After spending more then the half of the night playing chess on Lichess.org, I thought that chess isn't just a board game. It completely takes over your brain. And non-players just don't get it.
Here are three things only chess players understand.
Bedtime. You lie down the bad and close your eyes to sleep. Instead, a chessboard appears in your mind. You lie there in the dark and keep replaying your worst moves. Why didn't you just push that pawn? You overthink the whole match until 3 AM.
Or there is the classic trap (that heappend to me last night):"Just one more game." We all say it. However, we all know it is a lie. You sit down for a quick five-minute match. Suddenly, the sun is coming up. You just want to end on a win. Want your lost Elo points back. Instead, you just lost your sleep.
And don't forget about opening prep. You study theory for hours. You memorize the perfect lines. Then the game starts. Your opponent makes one weird move. It is only move three. Your brain totally freezes. All that prep flies right out the window. You are just winging it now and hoping you don't blunder your queen.
Any crazy chess player like mi here? 😅
Reporting in from the front lines... _and the world's stupidest trapping of a queen. In the middle of a board, middle of the game, my ridiculous queen is just trapped.
Pathetic.
Oh, that hurts... I’ve been through similar situations too.
Here
I completely blundered my queen. I took the bishop and totally forgot it was protected by Black’s queen... 😅
Here I am first blundering by not taking the opponent's queen:
And then I blundered my queen haha
This makes me sad because I know that in 2 seconds I could do it too
I've made mistakes like these so many times and still ended up having close games that I've actually come to enjoy the uphill battle.
I think it's the psychological aspect of it: the opponent thinks they have the upper hand, but I'm just waiting for them to get too confident and make a mistake as well. For example, later on I was able to fork his queen with my knight, see game (33 .. Kf3+)
that was a beautiful rook sacrifice, but I'm curious: why that opening?
Thanks!
You mean 2 .. b5? I don't remember what I was thinking. I was surprised by 1 b4.
his was actually a bad opening and yours was fine until you hanged the pawn in b5, you let that free and pinned the knigth, You recovered well, the match was balanced :D
Ooooh nooo. Tragedy strikes, again and again
I thought you were good?
Just kidding.
Not every game... And been sucking ass recently
Which one of us, me or @denlillaapan? 😅
I’m actually pretty good. But when you play all night long, a few distractions are understandable...
I was talking about grandmaster den.
I've been having my kids work through the practice and puzzles on lichess. They're really enjoying it.
Yes, it's really a good place to learn and practice chess.
I like chess but I am just a casual player.
I think @denlillaapan is the man you are looking for.
Reporting for duty!
How's this one in this evening's long string of worthless, stupid playing?
Silliest checkmate I've ever dropped... Den is such a fucking idiot clown monkey
I've never been as engrossed or obsessed with anything as with chess. The game itself, but also the alchemy of trying to improve. I've read books which are only about improvement. I think about it all the time. Maybe it's tactics? 10,000 puzzles later I still suck. Positional play? Three middle game strategy books later I still suck. Openings? Several Chessable courses later I still suck. I even went down a Nootropics rabbit hole and got on creatine at one point. Doping to try and get an edge over strangers online(!) It's pathetic really. But it's reasonably healthy for a vice I figure. Certainly beats compulsive gambling or alcoholism imo.
Yes yes and freakin YEEES!! I'm susceptible to all of the above.
That's for goddamn sure
Don't turn into Bobby Fischer!