What is the most SURPRISING incident happen with you while playing OTB tourney?

when this sinica cee pulled a lamaichai and didn't cole me on the panny sty.

I can imagine the same thing happening to me, and I'm over 2000 fide lol

you sound like one of these players who know a lot of opening theory, then don't play as well for the rest of the game... when I was 1400 I knew no opening theory at all beyond parhaps move 2 or 3 and even now my openings are weak which becomes a serious problem at this level. 

Scary! To fall for opening prep by an 1400... but then at least you learn something. 

Also, as you rise up the ratings, how frequently do you even get to play 1400s?

And nothing is wrong with giving them a good feeling from time to time...

Piphilologist There at your last couple of lines it could have been Carlsen speaking..

you sound like one of these players who know a lot of opening theory, then don't play as well for the rest of the game... 

Actually, I'm just really good at tactics (comparatively speaking). The BDG gives me lots of those. I don't really know a lot of openings by the book (I've never looked at a single line of the Sicillian, despite it being my sole response to e4), except for the BDG. (That's because I loved how sharp it is, so I would test my tactics by spend in a few minutes each day in a line, trying to figure out the best move, and then checking with the database.) Mostly, the reason why I'm 1400 is because I blunder too much and can't play positionally. In a sharp game, some IM's thought I was closer to 1800. Because I am less likely to blunder against a higher rated opponent, I actually have a better win rato against higher rated opponents than lower rated ones.

I probably should, but I've played enough games with the Sicillian to be able to beat people around my rating in OTB, because no one else knows the lines either (about 1400 rating, but I've only been playing for about a year, so I haven't peaked out). Right before I played my first tournament game, a 1200 player showed me the structure of the Sicillian dragon--ever since, I've just kinda aimed for the structure and played chess. I have something like a 90% win rate with it, but I suspect that will drop when I finally get to people that actually know the lines. I don't have a lot of time to learn lines, so I've been trying to find a less theory-intensive opening that would be similar to the Sicillian, but I won't lose just because I've been outstudied. No luck yet.

this guy I was playing I'm sure was not looking at the board, the whole time, it was quite bizarre, any suggestions? I mean the occasional glance but nothing more than that,

 I played against Bobby Fischer in a simul at Lawrence, Kansas in 1962.  Fischer won all of his games except one which he drew against the late Jack Winters.  I didn't know Jack at the time but got to know him very well years later (he was my bridge partner).

 Jack told me the story about his game with Fischer.  He had played a counter gambit against Fischer's Evans Gambit.  Jack reached a position where he could force a perpetual check.  Jack's wife at the time was a strong player and was also playing in the simul.  She asked Jack what he was going to play on the next move.  Jack stated that he was going to play for a win.  His wife told him,  "Up to now Fischer had not been paying that much attention to your game, but there only about 8 other players left in the simul and they all have lost games. Soon you are going to be playing Fischer one on one.  Nobody is going to be interested in your story of how you allmost beat Fischer but if you draw Fischer you will have something to talk about."  Jack thought it over and decided she was right and took the draw.

This is all prelude to my story which happen when I was playing in a Swiss weekend tournament in Kansas City.  Time controls were longer back then (no sudden death or allegro finishes).  I had played three tough long game on Saturday, and Sunday morning I felt tired.  I decided that would be happy with a quick draw.  I found I was paired with a young woman who was rated about 200 points above me.  She played in a chess club I did, but I didn't know much about her.  She arrived late, and really looked tired.  I said to myself, "Pull yourself together, no matter how tired you are she feels twice as bad."

I am White and the game follows the same moves as my game with Fischer, and she makes the same mistake I did.  I win quickly and tell her.  "This is strange, this game follows a game I played against Fischer"

She asked, "When did you play Fischer?"

I respond, "Lawrence, Kansas 1962."

She says, "I played at that Simul. I was the only woman playing.  Do you know Jack Winters, he played at that Simul?"

I say, "Oh yea, he wanted to play for a win and his ex-wife talked him..."

At this point I finally put two and two together, and stop in mid-sentence.   I feel extremely embarrassed and hope the ground will open up and  swallow me.  Fortunately, she laughs and is very gracious about it.

whoa. COOL.

Great story Blake.

Very nice Blake. Very nice.

more stories please.
that was exellent!
wish I was there,
you made it so real.
poo bear.....

I beat one of the best chess players around my town, and qualified for nationals, he is a otb 1600+ player and made sloppy moves and 1 big mistake and said F*CK, and after I beat him, he almost cried!...I was soo lucky when I won my match because I played only my pawns in my first 10 moves, and he is a d4 player and neeearly killed me playing positional and developing his pieces with power and attacking and attacking and attacking (especially attacking my king)...and now he desperately wants he's revenge!

Rofl Blake. I love it!

I'm rated 2089. Twice in the past year, I have been playing A-players who succumbed to touch move, i.e. they attempted to make an illegal move with their queen, which forced them both to make an immediately losing legal move with their queen instead. And in neither case were they in significant time pressure. Very strange.

This happened to my my friend, not me. But is funny.

He was in a dead-even endgame. Coming back from the restroom, he sees that his opponent had cheated, and made two moves. But he decided not to say anything. Because by cheating, his opponent was now in a lost position!

haha, that's one exception!

A gm resigned to me.

My opponent lost by time forfeit coz he had to drop his bomb in the toilet.

@ponz111: And did that surprise you?