Why do I s*ck at chess?

[MichaeltheGreat]

You mean call the flag?

The term is from literal chess clocks, which have a little flag in the face so that when the minute hand reaches 12, the flag drops. You set the time on the clock (non-digital, but digital chess clocks are sacrilegious) so that at the end of the time limit, the clock is at 12 noon.

Under USCF and FIDE rules, the game doesn't end on time unless the winning player calls it.



You can change the clock settings, but if you give a computer unlimited time, it'll pretty much take it. Calling the flag is an option for the human player, if the computer exceeds it's time allotment, it will continue to play. You can too, so you can play the position out, or you can call the flag and win. The GNUChess engine automatically calls the flag on the human player.

I use a setting of 20 minutes for games on Winboard against the chess engines - not too long, but not so quick you're constantly playing the clock, not the opponent.

[DrSpike]

What ELO do the programs you play against play at? If you can beat them in 20 minute games it can't be high, unless you are a closet GM or something.

[Asmodean]

Originally posted by DrSpike
closet GM

One of the lesser known sexual deviations

Asmodean

[MichaeltheGreat]

I saw an old FAQ on GNUChess 5.02 (current is 5.04, IIRC) that showed it had an ELO of 2150 in 5 minute games.

My highest USCF rating was 2184, from late 1981, then it dropped a bit by early 1982 when I got some open tournament results in. 1982 was when I quit playing chess. Since that time, I played about 20-odd games in 20 years until this set of games here. Most of those were speed games on yahoo or msn last year, then three online games back when ACOL was alive in 1999. Prior to that, I'd played about 4-5 games from 1982 to 1999.

[Asmodean]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
I saw an old FAQ on GNUChess 5.02 (current is 5.04, IIRC) that showed it had an ELO of 2150 in 5 minute games.

My highest USCF rating was 2184, from late 1981, then it dropped a bit by early 1982 when I got some open tournament results in. 1982 was when I quit playing chess. Since that time, I played about 20-odd games in 20 years until this set of games here. Most of those were speed games on yahoo or msn last year, then three online games back when ACOL was alive in 1999. Prior to that, I'd played about 4-5 games from 1982 to 1999.

That' pretty high, MtG. What ELO do the lowest ranked GM's have?

Asmodean

[Harovan]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat
The term is from literal chess clocks, which have a little flag in the face so that when the minute hand reaches 12, the flag drops. You set the time on the clock (non-digital, but digital chess clocks are sacrilegious) so that at the end of the time limit, the clock is at 12 noon.

Actually it's common to set the clocks, so that at the end of the time limit is at 6 o'clock. That's convenient, because you can't confuse the watch hands on quick looks, when you're short of time. When you see photos of grandmaster tournaments, the time is at 3:30 at the beginning of the games, because the time limit is 2.5 hours for the first 40 turns.

[Ljube]

Are you a grandmaster, Sir Ralph?

[Harry Seldon]

So how can I go to negative time? I think it was set for five minutes. Does that mean if I use the entire five minutes to play and go negative that I can lose if the other player calls my flag at any time after that?

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Sir Ralph


Actually it's common to set the clocks, so that at the end of the time limit is at 6 o'clock. That's convenient, because you can't confuse the watch hands on quick looks, when you're short of time. When you see photos of grandmaster tournaments, the time is at 3:30 at the beginning of the games, because the time limit is 2.5 hours for the first 40 turns.

It makes more sense, but more common in the US is (or was) to set to end at 12. Nobody worried about confusion, because the hour hand can't drop the flag.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Harry Seldon
So how can I go to negative time? I think it was set for five minutes. Does that mean if I use the entire five minutes to play and go negative that I can lose if the other player calls my flag at any time after that?

Yes, you lose if the player calls it, you don't if he doesn't.

[Harry Seldon]

Yes, you lose if the player calls it, you don't if he doesn't.

Looks like I need to extend my time or play quicker.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Asmodean


That' pretty high, MtG. What ELO do the lowest ranked GM's have?

Asmodean

The lowest ranked active GM's are in the upper 2400's, though 2600 is probably closer to average.

There's a big difference though, in that there's a very consistent, strong pool in the IM and GM ranks, so ELO ratings there are relatively accurate to player strength. At lower ranks, there is a rubberbanding effect due to the ability to get paired in tournaments against weaker or stronger players.

I got my highest rating by thrashing "A" players (USCF ELO ratings of 1800-1999) in a series of tournaments in quick succession, but then when my Candidate Master (USCF Expert, ELO 2000-2199) rating came out, I was forced to play in the open section of tournaments, where the average rating pool was in the low 2300's (a mix of Masters and local IM's or GM's wanting to harvest some money off the peasants.

My next published rating was nearly 60 points off my peak, simply because of the different rating pool I was playing against, and it would have been closer to 90 points off if I hadn't gotten some rating shock insulation via draws against John Grefe and Yasser Seirawan.

I'm giving some thought of getting back into tournament play, but I wouldn't do it before next summer at the earliest. I have a bunch of studying and preparation to do before that.

[MichaeltheGreat]

Originally posted by Harry Seldon


Looks like I need to extend my time or play quicker.

I don't recommend speed chess for beginner or intermediate players. What you really need to go for are the best quality of games you can, and then post-mortem those to learn from the mistakes and opportunities on both sides.

[Asmodean]

Originally posted by MichaeltheGreat

I'm giving some thought of getting back into tournament play, but I wouldn't do it before next summer at the earliest. I have a bunch of studying and preparation to do before that.

That's a whole lot of studying you have to do, if you want to get back to that level. Chess at that level is about two things. 1-The ability to think ahead. The further the better. The ability to visualize the board is also important here. And 2-The amount of time you put into it. The more the merrier. Most GM's spend all their off tournament time studying previous games ,and thinking out new moves.

Asmodean

[DrSpike]

Drawing with Seirawan is a nice result.