RHP improves OTB play

Originally posted by Dragon Fire
Its surely true. My stated aim was to study openings here to improve OTB.

In my 1st OTB game of the new season last night I had my best win as black for years, beating a player rated 2070 OTB who was unbeaten in the league last year, using the "new" (to me) version of the Ruy Lopez I have been trying out on this site.

Has anyone else had similar success?

yeah i started winning acouple games aganist my spanish teacher who is the chess teacher too. i was able to hold my own in blitz even though his rating uscf is 2100 but fell down alot and is rusty.

Originally posted by Bedlam
Im normally too lazy to just look up an opening and try to learning it, but im not so lazy that I wont look up the opening in a database while im playing it corry.

Pretty good for those who play off the track lines that have practically no theory or very shakey theory, Kings Bishop Gambit/Reti Gambit being just two that im hoping to learn past available ...[text shortened]... and have quite a few 2000+ players opening up like total patzers but still 2000+ god knows how.

I know what you mean, although I am keen it is very hard work to fully understand an opening, that is why I only play 2 myself. It used to be D4 and the sicillian in response to e4, then I switched to c4 as white. At my club everyone knows which opening I will play so I do get tested now and again when they try to take me down an unfamiliar line, this is why I don't like 10 min games! I prefer 1 hour games as then I can record the moves and learn, I would rather loss and learn than just have a meaningless victory. I have been thinking of buyng a chess computer that plays as a normal otb set but records the moves to get over this. Does anyone know of a cheapish set that can do this. I did found one for about £175 but most of the cost was paying for its playing ability whereas this is of NO interest to me, I just want an automatic recorded of moves.
I got beat in the final of 2 tournamnets by someone subsequently booted for cheating, I nearly left the site, but instead found a club and started playing otb as well. I have played just one season now and although I am much better at cc I prefer otb

Originally posted by Dragon Fire
This was a major factor in my recent OTB win. Because I had the openings off pat I got to move 10 having used 5 minutes to his 30 in a game where the time control was 30 moves in 75 minutes. By the time we reached move 17 I had used 40 minutes to his 65. By move 23 he only had 15 seconds left to my 15 minutes in a complex position. The rest is history.
...[text shortened]... time advantage in the opening. Time will tell if this is a one off or a consistent improvement.

I play in the surrey leagues and we have similiar time controls, but as I have only played one season I am usually playing players much more experienced than me so although I usually have a time advantage it hasn't really had a serious impact on any of my games yet. I was quite suprised at my garading after one year, it was only 94 (bcf) my results were (opponents grade in brackets):

won 2 (120, 118)
drew 3 (115,113, 104)
lost 4 (141, 114, 106, 97)

New season: played one and won against a 103 player

The loss against the 97 was my first game and I still found using a clock strange and also it was the first game where I had to record moves, I found it very distracting, but the real reason I lost was my otb inexperience. It was only then that I realized that cc and otb can be very very different games. But basically I lost a game that I should have won, I was gutted, and it would have meant my first season was won 3, drew 3 and lost 3 (very unusual to come up against a 141 player on board 4 though in the league we played in). Hopefully I am correct in thinking I haven't got to my best yet otb, but time will tell.

Originally posted by stevetodd
I play in the surrey leagues and we have similiar time controls, but as I have only played one season I am usually playing players much more experienced than me so although I usually have a time advantage it hasn't really had a serious impact on any of my games yet. I was quite suprised at my garading after one year, it was only 94 (bcf) my results were (o ...[text shortened]... in). Hopefully I am correct in thinking I haven't got to my best yet otb, but time will tell.

A 141 on board 4.....comparing that grade to the others his captain was either having a laugh or pushing hard for title/promotion.

When playing in the internal rapid play club competitions I always vary the openings Budapest, Danish etc keeps people on their toes and avoids any prepared lines.

Iv only been playing in my current OTB league 2 and a half years or so......im yet to come across anyones specially prepared theory dispite never having lost a KG or Benko game since I started, maybe its because the team was promoted the year before so might have to be on my toes this time for prepared lines 🙂

You could get a DTG board, most of them record chess moves, can be a little pricey at times. http://www.wholesalechess.com/ is a cheap place to buy from if you dont mind ordering from the states 🙂

Originally posted by Bedlam
A 141 on board 4.....comparing that grade to the others his captain was either having a laugh or pushing hard for title/promotion.

When playing in the internal rapid play club competitions I always vary the openings Budapest, Danish etc keeps people on their toes and avoids any prepared lines.

