Stalemate or lose?

I’d rather lose than be caught in a stalemate from a strong position and draw; is that normal?

Originally posted by @divegeester
I’d rather lose than be caught in a stalemate from a strong position and draw; is that normal?

It is indeed painful to be on the receiving end of a stalemate, especially in a game you believe you are cruising to certain victory in.

Originally posted by @divegeester
I’d rather lose than be caught in a stalemate from a strong position and draw; is that normal?

Normal. but childish. 😉

Been caught in two recently but prior to that only one that I remember which hurt. I got careless in these recent games. Gave myself feedback as both games where “in the bag”. Or actually not as it turned out.

Originally posted by @divegeester
I’d rather lose than be caught in a stalemate from a strong position and draw; is that normal?

Almost. Change "lose" to "lose a hard fought game".

For me it's as follows, best to worst:

Winning a lost position
Winning a drawn position
Winning a won position
Being stalemated in a lost position
Drawing a lost position
Drawing a drawn position
Drawing a won position
Losing a lost position
Losing a drawn position
Losing a won position
Giving stalemate in a won position

I have not given stalemate in a won position for quite a number of years but as I recall it was a horrible feeling. I got into time trouble and stalemated someone with a careless move while playing 3rd board at a match. We ended up drawing the match 4-4 instead of winning 5-3. The rest of the team was pretty unhappy. I felt like such a loser.

This was 8 or 9 years ago now, but I am very careful about stalemating people now.

Originally posted by @ashiitaka
For me it's as follows, best to worst:

Winning a lost position
Winning a drawn position
Winning a won position
Being stalemated in a lost position
Drawing a lost position
Drawing a drawn position
Drawing a won position
Losing a lost position
Losing a drawn position
Losing a won position
Giving stalemate in a won position

I have not ...[text shortened]... a loser.

This was 8 or 9 years ago now, but I am very careful about stalemating people now.

If I was more careful in my play I’d probably average 50 - 75 points higher. I try but sometimes there are distractions.

Originally posted by @divegeester
If I was more careful in my play I’d probably average 50 - 75 points higher. I try but sometimes there are distractions.

I can play quite accurately and find some nice ideas if I put in the time to calculate properly. Not that this happens most of the time - like if I move when tired, irritable, in a rush or when I'm just not bothered to check my first intuition.

http://www.chesspersonality.com/

I got assassin. Apparently I am:

Attacking rather than positional
Aggressive rather than solid
Calculating rather than intuitive
Emotional as opposed to calm.

I love playing hyperbullet (1 minute on the clock) and other low time settings on lichess, which often does not end well. If I play a bad game I will probably have to try again. I usually play badly when tired - I cannot function properly without sleep. I then get into a losing streak which makes me upset. I can get quite angry if I blunder a won position. Redhotpawn does not allow losing streaks of the same type (or winning streaks for that matter) since you play multiple games at once over a long period reducing that chance that you will blunder everything on a bad day.

https://lichess.org/@/Kurushimi

If anyone wants a live game at some point.

Originally posted by @divegeester
I’d rather lose than be caught in a stalemate from a strong position and draw; is that normal?

In fact it sounds a bit masochistic...I would rather take the half point than none at all.

Originally posted by @ponderable
In fact it sounds a bit masochistic...I would rather take the half point than none at all.

I would be happy for a stalemate of course if I was losing, annoyed with myself if I had a sure win had it not been for my forgetting the knights...

Originally posted by @ashiitaka
For me it's as follows, best to worst:

Winning a lost position
Winning a drawn position
Winning a won position
Being stalemated in a lost position
Drawing a lost position
Drawing a drawn position
Drawing a won position
Losing a lost position
Losing a drawn position
Losing a won position
Giving stalemate in a won position

I have not ...[text shortened]... a loser.

This was 8 or 9 years ago now, but I am very careful about stalemating people now.

Switch around the bottom two... losing a won position is worse. The stalemate could be earned with good opponent play but at least you get some points. Or not lose as many...

Originally posted by @divegeester
I’d rather lose than be caught in a stalemate from a strong position and draw; is that normal?

depends on the importance of the game
if the half point means a clan victory then just laugh it off
if it's a meaningless game then it should ruin your day

gertrude

Originally posted by @handyandy
Normal. but childish. 😉

You just described every war general ever.

Originally posted by @ashiitaka
I can play quite accurately and find some nice ideas if I put in the time to calculate properly. Not that this happens most of the time - like if I move when tired, irritable, in a rush or when I'm just not bothered to check my first intuition.

http://www.chesspersonality.com/

I got assassin. Apparently I am:

Attacking rather than positional
Ag ...[text shortened]... s at once over a long period reducing that chance that you will blunder everything on a bad day.

I got this from chesspersonality.com:

Mastermind
Masterminds seek to master both their own emotions and to impose their reality on the chessboard. A Mastermind always seeks the right move, and believes that attacking is the right way. Typically choosing sharp openings, Masterminds win with fantastically deep calculations, producing combinations which are deeply hidden in correctly built-up positions. Masterminds thrive in complicated positions, where their accurate calculating ability and iron nerves give them the advantage.

I totally laughed out loud to this.