Just hit my highest chess.com blitz rating 1416...pretty pleased with self.

So I played this Sunday at the weekly chess club tournament and found they had a special structure this weekend because they found a sponsor who wanted it that way. Rather than six G60s with 5 sec over two days there were 7 G60s with no delay. Since I showed up on Sunday I chose to take three byes for the first day with a starting score of 1.5/4 and pay full price rather than pay half and start with 0/4 so I wouldn't get the weakest opponents (slight digression beat).

Anyway, I won my first two games and finally played a higher rated opponent on the third game. Two make a long story short, I got my pawn down rook ending down to a pure third rank draw with one second left on my clock and asked for a ruling. Despite my explaining exactly how I would draw it the TD basically said oh well you're ****ed, there's scope for someone to go wrong; so I resigned rather than restart the clock. What do you rules guys think? Perhaps in a specifically no-delay event if you're outta time you're outta time but should it be USCF rated as this one was? And how simple does the position have to be for "insufficient winning chances" to apply? (beat)

In germany in order for a game to be rated both players must have at least 90 minutes total. Quick play finish is not a problem.

I'd say the referee ruled it correctly. To claim a draw based on article 10.2 of the fide rules, you have to show the drawing idea on the board. You simply didn't have time to do that. If you had say one minute and showed the idea of blocking the 3rd rank and moving the rook to the 8th to give checks from behind after the pawn advances, i would have given you the draw. With 1 sec, no you're indeed screwed.

USCF rules provide for a draw if there are "insufficient losing chances." The TD is explicitly directed not to consider time remaining on the clocks when ruling.

The standard is whether or not a Class C player would be able to draw a master from the position at least 90% of the time.

This seems really subjective, also what is a class C player?

The no losing chances rule is terrible. In this day and age delay should be used in all events. At the very least it should not be disallowed.

A class C player is someone rated 1400-1600 USCF. There is a very wide variance in endgame knowledge among class C players, so yes it would be very subjective to argue one way or the other whether the average class C player with adequate clock time would have a 9% or 11% chance of losing. In any case, it is very close, and probably the best ruling would be to continue the game with a delay clock. Even if the tournament were specified to start all games without time delay, I don't see any reason why that would make this option unavailable to the director.

Can we have the exact final position?

The rule should be that if you run out of time you lose imo.( unless there is no mating chess for your oponent at all of course)

The idea was to prevent people from playing out and trying to flag clearly drawn Rook vs. Rook, King and Rook Pawn vs. King, and things like that.

I would just not play in sudden death events without time delay myself.

The USCF rule is more intended to prevent the guy with R+P from losing that endgame on time. And the TD made the right decision, in my opinion, although insisting that time delay is not used is pretty ridiculous, since time delay exactly prevents this situation from occurring.

Someone with better command over USCF rules can chime in, but I thought that clocks with delay were preferred over clocks without delay in rated games.

Here was approximately the final position with Black to play.



Since this was a special no time delay allowed tournament, insisted upon by some cooky sponsors ($extra money$ ), I have no qualms with losing the game even with 5 queens. I recall USCF rules talking about 5-second delays though, such as switching out an analog for a digital clock in a time scramble, so I wonder if the event just shouldn't be rated, or maybe quick rating.

My recollection is that this is given as something that can be done, but it explicitly says that TDs aren't required to do this. More likely I read this on some TD's posted description of the rule rather than from the actual rulebook, though, so take it with a grain of salt.

The rule says that the TD can swap in a 5-second delay clock if he believes the claim of insufficient losing chances is unclear. Since he ruled it incorrect and not unclear, no delay clock.

Do *not* try to play chess when the only thing keeping you upright is ridiculous amounts of cold medicine. It does not go well.

Brag:

My first ever Philidor's Legacy-ing/Smothering someone:
http://www.chess.com/livechess/game.html?id=249829653

Im playing chess.com games again without using the analysis board and without using an opening book. I wonder how many rating points Im giving up

any decent chess blogs or periodicals or something of the sort? not necessarily "problem of the day" type things but maybe more in depth regular articles on specific positions, players, or even history.

ChessCafe. If you also wade through their archives you will be occupied for the next few months.

Im 3/3 on my chess.com games already, although all of my wins were against 1600ish opposition. There is a particular game that was looking really bad for me but I think I might end winning it because he made a sacrifice that Im not sure it will end up working .

The position below came from a 5/0 blitz game I played earlier tonight. White is crushing here, but Houdini likes one move better than the others to continue the attack and conclude the game. Lots of tempting candidate moves and I spent a good deal of time during the game (45 secs or so) trying to decide what to do. White to move, what would you play?

did i overthink this and miss something big/obv? i spent about 5 minutes on move one and an hour working the lines.

But what's our strategy after

I don't get it.

There's a black rook on e8.