It really depends on the time control....in daily and slower games you need to find the best move you can, but in bullet just an okay move found fast is better than the best move found slow because many games end in timeouts.
That's true but it's also beside the point. The OP was talking about seeing the best move but making a different one that might be more successful against a weaker opponent.
It is a catch-22: If you play the inferior move and he does not see the correct reply, you win faster. However, if he does see the correct reply, you are lost. Therefore, it is better to play the superior move and force him to defend accurately.
Totally agree, however I once played a team match and my opponent played really bad and he was in a strategically lost position. I wasn't annoyed and the game wasn't fun at all.
I was winning but it would take forever to convert the advantage even if it was easy.
So I played an inferior move which threatened to win on the spot if he doesn't respond properly. If would have find the response I would have been in a really difficult position. But I was sure that he wouldn't find it because of his play up unitl said position. And I was right. He blundered and I was happy to not have to waste my time on this game any longer.
I've had that happen in OTB but you should always play the best move you can find. Assuming your opponent won't find the right continuation, isn't normally a good idea. Now, if your move is still good, just not objectively best, and there is only one good reply, all other moves are losing, then it might be worth making the move anyway.
That comes down to evaluating if the move you want to play still has promise even if they find the line you found. What I hate is when I see a move, think I find a satisfactory defense on my opponent's part, do something else and find in post-game analysis that was the best move
That is some bloody good advice right there.
I know this is old but I really felt like venting my opinion here. This is not a problem at all, in chess even the wisest Grandmasters will advice you to play as if your opponent were thinking on playing the best move on his/her part.
Your opponents feel probably overwhelmed by such calculating prowess that you can play their position better than them and thus take into consideration variations that could be used against you even if they had not thought about these ones themselves, this is such a big compliment and you should look forward to doing this every game.
Some very good suggestions here
It also depends on the game situation. In an objectively lost position it might be better to try and play moves designed to confuse the opponent than ones that are technically better.
It really depends on the time control....in daily and slower games you need to find the best move you can, but in bullet just an okay move found fast is better than the best move found slow because many games end in timeouts.