Unsportsmanlike and draw offers

solskytz, I take #109 as a joke, but it really is plausible in some ways to make that kind of argument :)

Dear <Elubas>, if even Reductio ad Absurdum doesn't work here, then I really don't know what to do...

One could argue that if you're left with 1 minute, your opponent is left with say 20 seconds, you're the one who played better since you achieved the same thing as your opponent with more efficiency (and in this case efficiency isn't really subjective because time on the clock is a very clear way of measuring it). And since everyone is complaining about draws, look at that -- now we have a decisive result!

But even I don't take that view :)

You can't even begin to imagine how much relief I feel now!

I view time as more of like a time limit: your clock time is how much time you have to complete the task (winning or drawing); you are allowed to use as much of it as you want but you do so at your own risk.

That's fine with me. 

I liked your story on #115 :-)

Declining a draw offered by an opponent ... If you havent wasted your time being indecisive - or you have seemingly outplayed them and so have caused them to pause and think (in increasing panic) how to get out of their predicament ... Is fair enough.

As other have said the clock is like a second King and should be respected.

In my case the position was drawn in that neither of us wanted to make a breakthrough move.

Unfortunately for me I was 30 sec behind on time ... So bad luck for me I guess .. But the game was DRAWN under any time control.

I've been trying to learn how to avoid this situation! Playing better chess should do it Lol ;)

solskytz wrote:

re. #95 - you ask what choice you had?

If you aren't amused by this kind of playing - and who can blame you?

I would write my opponent in this case, 'listen buddy, I'm not amused. Why are you playing on?'

Then, if this continues for five more moves, I'll just block the guy, and either continue to try to flag him instead, or even resign and leave it, knowing that this is the last time I play him. 

would only accept a draw on B i mean if they have made a critical mistake they don't deserve a draw i have had many games where i have easily outplayed my opponet because they make positional mistakes but make one silly mistake and i never offer a draw after that because why should they A seems like C in the fact that if they make a mistake its their fault not mine and i will not accept a draw if i make a mouseslip i don't offer draws either it makes no difference if the game is extremely important or just for fun

I guess the this is the conundrum of the 1700 - 1900, tactically very skilled, but whose positional understanding has hit a barrier. Since most GMs cross this 1900 barrier at about 8 -10yrs old, I guess chess like language can only be mustered by very young minds.

But language can be mastered later. 

I'm a fluent French speaker, and a professional translator from French - but I never knew any of it before turning 35, and even there, I never took any kind of lesson nor had any kind of schooling in the language. 

Same for Italian at 22. 

As for the 1900 barrier, assuming you refer to the FIDE 1900 level, I probably rose above it in my playing strength, around the age of 38. 

Couldn't black have pushed a pawn and got itself into a won position, or at least cleared the pieces off the board.

I just did analyzed it and a pawn push from black would be a lot beter than just moving the rook around....

you don't need to be unsportsmanlike

- you just need an excuse

- like I just entered one of the chess.com free tournaments

and if I should lose I will just blame it on being distracted by these forums

No, I think it's in tactics where I am lacking

Perhaps more specifically, dynamics. Being able to feel the energy of things like bishops on an open board, and other active pieces ready to jump in, how, even without a space advantage or anything they can so suddenly jump all over an enemy king.

"Unfortunately for me I was 30 sec behind on time ... So bad luck for me I guess .. But the game was DRAWN under any time control"

Sure, but the game is slightly altered when the time control is changed. With increment, for example, you don't have to pay attention to making sure you have enough time to say, win an endgame a rook up -- just play fast and the increment will keep you from losing on time indefinitely.

On the other hand, no increment changes certain elements -- now, you have to be careful with how much time you leave yourself with -- if you leave yourself with only 5 seconds to win the rook up endgame, you'll probably lose instead (unless you're a really fast player!). So now a new challenge is created -- you want to try to get a winning advantage, but you have to keep an eye on the clock to make sure that the time you leave yourself with is enough time to convert that advantage. Now each second you spend earlier in the game must be considered very carefully -- maybe in the endgame when you could really use a few more seconds you'll be kicking yourself for spending them all on the opening.

The same goes for drawn endings too -- you'll only get the draw you desire from them if you left yourself with enough time to actually reach a draw condition, something that was in your control as you decided how to spend your time beforehand.

Thanks for the advice Elubas :)

<Dodsy> In this position there is no winning continuation. It's true that black could push pawns, but it wouldn't change the result in his favor - and if he's not careful, he can also get into a losing position. 

In this kind of position there is actually, really no play. 

If you're not sure about it, try playing it against someone a bit stronger than you - maybe even with a strong computer program, if you have one (many are available for download for free - I'm using the 'scid vs. pc' program, which comes with strong built-in engines, and I added to it a free version of Houdini, which is even stronger, with elo 3000).

See what happens when you move your rook around, then when you push the pawn(s) - you should draw in any case, but you'll learn a lot from making mistakes and having them explained to you.