Shrewd OTB tricks

Originally posted by Pariah325
All right. That made me laugh out loud. You accused him of cheating after he got it wrong... Thanks. Made my day.
P

Yeah, got confused on definition of "right..." Edited my post.
Still made me laugh.

Here is a great little one which can really get you wins.

If you are playing a sacrifice which you know your opponent cannot take or he will lose the game - place the piece really badly so that it is lying almost on two squares.
Most players will feel compelled to streighten up this piece and you can then accuse them of touching it, therefore they have to capture it - this will also be quite a convincing story to the arbiter, as he will be more likely to believe they miscalculated and grabbed the piece too quickly rather then their story that it was misplaced and they wanted to adjust it.


Also, another variant of this is when you are making a move, 'accidentally' knock over a piece of theirs and then place it back lopsidedly - they will likely then pick it up to adjust and be compelled to move it.

Try the "Wood" piece style under My Settings -> My Board Settings...

I have another one, if your opponent is in massive time trouble but has a winning position - get up and leave the board for a bit of a rest. The longer you have on your clock the better. He will be forced to sit there watching you relax (a nice drink and something to eat also helps to increase his frustration) but will not be able to move, for fear that you will make your own move as soon as he is away.

I have seen people with upwards of an hour extra time on their clock in some games, imagine making an opponent sit there for an hour streight without moving - it would take some serious willpower for them not to crack and leave the room, especially if they needed the toilet or a smoke, and if they do then you can make your move and get even more time off their clock.

Always offer your opponent a beer. by the time he has reciprocated you are in to a different sort of contest.

Originally posted by Melanerpes
j'adoube


The experienced players do - they know

Really? Are you saying it's ok to adjust your opponent's pieces, including re-aligning their knights? I always thought this was bad form .. I've heard apocryphal stories of physical punches being thrown over the board for this.

Just trolling.

I really am enjoying this thread though.

Edit: OK, I think this one happened to Judit Polgar.
She was in a winning position. Her opponent then started complaining about the light getting in his eyes from the nearby window and requested that they move the game to another table. Being a sporting lady she agreed. After they had moved the board and set everything up again her opponent makes a move and she notices that she's not winning anymore.

Apparently, when they were setting the board up again her opponent left off a certain pawn that she didn't immediately notice.

Pretty clever if you can get away with it.

I had a bit of a joke with an opponent at a tournament this weekend.
He had just passed the first 30 minutes of his time and I said his flag had fallen, he looked a bit shocked for a moment until I pointed out it was a joke. he he, i probably could have been called up for bad sportmanship but worth it for a laugh.

As a refutation to all these tricks...


Play the board!