1. Account suspended
    Joined
    10 Dec '11
    Moves
    143494
    01 Feb '14 20:23
    It is happening now on other chess site. I would like to hear your opinion.
    (I wrote to customer service of that other site, and explained the situation, but it seems silly...)

    Well, I am playing fast ladder games on that site, and I was challenged by a freshmen (joined January 14th). He resigned after only 4 moves. There may be several reasons to do so, one realizes he is in the middle of too many games, sudden trip or trouble etc.

    I got intrigued and checked his/her account and game history. He/she has rating of 1000 and all games were resigned in so early stage, without a reason. His avatar is a kind of a Muppet at the chess table.

    Okay. Nothing illegal in this, although in an OTB tournament some might ask what is going on...

    And now I going to the strange point.
    He/she challenged me again - and I couldn't refuse because of the rules - and, you are guessing already::

    He/she is playing seriously like hell.
    as if he/she deliberately ruined his/her rating in order to defeat me and make me lose many rating points.
    Needless to say that I began that other game carelessly. 😕

    In the meantime he/she won 1 (single one) game - again after resignation in an early stage.

    That's not everything.
    In my profile on that chess site, I have a Bobby Fischer's quote
    “I don’t believe in psychology. I believe in good moves.”
    With making his/her first move in the other game, my opponent had sent a message, making a comment on that by words:

    "Good moves will make your oppo0nent psychologicly insecure. So Bobby was wrong about that... Just as he was wrong more often on a psychological level."

    I know, nobody here can solve this - except Private Investigator - and this is good opportunity for jokes...

    Perhaps I should avoid to mention Fischer in front of unknown people... It happened so much after 1972 connected with him, that had no relation to chess itself, and I noticed that 95 percent of "ordinary people" remembers only his statements about American government and anti-Jewish statements etc.

    A theory---> Reveal Hidden Content
    Someone hired an IM or a GM to teach me a lesson... Someone from... Serbia, and the reason were, hm, a literary polemic. 🙄
  2. Standard memberChessPraxis
    Cowboy From Hell
    American West
    Joined
    19 Apr '10
    Moves
    55013
    01 Feb '14 20:45
    Originally posted by vandervelde
    It is happening now on other chess site. I would like to hear your opinion.
    (I wrote to customer service of that other site, and explained the situation, but it seems silly...)

    Well, I am playing fast ladder games on that site, and I was challenged by a freshmen (joined January 14th). He resigned after only 4 moves. There may be several reas ...[text shortened]... me a lesson... Someone from... Serbia, and the reason were, hm, a literary polemic. 🙄[/hidden]
    It sounds like a fellow I used to have contact with online. Most here know the guy. CM level from Canada.
  3. San Francisco, CA US
    Joined
    09 Jan '07
    Moves
    182317
    01 Feb '14 23:23
    Garden-variety chess psychosis.
  4. Joined
    08 Aug '09
    Moves
    708
    03 Feb '14 08:41
    Originally posted by vandervelde
    It is happening now on other chess site. I would like to hear your opinion.
    (I wrote to customer service of that other site, and explained the situation, but it seems silly...)

    Well, I am playing fast ladder games on that site, and I was challenged by a freshmen (joined January 14th). He resigned after only 4 moves. There may be several reas ...[text shortened]... me a lesson... Someone from... Serbia, and the reason were, hm, a literary polemic. 🙄[/hidden]
    The lesson is wrong and Bobby is correct. If you had played good moves his/her point would fail.

    Not to say psychology doesn't play a part but it shouldn't be your game plan, just a small trick in a large bag.
  5. Joined
    21 Feb '06
    Moves
    6830
    03 Feb '14 10:52
    Originally posted by ChessPraxis
    It sounds like a fellow I used to have contact with online. Most here know the guy. CM level from Canada.
    I don't think Jason Repa is quite Candidate Master level. Anyway, this doesn't sound like him, he worships Fischer.
  6. Standard memberChessPraxis
    Cowboy From Hell
    American West
    Joined
    19 Apr '10
    Moves
    55013
    03 Feb '14 16:25
    Originally posted by Fat Lady
    I don't think Jason Repa is quite Candidate Master level. Anyway, this doesn't sound like him, he worships Fischer.
    Oh, no different person. JR would be more insulting.
  7. Subscribersonhouse
    Fast and Curious
    slatington, pa, usa
    Joined
    28 Dec '04
    Moves
    53223
    03 Feb '14 16:44
    Originally posted by MISTER CHESS
    The lesson is wrong and Bobby is correct. If you had played good moves his/her point would fail.

    Not to say psychology doesn't play a part but it shouldn't be your game plan, just a small trick in a large bag.
    The guy was clearly sandbagging, perhaps because of a personal vendetta, don't know. In OTB you can get away with once or twice, deliberately lowering your rating to ensure yourself of a victory in a lower class and thus getting more prize money than you would have competing in your real class, say you are a 2100 player and would make maybe zero in the master class or expert class but play down to a 1600 level, then enter as a 1600...

    The only hitch with that tactic is the USCF puts you in a 2100 class no matter what your most recent rating. So you are paired with other 2100's no matter what.

    A young player on the rise, say 1 year ago was 2100 and now is 2300, he would be paired at the 2300 level so you won't be sandbagging the 2300 crowd either.
  8. Account suspended
    Joined
    10 Dec '11
    Moves
    143494
    11 Feb '14 00:331 edit
    I got the answer from that other site:

    Hello, ---

    Thank you for alerting us to this issue. Upon further review, we were unable to find any concrete
    evidence of purposeful rating manipulation (or violent behavior) as ratings play no role in the Ladder
    competition (they don't affect the score, nor have any effect on who you can and cannot challenge).
    It is also hardly possible to "ruin" someone else's rating that way. Yes, you will lose more rating
    points if you lose a game vs lower rated player, but only about 5 rating points more, which is
    hardly a significant amount.

    Thank you for choosing ---

    Best regards, etc.
    ............................................
  9. e4
    Joined
    06 May '08
    Moves
    42492
    11 Feb '14 04:321 edit
    Hi vandervelde,

    It is obviously worrying you mate but I'd honestly just forget it and move on.

    Every now and then you will unearth a nutter, I am a nutcase magnet.
    In this set-up where you get to play unknown people it is easy for them
    to indulge in a bit of cyber fun.

    You sound like an experienced player so you yourself must know that
    chess players can do some stupid things after they have lost a game.
    Often they regret it but at the time it seemed a good idea.

    Two paths to follow,

    If I read it correctly he is now playing above himself. Possibly plugged
    himself into a box. If the game is still on then drag it out and I mean drag it
    out.

    Does this other site have a vacation flag, if so use it.
    Then make one move just before the TC. and keep doing this.
    See if you can make it last a year.

    The other path is to simply resign. Send him a 'Well Played' and move on.

    I'd go the 2nd way.
  10. Joined
    21 Feb '06
    Moves
    6830
    11 Feb '14 08:15
    I'm with Greenpawn. Resign the game and move on.

    There are too many idiots on the internet to fight them all; just try to avoid wasting too much time on them.
  11. SubscriberPaul Leggett
    Chess Librarian
    The Stacks
    Joined
    21 Aug '09
    Moves
    113547
    11 Feb '14 09:171 edit
    Originally posted by ChessPraxis
    It sounds like a fellow I used to have contact with online. Most here know the guy. CM level from Canada.
    Never mind- I should have read the whole thread, as others thought the same that I did.
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