Chess

[ZarakiKujata]

About the only books I ever found useful were the ones on L&D, the rest I had to learn just by "doing". Sometimes I look at my old old games and laugh at how bad my moves look to me now, but with KGS I was being matched to other new people so the games were still interesting and competitive.

Once I got into the low kyus, I bought some japanese tesuji, yoseki and endgame books. Some of the techniques particularly in the tesuji book were quite useful. Also, my mom got me a book Invincible that's just a collection of Honinbo Shusaku's games and commentary on them which is fucking cool to replay some of his games, even if a lot of it is lost since I'm not at that level..

[Norellicus]

Bah. That was a retard move

[aurik]

Another good thing about go, the game is long enough that there's room to come back after bonehead moves.

[ZarakiKujata]

Not if they are particularly boneheaded and/or particularly late in teh game.

[Cadsuane]

A gentlemanly reminder that Rd6 forces a queen sacrifice on the next move unless you do something about it.

[Norellicus]

yeah...I'm playing distracted now, making dumb oversights. I was thinking the queen could get away to h3 but forgot about the Knight sitting on it.

I was screwed long before these distracted moves though, told you I made no guarantees about being any good =p

Had I done Ra7 and then sacrificed the QP I may have had a little more freedom, not sure.

[Cadsuane]

On second thought you have f6 and g6 to get yourself out of it. The f6 line ends up with you losing your rook though if I'm not mistaken. 19... f6 20. Bd5 check, Rf7 21. Bf7 check. Rf7 is forced because otherwise... 20... Kh8 21. Nf7 Kg8 22. Nh6 and you lose your queen.

[Norellicus]

Yeah, any line I played out in my head just added a few more steps and didn't really afford me any other useful moves. I danced with your king because I thought I still had an out for the queen, stupidly forgetting about the knight occupying that edge. Once the queen is out I don't have enough pieces to hold the line and keep you from pinning the king in that corner.

[Cadsuane]

The g6 line seemed decent actually. I'm not sure what I'd do after that. Er, besides take your knight that is.

[Mizango]

Wow, did I really just put my rook right there? I told you I suck at this.

it's always that one stupid blunder

Woozie is making you feel good, sort of how pops finally lets you beat him in the back yard? Unbeknownst to much of BG, Woozie has been called the black Bobby Fischer of his generation, I am the would-be Laurence Fishburne to his Fischer.

[Alleya]

Cads I will leave your body in a dumpster.

[Norellicus]

The g6 line seemed decent actually. I'm not sure what I'd do after that. Er, besides take your knight that is.

Any path just leads to a bunch of eye for an eye type moves...the option I felt most comfortable with would have involved slowly advancing the pawns down the a edge, defending them as they go. Even if you ignored the advance, it still ends in tears when I promote and then you go Ra1 and clobber it, ending any conceptual counter I might have (and probably leaving my right line exposed to promotion of your own, or at least an opening to bring down Ra8 and pin the line that way). Waste of time.

[Norellicus]

I'm a glutton for punishment so I challenged woozie too :3

[Woozie]

You'll probably beat me.

[Norellicus]

...WHY did I think that was a good idea? HURDUR I'LL CAPTURE UR PAWN NOW AND LEAVE QUEEN UNPROTECTED K?

[Alleya]

This correspondence style game makes it very hard to shit-talk.

[Cadsuane]

Shut your filthy mouth and play

[Alleya]

Hope you brought a colostomy bag, you're gonna need it.

[Chips]

My cousin's rating was 1800-1700ish when he played quite a bit. I've played him countless, countless times, and I've only won twice, drawn once.

[Blarg]

is there a way to easily know when it's your turn to play other than just refreshing the board constantly?