@mynameisklint saidI would suggest that you play a game of chess, this is a chess site after all.
When did this start? I was happily posting on the forum last month, but not I'm not allowed to.
- Joined
- 06 May 15
- Moves
- 27445
@mynameisklint
If you are having difficulty finding games, may I challenge you to a couple of rated games, one as White and one as Black? Let's say at 3/7 time control, meaning up to three days per move with a 7-day timebank as a buffer for emergencies.
The condition would be that they had to be played through to completion, not just resigned suddenly after you had made the 10 moves needed to continue posting.
My RHP rating is generally about 1100, in case it helps to know that.
If you are nervous about actually playing, I completely understand. A few decades ago I played a couple of games in a bookstore, thinking I knew how to play, but those games were against two people who really did know how to play. Nearly put me off the game.
I recovered though, and even played some realtime games (including some tournament games) on a free chess server some years later (the time control was probably 10 or 15 minutes per side) -- and I survived!
Willingness to lose or fail is a necessary attribute for progress in a lot of fields.
Edit: I also meant to mention that playing correspondence-style chess on RHP has helped me feel more comfortable and confident about my chess skills (still in development). This is a good way to learn at one's own pace. At this stage I would probably be fine mentally playing over-the-board (OTB) or online realtime chess games.
More recently (a few years ago) I made a point of studying the different types of checkmate (it all boils down to observing the eight or fewer squares around the enemy king, to make sure he has no escape squares [including by capture of one of your pieces], and that the attacking piece cannot be captured or blocked).
Edit: If you are primarily a writer, this is similar to knowing what sentence you want to end on, which propagates backward into what you write to set that up.
Another thing I found useful to study was knight movements, how knights and bishops can restrict each other, and the complementary topic of the Queen's Pockets (or Blindspots), which are a Knight's move away from the Queen.
Perhaps I have misunderstood your reason for wanting to post but not play chess here, but if you are a beginner, maybe I could offer some general tips if you are interested. I promise they would be prosy instead of strings of variations from a chess engine. Perhaps some other RHP members would pitch in as well to help you along.
Maybe you already know the proverb: "Chess is an ocean in which an elephant can bathe and from which a gnat can drink" -- i.e., it's fine to be a beginner and stand on the shore -- no need to be a grandmaster on Day Two.
Wishing you the best in any case,
Kevin
@mynameisklint
So out of curiosity, what brings you to this site?
Does this correspondence chess site also have the best forum on the internet, and that's the only reason you're here?
If that's the case, why not play a game or two, get those required number of moves in, and just solve your posting problem?
I'm just curious. 🙂
@mynameisklint saidShocking isn't it?
When did this start? I was happily posting on the forum last month, but not I'm not allowed to.
At www.debaticum.com I'm dismayed to find I can't play chess at all!
I used to play quite a lot on this site (under the name Fat Lady) but got p!ssed off when it turned out that many of my opponents had been using engines. In particular I put a lot of effort into two games against Weyerstrass (getting soundly thrashed in both). Although many of us were beginning to realise that he was yet another engine-using cheat, it was a long time before he was booted off RHP.
I no longer play correspondence chess on this or any other site. Some sites, for example chess.com and lichess.org, attempt to stop people cheating but there are still lots around. RHP doesn't even attempt to stop engine users anymore.
However I quite like reading and contributing to the chess forum on this site. Also Geoff Chandler's blogs are a must read! If this is no longer possible then so be it.
@caesarsalad:
Regarding the "ancient Indian saying" (almost certainly invented by a 20th century author) - "Chess is an ocean in which an elephant can bathe and from which a gnat can drink". It just so happens that my handle on lichess.org (where I only play blitz) is "Drinking Gnat":
https://lichess.org/@/DrinkingGnat
On there I almost exclusively play against people I know in real life.
@mynameisklint saidSign in as Fat Lady and maybe you won't have problems
I used to play quite a lot on this site (under the name Fat Lady) but got p!ssed off when it turned out that many of my opponents had been using engines. In particular I put a lot of effort into two games against Weyerstrass (getting soundly thrashed in both). Although many of us were beginning to realise that he was yet another engine-using cheat, it was a long time be ...[text shortened]... this site. Also Geoff Chandler's blogs are a must read! If this is no longer possible then so be it.
@mynameisklint saidFat Lady, you sly bugg£r, didn't know you were back!
I used to play quite a lot on this site (under the name Fat Lady) but got p!ssed off when it turned out that many of my opponents had been using engines. In particular I put a lot of effort into two games against Weyerstrass (getting soundly thrashed in both). Although many of us were beginning to realise that he was yet another engine-using cheat, it was a long time be ...[text shortened]... this site. Also Geoff Chandler's blogs are a must read! If this is no longer possible then so be it.
How you bin? 🙂