Iv only been playing in my current OTB league 2 and a half y ...[text shortened]... ww.wholesalechess.com/ is a cheap place to buy from if you dont mind ordering from the states 🙂

Thanks having a look at what that is right now

Originally posted by Bedlam
A 141 on board 4.....comparing that grade to the others his captain was either having a laugh or pushing hard for title/promotion.

When playing in the internal rapid play club competitions I always vary the openings Budapest, Danish etc keeps people on their toes and avoids any prepared lines.

Iv only been playing in my current OTB league 2 and a half y ...[text shortened]... ww.wholesalechess.com/ is a cheap place to buy from if you dont mind ordering from the states 🙂

Thanks, although Wulebgr suggested this to me last year at the time I thought it was too expensive, but I am coming around to thinking what the hell as it does what I want (exactly I think). As far as I can tell I could play matches otb, it will store the games (hopefully more than 1?) then later I can download the games to my pc and analyse with fritz 8 (I assume I have to buy that separately?). This seems perfect I found one site in the states that sells it for 629$ and one over here for £375 (693$). Can anyone confirm this is what it does and that I could play a few games and store them without having to download/clear the memory whatever?

Originally posted by Bedlam
Im normally too lazy to just look up an opening and try to learning it, but im not so lazy that I wont look up the opening in a database while im playing it corry.

Pretty good for those who play off the track lines that have practically no theory or very shakey theory, Kings Bishop Gambit/Reti Gambit being just two that im hoping to learn past available ...[text shortened]... and have quite a few 2000+ players opening up like total patzers but still 2000+ god knows how.

Sometimes a player 2000+ will open up because that is the only way to get counterplay in a (totally) lost position having carelessly blundered (yes even 2000+ players ocassionally carelessly drop pieces or overlook mates) a atrategic advantage, a pawn (for no counterplay) or worse and such desperado tactics are the only chance of getting back into the game.

2nd league game of the season - drawn a KGA against 2020 rated player OTB. Improvement definately coming through.

Use RHP to learn openings and take it seriously. You will get better I am certain of it.

I've haven't played any "serious" OTB games for a few years, and even when I did, we didn't use notation or clocks (it was a school tourney). I've never been rated OTB before, so I can't tell if I'm getting better through RHP.

One thing I'll definitely say is it's helping me with my consistancy. OTB I'm an extremely fast player, usually play 40 moves in 3 mins against (very weak) computers, and RHP has allowed me to slow down a bit.

Originally posted by darkguy00000
I've haven't played any "serious" OTB games for a few years, and even when I did, we didn't use notation or clocks (it was a school tourney). I've never been rated OTB before, so I can't tell if I'm getting better through RHP.

One thing I'll definitely say is it's helping me with my consistancy. OTB I'm an extremely fast player, usually play 40 mov ...[text shortened]... s in 3 mins against (very weak) computers, and RHP has allowed me to slow down a bit.

Slowing down and using your time wisely is bound to help you improve.

At 40 moves in 3 minutes you will never get significantly better, in fact you might get worse.

Blitz has a place, it helps you think quickly and move in time trouble OTB but that is not necessary here and the best way to deal with time trouble is to avoid it in the first place.

Originally posted by darkguy00000
OTB I'm an extremely fast player, usually play 40 moves in 3 mins against (very weak) computers, and RHP has allowed me to slow down a bit.

there's nothing good about playing bad moves fast. if you consistently use considerably less than all of your allowed time (no matter what time controls!), you're playing relatively weak moves. it's like underclocking a processor, or taking a math exam totally drunk.

watching standard games live, it always amazes me how long GMs take time with their moves. even though they process far more information, and many, many times faster, I still lose focus often minutes before they finally move.

Originally posted by wormwood
there's nothing good about playing bad moves fast. if you consistently use considerably less than all of your allowed time (no matter what time controls!), you're playing relatively weak moves. it's like underclocking a processor, or taking a math exam totally drunk.

watching standard games live, it always amazes me how long GMs take time with their move ...[text shortened]... tion, and many, many times faster, I still lose focus often minutes before they finally move.

It prevents your opponent from frequently visiting the Toilet!

O yes, I went there. What you gonna do about it?

I thought so!

Originally posted by RahimK
It prevents your opponent from frequently visiting the Toilet!

O yes, I went there. What you gonna do about it?

I thought so!

Playing OTB yesterday the Controller sid only 1 toilet visit was permitted per player per game.

Why was this. I really really do need to visit after every move if I am to play well.

Originally posted by RahimK
It prevents your opponent from frequently visiting the Toilet!

O yes, I went there. What you gonna do about it?

I thought so!

steal your snow shovel!

Originally posted by wormwood
steal your snow shovel!

Nooooooooooooo....