Article: 3994 of rec.games.chess.misc Newsgroups: rec.games.chess.misc Path: info!dregis From: dregis@exeter.ac.uk (David Regis=) Subject: Re: A conversation on takeback on FICS Message-ID: Organization: University of Exeter, UK. References: <466rn5$is5@steel.interlog.com> <5jPFg65.tnunnally@delphi.com> <4696j9$hfi@news.voicenet.com> Date: Fri, 27 Oct 1995 15:41:30 GMT In article <4696j9$hfi@news.voicenet.com> bluejack@omni.voicenet.com (bluejack) writes: >Quoth Tim Nunnally: >" Gordie writes: >" >" >My finger notes on FICS read: >" > 1: I NEVER ask for takeback >" > 2: Please NEVER ask me. >" > 3: If you make a mistake - live with it! >" > 4: I don't care if you hit the wrong key or slipped with your mouse. > >" The whining about no-takebacks is even more ridiculous. Some one is >" asking you to give them a break because they made a mistake. Aside from >" the obvious reason for having a no-takeback, i.e. you don't know >" if it was a mouse-slip/typo or simply that he saw that the move >" was bad afterwards, everyone should be willing to accept the consequences >" of their own mistikes. It all works out in the end. > >Here's my solution: I also put a "No Takebacks clause" in my notes. >I also autoflag. Those are the specifications I play under, although >sometimes in a particularly interesting situation or cases of obvious >lag I turn the autoflag off. I guess most people who play on a FICS server have also played OTB match/tournament and casual games. I have one fairly strict set of rules for match and tournament games (which should be the same as everyone else!), and one relaxed set of 'rules' for friendly games. At my club I allow in friendly games touch-but-didn't-move, takeback, flag-falling, almost anything - and I'm the same on FICS servers (I hope), because they too are friendly and not tournament games. [BTW, I feel that allowing (and even offering) takeback makes for a more satisfying and more complete game for both winner and loser, whoever made the earlier blunder; I suppose that may reflect the low level of my chess that blunders are so common, but it's still true.] Other folk seem to play on chess servers much more strictly - more like they would interpret rules for a tournament game. I don't see the latter attitude as being less sporting, just less friendly. I liked someone else's comment on this thread about playing for 'enjoyment' or 'competitive' reasons; I sometimes like to compete, but I always like to enjoy. Also, if you don't allow takeback, they can mooch off muttering nasty things about you to console their shattered egos, but if you allow takeback and THEN win, they have NO excuse for losing, they just PLAYED WORSE, and they'll have to ADMIT that you're BETTER, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA..... Sorry. Anyhow, you get the point. D From info!dregis Fri Nov 3 15:36:26 GMT 1995