I just laugh, its just something people say tongue in cheek so to speak. I dont think it is meant lierally so if I play any one of you, please take it easy on me !!!!

take it easy, but don,t give up the game. you don,t have to play your "A game".there is still your "B game".

take it easy, but don,t give up the game. you don,t have to play your "A game".there is still your "B game".
Please pardon me if I am misunderstanding, but why should he play his "B game"?

play the following:
in all seriousness though, just reply "i shall play by best." and do so, as if you were playing someone of your level. that's all there is to it. even if you "take it easy" on your opponent and he happens to win, he probably won't feel like it was an earned victory anyway.

I don't find it offensive at all. Just a light-hearted comment. Now if someone called me a Cubs fan.

I have never expect anyone to 'take it easy' on me, even when I was a 6 year old beginner. My grandpa would crush me every time. Now that I'm older and much better, I have a nice winning streak against him. Victory is much more rewarding when you have to work for it. If my grandpa had ever taken it easy, and lost, then what would my win mean?
P.S. Even if he did take it easy, it would be pretty hard for me to win because my strategy always involved making big zig-zag formations with my pawns. He taught me to protect my pieces so I guess that's how I interpreted it. When I got 'better', I would open with my rook pawns to get the rooks out early. Then when I got CM 9000 I learned some real openings and a bunch of other good stuff.

Ive had it said to me a few times and I just laugh, its just something people say tongue in cheek so to speak. I dont think it is meant lierally so if I play any one of you, please take it easy on me !!!!
Yeah, same here, I've never expected anyone would take it seriously.

I strongly agree. Help them learn, but don't help them develop a false sense of ability. Stop and think what will happen when they play others that won't let them win. They will have problems dealing with defeat if they believe they are better than they are. Teach them, don't deceive them.

I strongly agree. Help them learn, but don't help them develop a false sense of ability. Stop and think what will happen when they play others that won't let them win. They will have problems dealing with defeat if they believe they are better than they are. Teach them, don't deceive them.
But be nice to them because in 5 years they will be beating YOU.
How do you respond when a lower rated opponent chats "take it easy on me"? I've had this happen both in live chess and CC. I have never responded, I just play the game. I can imagine some responses, "This is a rated game, we'll both do our best" or "lol" or "I intend to squash you like a bug!" How do you respond?