Simple question

Does your opponent's rating influence your reply and the time you take to reply? For example, would you play a weak, but potentially quickly winning, move against a weak opponent in the belief that they would probably not find the best reply?

yes, I do think so. If there is a move which isn't the best but it is a move with some traps, I will play it against lower rater players but not against high rated players.
But I also make more mistakes against lower rated players, and I think I am not the only one. I am not doing this on purpose, but I am doing it.

its also an issue of confidence, lower rated players pose less of a threat so you can play bolder and win faster as you seek the win straight away not an equal position etc

No.

I am trying more and more to avoid those kind of risks. Would prefer to have a longer solid game rather than use traps (which most of the time weaken position) and hope for a win.

normally rating is most dependant on defence ability, so lower rated players crumble easier than higher rated players, so often reasonable attacking play will win, even if a good player would repel and probably win the game

I wouldnt play weaker trappier moves against lower rated players ....the advice given (one I dont follow often to the peril of my rating) is to keep the game more soild against weaker players, less madness on the board and simply outplay them from technique. Against higher rated players you should seek complications and total chaos on the board....althought your chances of making a blunder might be higher than theirs, their chances of making a blunder in that position and you winning is vastly improved compared to them making a mistake in a quiet position....where ok they might make a mistake or two but it wouldnt be the kind of game ending blunder often seen in more complex positions.

to be honest - yes. And i've made a mess of so many games because of it...

Maybe it 'might' be an idea to have ratings as a hidden or shown profile, optional by the user.
Or maybe scrap them altogether. Then people might play real chess and not use engines to boost their egos. I'm not sure how realistic the ratings are. I play fairly well here, but my OTB games are hit and miss.... and i dunno what my point is really.... i'll go now.

Yes, and I would be willing to bet that somewhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of my losses are for this reason.

Well if you do this and you lose, you know why. It's a bad habit which needs to be broken.

Always try to play the best moves regardless of your opposition.

Originally posted by znsho
Does your opponent's rating influence your reply and the time you take to reply? For example, would you play a weak, but potentially quickly winning, move against a weak opponent in the belief that they would probably not find the best reply?

I made a post in the Site Ideas forum a while back about having an option to hide your opponents rating in active games. Nothing ever came of it, but I still think it would be a good idea.

"Yes" is my answer to your question. I think playing a lower rated player affects me more--I start moving more quickly against them and thinking less and often get into tactical jumbles. Against higher rated players I take more time and try to play carefully thought out moves. There is also the shame factor: "I can't lose to someone rated 400 points lower than me--that's pathetic!" when in reality everyone flops a game now and then.

Perhaps I'll repost that hidden rating idea again. It's still a good idea.

Originally posted by thesonofsaul
I made a post in the Site Ideas forum a while back about having an option to hide your opponents rating in active games. Nothing ever came of it, but I still think it would be a good idea.

"Yes" is my answer to your question. I think playing a lower rated player affects me more--I start moving more quickly against them and thinking less and often ge ...[text shortened]... and then.

Perhaps I'll repost that hidden rating idea again. It's still a good idea.

I always make the assumption that if I can see a move so can my opponent regardless of their rating. This was a lesson learned the hard way.

"Hope Chess"

See my Getting to 1400 Thread.