sneaky ways of winning

biscuitfiend

@Hatterix: you could memorize them, or you could just treat the opening like the rest of the game and look for your opponent's possible responses and threats...

Rob_Appleby

@biscuitfiend the only downside being losing time in the opening of the game. But you're right of course. I think the thing to do is to specialise in two or three openings and be aware of the traps you can fall into in them. It would be effectively impossible for a normal player to know how to respond to all possible traps and tactics.

I personally find it hard to deal with very opportunistic, harassing players, even when they are a lot lower rated than I am. I think I'm quite aggressive and have some positional sense, but it can be hard to develop a solid position when you're facing a band of guerillas who never stop attacking. Such players often play a lot of pawn moves early on. Of course you can usually eventually get around them and their attack collapses because all their pieces are hanging, but it can be hard to deal with.

@biscuitfiend the only downside being losing time in the opening of the game. But you're right of course. I think the thing to do is to specialise in two or three openings and be aware of the traps you can fall into in them. It would be effectively impossible for a normal player to know how to respond to all possible traps and tactics. I personally find it hard to deal with very opportunistic, harassing players, even when they are a lot lower rated than I am. I think I'm quite aggressive and have some positional sense, but it can be hard to develop a solid position when you're facing a band of guerillas who never stop attacking. Such players often play a lot of pawn moves early on. Of course you can usually eventually get around them and their attack collapses because all their pieces are hanging, but it can be hard to deal with.

biscuitfiend edited

If your opponent set a trap in the middlegame or endgame and you fell for it, then you would rightly lose the game. There are no complaints to be made about "sneakiness" here: your opponent beat you at chess, fair and square. How else do you expect them to win, if not by taking advantage of your capacity to make mistakes?

I don't see why the opening should be exceptional. There is the slight difference that they probably didn't see the opening trap over the board, it was probably pointed out to them and they remembered it; but a trap set in the middlegame or endgame could be very similar to one they saw someone else play in a similar position, or one that is a part of well-known endgame theory, which would be just the same.

If your opponent set a trap in the middlegame or endgame and you fell for it, then you would rightly lose the game. There are no complaints to be made about "sneakiness" here: your opponent beat you at chess, fair and square. How else do you expect them to win, if not by taking advantage of your capacity to make mistakes? I don't see why the opening should be exceptional. There is the slight difference that they probably didn't see the opening trap over the board, it was probably pointed out to them and they remembered it; but a trap set in the middlegame or endgame could be very similar to one they saw someone else play in a similar position, or one that is a part of well-known endgame theory, which would be just the same.

Rob_Appleby edited

If your opponent set a trap in the middlegame or endgame and you fell for it, then you would rightly lose the game. There are no complaints to be made about "sneakiness" here: your opponent beat you at chess, fair and square. How else do you expect them to win, if not by taking advantage of your capacity to make mistakes?

Totally agree. I wouldn't characterise that as sneaky, just being better at the game. Chess is a game of mistakes after all.

>> If your opponent set a trap in the middlegame or endgame and you fell for it, then you would rightly lose the game. There are no complaints to be made about "sneakiness" here: your opponent beat you at chess, fair and square. How else do you expect them to win, if not by taking advantage of your capacity to make mistakes? Totally agree. I wouldn't characterise that as sneaky, just being better at the game. Chess is a game of mistakes after all.

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