Is this what games are all about?

Earlier this week I was playing some games online and was playing a game of chess and obviously since I am not rated highly am liable to making mistakes. I made a mistake and my opponent said "If thats the best you can do, you should just quit"

This sort of things seems to happen so often and I dont quite understand it. If playing board games is just an excuse to be mean and put other people down then maybe I should indeed just quit since that is not what I'm about. Yet so many people seem to be disrespectful to other players based on abilities. If I am playing someone and beat them I dont say "you suck find a new game loser". What is the point of all this? does winning at a board game give people an excuse to behqave with such arrogance. When I win a game I don't feel any sense of superioty over an opponent that I feel the need to gloat and go on an ego trip.

I like to play several games like chess, draughts, backgammon, othello, bridge, poker etc. But Im finding myself put off from playing when I do as best as I can (given how much knowledge or experience I have of a game) and get told Im the worst player alive by some arrogant opponent. If I improve to further standards one thing I want is to remain true to myself and not to let any success go to my head.

Does any other "low" rated players find this happening to them? Its almost like some sort of elitistism.

when i did first start i got that ALL the time. It's pathetic, those people saying that act like they have never been new at anything. Just ignore jerks like that, they are losers.

I just dont get it. It seems to happen at yahoo games all the time. The other day I was playing someone over 200 points higher than my rating in draughts and won and then got abused hurled at me saying I was lucky and that she would thrash me next time (which she did). What is the point? Winning and losing seems to be such a big thing nowadays that the enjoyment of playing the game seems to be lost.

Welcome to the wonderfull world of online gaming.It has nothing to do with winnig or losing nor with the level of your skill.It's simply that a lot of people abuse the anonimity and absence of physical repercussions of the Inet to behave like jerks.The game is just an excuse to find victims to direct their anger at.I guess it's their way of venting their real life frustrations.
Just put the ones you know on mute/ignore,try to avoid them and play the remaining,more level headed,folks 🙂

Originally posted by Les82
It seems to happen at yahoo games all the time.

that's the problem, yahoo. try FICS or playchess...

Originally posted by Les82
I just dont get it. It seems to happen at yahoo games all the time. The other day I was playing someone over 200 points higher than my rating in draughts and won and then got abused hurled at me saying I was lucky and that she would thrash me next time (which she did).

I'd never play someone again if they said something like that, I always prefer to let them stew. Revenge matches are no fun anyway, chess (or Checkers) is hard enough as it is.

Originally posted by Les82
Earlier this week I was playing some games online and was playing a game of chess and obviously since I am not rated highly am liable to making mistakes. I made a mistake and my opponent said "If thats the best you can do, you should just quit"

This sort of things seems to happen so often and I dont quite understand it. If playing board games is just an e ...[text shortened]... low" rated players find this happening to them? Its almost like some sort of elitistism.

Ignore them. They are jerks and probably have a low rating themselves.

You will find plenty of the better players won't say that sort of thing and will give you a few pointers to help you improve.

Put bthem on your ignore list and never play them again.

I can kinda understand people getting annoyed at losing when they were winning but I dont get this idea of getting so worked up to want to go seeking revenge.

Playchess is a much better place than yahoo I agree. Its quite astonishing some of the 'tactics' people employ when they get mad. I remember once winning a game of chess at yahoo and my opponent kept sending me PM's and I had to keep closing the windows to make my moves and I lost on time because of this.

I am not a highly rated player so I cannot say my rating means much to me. Maybe its different if your rated 1800 or above where people may feel angry and get abusive and resort to bullying tactics if their rating gets threatened. I dont know.

Some players just cant behave and after winning a game they feel like the king of the world. Usually they are same ones who just cant accept the fact they have been outplayed by a better player.

Example from yesterday:

in last round of a six-round open tournament (G/30min) I was paired against 1900-rated player. We both had had 3 games with black pieces and 2 games with white pieces. In this final game, he had black pieces and I had white. Also, I had 4/5 points and he had 3,5/5 points. The game was pretty easy for me and lasted only about 25-30 moves (he lost). Right after the game he started complaining how he had to play 4 games with black pieces and only 2 games with white. He said something like "are you (TD) satisfied now? everyone here knows how exceptionally good I am with white pieces".

gosh...
.

Actaully, I find it damn fun to pick on the low-rated players.


At FICS sometimes my 15 0, or 3 0 seek will pair me with a 1100 or something -- and quite frankly playing those players arn't really worth my time. (not only that, many actually have a hostile attittude if i try to help them)


So....i'll abort -- and set up a new seek -- get them again and abort 2-3 times.

After a while I might get a few annoyed people replying - sparking a convo that goes along the lines of:-

"to good for me eh?"
"Yep"
"give me a game- i'll show you"
"dude, you won't stand a chance...Me=God You=Patzer"
"I can take you...and I find that offensive, I love Jesus"
"no you really can't"
"play me then, I'll teach you!"

--It is at this junction I sometimes give in. and proceed to play.

And I do play i will find some bizzare opening to play -- pork chop as white, and maybe the classic a6, b6, c6, d6, e6, etc etc (odd thing is I can draw against blitz 1400's with it?!) as black.

they will continue to play.

I may give them a Knight, bishop, few pawns (but make them think they have been very clever to find it) Or just play some inferior moves now and then just to keep things a little equal - but never to the point where I can't pull out the win.

if they fall for it -- i'll a few new messages saying

"hey! i told you i'd kick your arse"
"damn you got me!"
"haha yeah, that will teach you for picking on me you big meanie"
"no way! you can't beat me, your crap, God must be doing vodoo or somthing on me"
"hay! I find that offensive, I love Jesus"

Checkmate (they never resign) me 1 then 0.

Its funny, and makes me laugh my arse off, which is why I belittle others.

Originally posted by Shinidoki
At FICS sometimes my 15 0, or 3 0 seek will pair me with a 1100 or something -- and quite frankly playing those players arn't really worth my time.

use rating limits in your seeks...

Some geeks are so brave when sending messages from the comfort of their home or office. I would love to meet these nerds in person and see what they say then.

Originally posted by wormwood
use rating limits in your seeks...

Oh I could---- but if I did that all the time then I wouldn't get patzers crying at my feet begging for a game would I?

Originally posted by Shinidoki
will pair me with a 1100 or something -- and quite frankly playing those players arn't really worth my time.

thats the main reason I dont play here. in order to get to play against +2000 players, I should first beat like hundred 1200-1500 players and thats like wasting time...

A friend of mine likes to say that "common sense and common courtesy aren't very common any more."

I play for fun and to learn something, so if somebody's' being rude I won't play them again until they promise to be polite.