yes, play a little chess here.
getting some online experience is good preparation for a chess tournament, just know that generally, chess tournaments are much longer and more serious than the typical blitz game on this site.
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Thank you, I am trying to figure out the mechanics of playing here. I have been playing a great deal OTB and using chessimo for problems and play.I have been a little dismayed by what I read in the forums about the negative experiences people seem to have playing online. I don't want trolling or taunting, just a game with people I can learn from. I appreciate your answer.
i have seen the complaints too.... and I am mystified about all the negative experiences people have had.
Let me put it this way, I have regularly played since May 14; and by my own game archive have something like 425 games. I simply Can't Remember a single negative thing any one has said, in game chat.
on the other hand, i'm sure I've written 200+ posts on the forum, and I would guess that something like every 5 or 10 posts, someone is saying something unpleasant back.
so, rudeness is hundreds of times more common on the chess forum than in a live chess game, and yet you posted on the forums.
.... I think you should not worry about rudeness at all, and instead look at Chess.com as a good website to get better at chess; and to work on having lots of insightful things to say to the person you mentor.
as for the HOW,
on my computer; in the upper left is an icon marked "PLAY" , hover over it and you'll see "LIVE CHESS". click this. you will see a dialog boxc allowing your to be paired to a live opponent, once you select the time control.
I would NOT go shorter than a 10 minute game.
I don't know how this site compares to chessimo. gl.
Thank you! In terms of Chessimo, I am using the self-contained app on an iPad. I have not played online. I live in a remote part of a remote state so I will be online sooner or later if I want a game. I am a retired teacher who has time to play when I am not substitute teaching or doing ministry work. Like many others, I started playing during the Fischer days when I was in junior high and high school. I drifted away while I was in the Marines, raising a family, etc. Being a mentor brought me back to OTB playing, and I was gratified to discover how much I still love the game. I have been reading a lot of the articles and forum topics here, and except for some trolls, have really learned quite a bit. Thank you for taking the time to respond.
emonty0001 wrote:
... I have been a little dismayed by what I read in the forums about the negative experiences people seem to have playing online. I don't want trolling or taunting, just a game with people I can learn from. I appreciate your answer.
I play 10 minute blitz games almost exclusively, and I disabled chat because I found it very distracting how people would try to talk to me. Sometimes, it was innocent ("hey, you're from Canada! Me, too!"), but mostly it most certainly was not. I remember one guy who was taunting me, but then blundered and I won. I resisted the urge to taunt him back, but I disabled the chat feature immediately afterwards.
Actually, sometimes I do wish I had the chance to exchange pleasantries with my opponents, or to explain that I've been called away and can't offer a rematch, but I find that there's not much time for that in 10 minute games, and there are just too many people who lack basic social skills when it comes to chatting. Now, if only I could report those poor sports who mysteriously find themselves suddenly disconnected only in clearly losing positions...!
Hey thanks Nathan! I played well in three games of the tournament, and played one very poorly, and lost it too
. My division had players from unrated to 1600 and I played the best against the eventual winner of the division. I've only been back in the game for 3 months and my oppoenets were kind and encouraging. I have a better idea of what I need to work on and I'll remember the 'chat disable' feature. I want to get my feet wet online but I want tomake sure I start a game correctly so I don't 'mysteriously disconnect" anyone! I admire the blitz you do, I don't think I could do it. On the other hand, the 40/120 G60 format I just played in seems VERY long; there were several game that went almost 6 hours. I was exjausted after three games and played poorly in my final game, at least that's my excuse and I am sticking to it!
I would love to develop some good conversations with people and learn but I am much, much, much too old for trolling and trash talking. Thanks again!
Hey, emonty0001, I don't think you need to worry about disconnecting anyone. People can lose their connection all the time, and there's all sorts of reasons for that. It doesn't bother me too much--especially since I win!--but I dislike it when, to take an extreme example, I have a queen and a rook against a lone king, and I'm one move away from checkmate, and the other guy goes missing in action and I have to wait until chess.com causes him to lose by forfeit. It happens fairly often.
Regarding time controls, on chess.com, I love the game in thirty minutes control. I'm much better at that format then I am at 10 minute blitz chess, but I don't have as much free time for that format--which I always play on a beautiful wooden board! (I "translate" the moves from my phone screen to my board every time I hear my opponent make a move.) I only use my Android phone and my computer for the faster 10 minute games.
I've never played in a physical tournament, but I really would like to this year, or perhaps the next.
Anyway, I wish you the best of luck as you look to play more chess!
I am someone who has recently come back to the game and resurrected a chess club at my former school at the request of a young person I mentor and others. I was going to observe a tournament so I could set up one up for tthe school, but was persuaded to play in the unrated class. Any advice for this first time tournament player? I estimate I am a 'bright beginner' level player.