Struggle with low level players
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ZaneCarv
Aug 5, 2018
0
#1
Many people in forums complain about now being able to beat low level players, when they can be higher ones. I have had trouble with this too. Am I simply undermining lower players, and being to relaxed, or are there is there really sandbagging and cheating occuring at lower levels.
I've just been reading New in Chess magazine and came across this phrase 'sandbagging'. I hadn't seen it before. Could anyone explain what it means, please?
0
#6
It's much easier in psychological point of view to play against higher rated opponent than lower rated. If you are playing against a lower rated player, it's easy to start thinking that the game should be easy to win. Then you don't focus enough, make bad moves and get in a tough spot. After that it's easy to panic, that you're getting stomped by someone lower rated.
Against higher rated opponents you have practically nothing to lose. You're sort of "expected to lose", so you can just try to play your best game and see what happens - no pressure. And often that leads to you playing much above your level, making the game much more even. Everyone prefers to be the underdog, regardless of sport or a game, as long as it's competitive.
Of course then there are games, when lower rated opponents blunder on move 7 and then it's just simplifying to winning endgame.
I just got crushed by 200 points lower rated opponent, and then beat someone higher rated than me next game. I think I would play better, if I couldn't see opponents rating at all during the game... :-)
it all levels out
not at the road to zero guy though lol
Dont forget that the ratings fluctuate all the time. At any one point, all lower rated players than yourself, include new members who may deserve higher rating, but just didnt play enough games yet...and are still ascending from their default 1200 starting point (or is it 1000). This set of players also includes previously higher-rated players who took on too many opponents, and, unable to find the time to play all their games effectively, went in to a meltdown of losses, either through time-outs or time-enforced blunders, their rating tumbling 200-300 points (depending on how many games they lost, which they normally would not have). Then, of course, this can get compounded, when, picking up and playing to their true rating they lose to someone who has a lower rating, because they too suffered a meltdown, but they are in in reality someone who plays at a much higher rating. This churning of ratings is permanently ongoing, so that at any given time, when playing a lower-rated player, you could be playing someone more competent than yourself. Best advice, dont play the rating, play the board, every time.
Aug 6, 2018
0
#10
DeirdreSkye wrote:
JamesTheFirst wrote:
I've just been reading New in Chess magazine and came across this phrase 'sandbagging'. I hadn't seen it before. Could anyone explain what it means, please?
When someone is good and deliberately loses games to keep his rating low and always play with weaker opponents.
You play with a guy that blunders one piece after another in one game and plays like a NM in the next one.
How is that different? 
More seriously (in response to the OP) Ratings fluctuate all the time, typically based on what kind of day the player is having. Mine has been known to fluctuate several hundred points within the space of a week- and this is at the 2200-2550 level.
Don't focus too much on ratings, just try to play your best game- and if your opponent plays better than you, then so be it.
ZaneCarv wrote:. Am I simply undermining lower players, and being to relaxed, or are there is there really sandbagging and cheating occuring at lower levels.
Do you mean all kind of sins are present among low rated player? LUL
hey everyone
hi
on that forum with what is this madness why did superchessmachine blocked me?😿😿😿😿
he thought you spammed
i didint
i know
he's mean
look at my forum with blocking
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