I lost an OTB game last night, and in honour of all the great exuses of losers im going to add this one "I blame RHP" I have noticed a few things about my OTB game over the last year, maybe they are unrelated to RHP, but I dont think they are. Firstly the amount of time I spend thinking in OTB games, I didnt even know what it felt like to be in clock trouble a year ago and sniggered at anyone who ever got into it, quite a few games this season iv cut it down to the wire, with only a few minutes on my clock at the end. Also my chess style has changed a little, you can see this from when I joined here, my first games are all tactically wild (if not sound for correspondence at least they were great fun) and all feature a real attacking want a drive, sacs gambits 0-0-0 a hell of a lot. I found this just dont work that well in correspondence as in OTB so my game has changed here and its changed OTB as well. :-( *sob*
Another thing iv noticed is maybe doubt creeping in about my own ablities and iv seen this shown in the openings I play, iv found myself thinking i should play safer openings. Its not as though I have spent time stuidying the semi slav, I just about know the move order for it, yet last night I found myself playing it as black!! Over all the attacking responces I know, love and understand. (Oh god im turning into mateulose)
Is RHP bad for your chess health?
Are there any other players who have experienced this?
Maybe im just feeling depressed after a loss, im feeling a little chess burnt out to be honest, maybe its just that. I dont know but im intrested in hearing from others who play club and touraments OTB.
I found that it was a real shock to the system to play a timed game after exclusively playing on here for 6 months. I found that the time I needed per move was greatly increased, and that I was struggling to envision moves due to 'analyse board' overuse.
However, I think that was just for the first couple of games. After that, the many things that have improved in my game since I joined RHP, came to the fore and I played much better chess.
Having said that, my style has changed since I started playing RHP. I used to be realyl gung ho, but playing on here, I realised that people nearly always pick up weaknesses in your attack, and that mostly it is better to let them come at you, and then let them create their own weaknesses and you exploit them.
D
I think I've found the right balance for me. I play here untimed and also the occasional rapid or blitz games. That way I'm comfortable when I get down to just an increment in a game. I know I'm less likely to self destruct under pressure.
Playing just rapid or blitz games would have just as bad an effect on your OTB long chess. It's finding the balance. Being able to look deep and also play under pressure.
Originally posted by RagnorakA gunho attack has scare value OTB, where it can be really shocking, it loses that effect on RHP. I think I find my chess conflicting now, which is leading to my doubts. I should play less RHP and more standard time chess, however it is hard to find good opponents to play thought the day . I love to sit down and play a 3 hour game out, even if its online, yet not many people have that much time :-(
I found that it was a real shock to the system to play a timed game after exclusively playing on here for 6 months. I found that the time I needed per move was greatly increased, and that I was struggling to envision moves due to 'analyse board' overuse.
However, I think that was just for the first couple of games. After that, the many things that ha ...[text shortened]... o let them come at you, and then let them create their own weaknesses and you exploit them.
D
Originally posted by GrayeyesofsorrowMaybe you are just maturing as a chess player? At first, it seems like you are geting worse, but in the long run, you are geting better. Ask any chess teachers, they would tell you they would love having a student willing to defend. Defense wins championships, as they say, the same is true for chess, look at Casaplanca, Fischer, Botvinnik, Karpov, Stenitz, Leko, Kramnik, etc. . . all defensive experts who win.
I lost an OTB game last night, and in honour of all the great exuses of losers im going to add this one "I blame RHP" I have noticed a few things about my OTB game over the last year, maybe they are unrelated to RHP, but I dont think they are. Firstly the amount of time I spend thinking in OTB games, I didnt even know what it felt like to be in ...[text shortened]... ust that. I dont know but im intrested in hearing from others who play club and touraments OTB.
The only real pure attackers to have won anything big have been Tal (although even he admits he sacrefices intuitively and later on found some of his sacs to be unsound that only great defensive players could refute), and that's pretty much it, lol!
Alekeine, Morphy and Kasparov are a combo defensive/offensive players, so I can't really count them as gun hoes, although most of their gun hoe games are the ones published.
It takes maturity and patience to play defense. BTW, are you starting to do strange things you never did before? Like puting knights on the back/2nd rank to defend when you play as black?
Originally posted by mateulosegung ho not gun hoe. Capablanca not Casaplanca (you're missing it up with the movie).
