I feel like having a bit of a whinge today. There are many rules in Chess, some make sense, others don't always and still others change over time. Disturbing your opponent is not allowed but the specifics are not comprehensive. Talking is forbidden as is kicking under the table but more subtle forms of gamesmanship are often overlooked.
One such method is overpowering body odor. There is one Russian Grandmaster, who according to a colleague has no sense of smell, who deliberately cultivates his skunk like odor by not showering for the duration of a tournament (at least). I have played him before and had to stand a long way from the board to be able to breathe and had to hold my breath when approaching the board to play my moves.
Another method is constantly clearing your throat. It may be argued that in some cases it is an involuntary tick but that is a bit like being shot accidentally. Not much consolation. Rocking the table by shaking your leg is also in the top ten.
The type of behaviour I find particularly annoying is constantly snorting your own snot. Everybody gets sniffles occasionally but that's why tissues were invented. The 1994 Candidates match between Gata Kamsky and Nigel Short is remembered for a particularly unpleasant incident. Gata had caught a cold and was sniffling, spluttering and hacking at the board. Nigel suggested that he might like to drink some water. Interestingly THIS is illegal (speaking to your opponent) whereas Gata's behaviour is not. Later Rustam Kamsky, Gata's father, apparently verbally assaulted Nigel including threatening to kill him.
My opponent today was a constant snorter and while I don't think it was deliberate it was definitely very annoying. The arbiter was unable to help as snorting is not included as disturbing behaviour. As you can see white got a considerable advantage in the opening but the worse my opponents position got the more he snorted. I did play some incredibly weak moves and was even worse at one stage and had to scramble a draw with very little time left. An unpleasant day at the office
On the bright side, he was unrated to I don't lose any rating points. Yay :-)
Without further ado, here is the game. My last idiotic mistake was the greedy 48.Rg6 instead of the intended 48.Ra6 first.
One such method is overpowering body odor. There is one Russian Grandmaster, who according to a colleague has no sense of smell, who deliberately cultivates his skunk like odor by not showering for the duration of a tournament (at least). I have played him before and had to stand a long way from the board to be able to breathe and had to hold my breath when approaching the board to play my moves.
Another method is constantly clearing your throat. It may be argued that in some cases it is an involuntary tick but that is a bit like being shot accidentally. Not much consolation. Rocking the table by shaking your leg is also in the top ten.
The type of behaviour I find particularly annoying is constantly snorting your own snot. Everybody gets sniffles occasionally but that's why tissues were invented. The 1994 Candidates match between Gata Kamsky and Nigel Short is remembered for a particularly unpleasant incident. Gata had caught a cold and was sniffling, spluttering and hacking at the board. Nigel suggested that he might like to drink some water. Interestingly THIS is illegal (speaking to your opponent) whereas Gata's behaviour is not. Later Rustam Kamsky, Gata's father, apparently verbally assaulted Nigel including threatening to kill him.
My opponent today was a constant snorter and while I don't think it was deliberate it was definitely very annoying. The arbiter was unable to help as snorting is not included as disturbing behaviour. As you can see white got a considerable advantage in the opening but the worse my opponents position got the more he snorted. I did play some incredibly weak moves and was even worse at one stage and had to scramble a draw with very little time left. An unpleasant day at the office
On the bright side, he was unrated to I don't lose any rating points. Yay :-)
Without further ado, here is the game. My last idiotic mistake was the greedy 48.Rg6 instead of the intended 48.Ra6 first.
At least tomorrows game starts at 3pm.
Pairings and full results will appear here
Toodles :-)
HI Alex!
ReplyDeleteIs there something wrong with the notation? 54. Nxa7 seems like 1:0.
Greetings from Austria,
Michael
Ah yes Michael. Ra5 first of course. Was late at night. Thanks :-)
ReplyDeleteAh yes Michael. Ra5 first of course. Was late at night. Thanks :-)
ReplyDelete"This site falls under the Prohibited Content Categories of the UAE" - that's what your pgn reader is showing me here in Sharjah...ah well, have to wait until I get home to see the games!
ReplyDeleteHeligan
Wow! I feel so privileged! Banned in the UAE. I wonder if there is a spare room in the Ecuadorian Embassy :D
ReplyDelete