Here's some context:
In the first round at the Chess24 Banter Blitz cup in 2019, GM Pepe Cuenca ended up winning 9 points to 0 against GM Levan Pantsulaia. Was that a demonstration of disrespect? Was GM Cuenca supposed to lose on purpose to avoid winning with that score?
No. In fact I think the general public sometimes misunderstands how fiercely competitive chess is. In a way, trying to absolutely crush your opponent is showing respect. To do otherwise is disrespect, which leads into the next question below.
GM Carlsen said (more or less): "GM Cuenca got 9-0 in the first round. You can't get a better score than that. So I'll start with a quick attack and show little to no respect." In the end, GM Carlsen won with 8 1/2 points to 1/2 point against GM Cuenca.
What does it mean to play "with little to no respect"?
In this context Carlsen was showing "no respect" by playing what is essentially a high risk high reward style. If the opponent defends correctly, Carlsen will have a bad position. If the opponent is overwhelmed by the aggression, then the opponent will lose quickly.
In particular playing a 2nd or 3rd tier opening is showing less-than-maximum respect. Playing something even worse can even be an attempt to provoke or humiliate the opponent. For example the bongcloud or 1.g4 at the GM level would be highly provocative / very disrespectful.
Also, in a more generalized sense: What is it about the way a person plays chess that makes it disrespectful? I know there are some rules (for example: shaking your opponent's hand before and after a game). Is winning 9 to 0 another one? Is it an unwritten rule? Do you go with your opponent's ego? Is a more aggressive strategy seen as disrespectful?
Thanks to everyone and have a great day!
Anything that's disrespectful in "real life" is also disrespectful in a chess competition, so sure, refusing to shake someone's hand can be that.
As for chess-specific things, really the only thing I can think of is high-risk play. I recall a story about Korchnoi, who had been winning, made some error and now the game was a draw. He showed disrespect to his opponent by continuing to make inaccurate moves over and over, pushing the game as far as possible close to losing for himself all while keeping it a draw.
Here's some context:
In the first round at the Chess24 Banter Blitz cup in 2019, GM Pepe Cuenca ended up winning 9 points to 0 against GM Levan Pantsulaia. Was that a demonstration of disrespect? Was GM Cuenca supposed to lose on purpose to avoid winning with that score? Are other GMs (like Carlsen, Nakamura or MVL) subject to this kind of standard? Do people deliberately win or lose against them to avoid ruffling their egos?
In the second round, GM Cuenca was up against GM Carlsen. The first match was streamed by GM Carlsen and later, analyzed by Agadmator (both links below). GM Carlsen said (more or less): "GM Cuenca got 9-0 in the first round. You can't get a better score than that. So I'll start with a quick attack and show little to no respect." In the end, GM Carlsen won with 8 1/2 points to 1/2 point against GM Cuenca. Is that also a demonstration of disrespect? Should GM Carlsen refrain from going 100% against his opponent to avoid such a score? What does it mean to play "with little to no respect"?
Also, in a more generalized sense: What is it about the way a person plays chess that makes it disrespectful? I know there are some rules (for example: shaking your opponent's hand before and after a game). Is winning 9 to 0 another one? Is it an unwritten rule? Do you go with your opponent's ego? Is a more aggressive strategy seen as disrespectful?
Thanks to everyone and have a great day!
GM Carlsen's stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eh6OIK-ynz4
Agadmator's analysis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2D3nanrmyw