Maybe you are just maturing as a chess player? At first, it seems like you are geting worse, but in the long run, you are geting better. Ask any chess teachers, they would tell you they would love having a student willing to defend. Defen ...[text shortened]... ing knights on the back/2nd rank to defend when you play as black?
I would argue whether Kramnik is a defensive expert who wins. I'd look at him more as a defensive expert who draws. 😛
All the players you mentioned are also adept at playing attacking chess as well as defensive (maybe not Kramnik 😛).
*flies off to his batcave waiting for his signal to pounce (well swoop would be more appropriate I guess)*
I have the same problem as the gray dude.Before I played here,I didn't even know how one could possibily get into time trouble.Now it's very different.Yesterday I lost on ICC after blundering a rook in time trouble.I only took long thinking time on 2 moves,but both times it was over 20 minutes.First one was a risky,dodgy move,the second one was ok,I calculated a winning combo of only 6 moves,but with a lot of pieces on the board,including a knight and bishopsac,and my king 1 move from checkmate all the time.All that made it kinda hard.Problem was,it was not forced,and my oppo only needed 30 seconds to decide to avoid it 🙁
Before I played here,I would have played that risky,dodgy move right away.I still go for it,it's the kind of player I am,just now it takes me ages.The second one I would have played in an instant too,without calculating it all,just hope for the best.Why do I calculate it,I know I'm going to play it anyway.It's the kind of player I am!
Damn you rhp! 😠
😛
Originally posted by mateuloseNever said it wasn't. Personally I would much rather look at other player's games than Kramniks's. Tal for one. So much more interesting. And when things are interesting you learn more.
"I would argue whether Kramnik is a defensive expert who wins. I'd look at him more as a defensive expert who draws."
Isn't that a worthy goal, at his level, with the black peices?
Originally posted by mateuloseI say play to win. To heck with playing for a draw. Black has the resources to win. Kramnik plays to draw with Black? Where are the Fischers and Tals. Black can win.
"I would argue whether Kramnik is a defensive expert who wins. I'd look at him more as a defensive expert who draws."
Isn't that a worthy goal, at his level, with the black peices?
a good mix of rhp and internet standard is good. i normally play just a few games on rhp to improve on deep calculations. but in order for it not to affect my normal play, i play internet standard (whether icc or playchess) most. my teacher hasn't even suggested i play correspondence but i would suggest a healthy mix. some of the rhp'rs play a lot of games in rhp but not much on internet standard (or otb) so whatever you play more would be your 'normal' play.
Originally posted by GrayeyesofsorrowEverything you've said goes for me too, except time trouble. I always work out how much time i have for each move and try to stick to it, obviously playing the first two or three moves quickly to allow some extra think time later 😉
I lost an OTB game last night, and in honour of all the great exuses of losers im going to add this one "I blame RHP" I have noticed a few things about my OTB game over the last year, maybe they are unrelated to RHP, but I dont think they are. Firstly the amount of time I spend thinking in OTB games, I didnt even know what it felt like to be in ...[text shortened]... ust that. I dont know but im intrested in hearing from others who play club and touraments OTB.
Originally posted by marinakatombIv noticed this happening to my game for a while and have suspected correspondence chess to be the root cause. Iv tried to add a bit of balance to the time I spend playing on RHP, by moving in thoses games when people are on and therefore playing an OTB style game.
Everything you've said goes for me too, except time trouble. I always work out how much time i have for each move and try to stick to it, obviously playing the first two or three moves quickly to allow some extra think time later 😉
Before when I came on if I had 40 games waiting id try to move in all 40 of them before I got off, which isnt that bad when you are playing 1500 rated people because a lot of them play that way as well. SOme of the higher rated people on this site have a much lower chess ability than their rating, but they think so long over moves that they dont blunder as often as others. Im trying to get my game load down to no more than 16 games so I can spend a fair amount of time on each move. However I seem to be addicted to taking lots of games :-P
Its quite funny having 50+ games, I recently beat two 1700,s drawed a good 1800 yet im losing to a 1300 and two more losing games to one 1400 :-)
Anyone have any idea at what number of games their play started to degrade?
Also how long do you all spend thinking about each move, and what is your OTB rating maybe we can see a rating/time correlation.
I have a otb rating of 179 BCF, spend maybe 5 min max on most moves on RHP, playing most of them OTB style against opponents who are online at that moment, lots of blunders in my games, lots of hitting the stop button repeatly.