rude opponent

Hi everybody, I have a problem with an opponent. We have two ongoing games. One of the games is B vs B+P endgame, my pawn is about to get promoted. Here everything is alright, my complain is about the other game.

My opponent (a woman, so I will call her "her" and "she") has a lone king and I have a rook, bishop and two pawns. her king is limited to 3 squares. Since the time control is 3 days per move and she is moving the king everytime only few hours before her time runs out, and I think it is mate in about 7 moves,the game might continue at least 3 weeks. In the ingame chat I sent her a message, really polite, that she might reconsider her approach to the game. Since I am rated about 1850 points, the opponents might think I am able to convert such a material advantage quite easily. Her answer was rude, for now just a little bit, and she called me rude, because "in an OTB game I wouldn't demand my opponent to give up". I don't see any similarities here with OTB game, because if someone would do this to me in an OTB game, I would make him to spend as much time as possible by the chessboard. Here this is quite different. This is a team match and I really don't want to lose an indisputely won game due to possible loss of internet connection or whatever.

Over next few days I made totally illogical moves with  pawn and king and her answer was that I am not only rude but also blind. I wrote back that I think she might think I am not able to win that endgame and that is why she continue, so I have to study that difficult endgame and I need more time for precise analysis. Her answer was "You really are a big idiot."

I am now determined to make the game as long as possible, taking the 50 moves rule into account. What do you guys think about this? I am asking the players as well as the staff. This is not a common example, where one player is up a piece or two and wants his opponent to give up. I know that the game of chess ends with a checkmate, but what bothers me most is the behaviour. Is there a way for me to prevent this sort of situations and to avoid such people ? Any blacklist of unpleasant players, confirmed by the website staff ?

I agree with her.

Thx for your opinion. Anyway I hope you will never meet such an opponent.

I have.  Many many times.  This is chess, after all.

I understand how waiting 3 weeks for delivering an obvious mate can be frustrating, but you have to respect the opponent's wish to continue the game. They might have all kinds of reasons for that, or none at all. It's part of online correspondence chess and I have done that before too (I regret that now) but it's not really polite to ask an opponent to resign.

You always have the option to disable chat if you don't like the conversation and just enjoy your chess. Remember, you're not limited to playing one single game here, you can spend your valuable time in your other games.

I don't see what's the big deal. Play the best move. Checkmate her as quickly as you can. Cut off the chat and get it over with. 

In life you can't always predict or control the behavior of other people. Just do the right thing and go ahead. 

I see it from both sides: It is her right to play on, and it is your right to clown her, for doing so.

I don´t get it. You are in such a hurry to end the game that you can´t wait for your opponent to move and demands she resigns. When she doesn´t you make stupid moves and prolonges the game even further. If you agreed to play one move in three days that is what you might get. I suggest you play faster games. It is really bad form however to prolong a game when you see a shorter ending.

She's quite pretty though.

Hi Martin! Just very briefly. Firstly mute her. Secondly, she relays on your time outs, so do NOT give her this satisfaction and respond with your move as quickly as you can. Thirdly, suck it up as she is entitled to take 3 days, regardless of any position ;-{

I deal with players like her on weekly basis too.

Your opponent is attractive & nice to look at in the meantime :-P

Ask her, if you two could meet half way, perhaps Down Under and switch to watch Australian Open / tennis / together and take it from there :-}

Jerry.

The lady is entitled to have you demonstrate your win. The length of time required is determined by the choice you both made to play a lengthy time control.

I don't know why the lady got tetchy when you requested resignation but then I am from Mars so expect to be puzzled from time to time by such things.

Your current stance is beneath you and I suggest you reconsider your approach to the game.

You could also consider an apology or flowers - they sometimes work.

I wish every problem in the world was this trivial.

There sometimes are opponents who think they want to hope for stalemate or timeout even in such situations.

And of course, this makes a player wonder how maybe to get those opponents off their habit most quickly, or just how to end the game in the most agreeable way for oneself.

Usually, in such cases, it tends to help rather little to start talking.

The best recommendation I know of for such cases is simply: Use conditional moves!

Restrict the enemy king to two squares, by playing Rg4 or whatever, so all opponent's moves will be forced and predictable. And then enter one single conditional move line until mate.

Then, it does not even matter if you choose to enter the shortest possible conditional move line or a very long one, you simply will not ever need to deal with that game again, you will just win it automatically with the conditional moves you entered.

Then if your opponent chooses to busy themselves playing on in that game, it will cost them their time to do so, but it will not cost you a second of your time from then on. And they will have absolutely zero chances for you to timeout or to continue hopes of being stalemated because you happened to make a move at a time when you were particularly tired or busy, ..., they will know for sure --- or learn soon --- that it is pointless to play on in this way.

"The best recommendation I know of for such cases is simply: Use condidtional moves!

Restrict the enemy king to two squares, by playing Rg4 or whatever, so all opponent's moves will be forced and predictable. And then enter one single conditional move line until mate."

Yeah, http://www.chess.com/echess/game?id=61000890

However, in this case if you don't mate by a king move which discovers an attack by one of your three bishops, you have failed.

A rook + a king vs a lone king is enough to win the game. So, where is the problem ?

Win the game. That's all !

I am currently playing an online game where I have a rook, knight, and three pawns (one passed) against a king, bishop, and pawn.

The situation is not as dramatic as yours, but I haven't said a word to my opponent about the status of the game. He's clearly lost. I know it, and he has to know it, but still he plays on, dragging out the moves as you say your opponent is doing.

SO WHAT??? I have eleven other games going, and if he wants to drag it out, fine. At least when he does move I can reply quickly and without a great deal of analysis. This game is my "freebie," and I'm going to enjoy it.

Punish him for his insolence!

But seriously it's good practice for your endgame I guess :)

Endgames up that much material don't need practicing!

Yeah, but I've never understood stalemating in a 3 day per move game.

People.  Can't live with 'em, but there's no chess without 'em!  

I think she's rude but maybe not intentionally.  Just deliver checkmate and move on.