Offside Chat Archives (2014-2021)

Matthew Young35 said:Well, I just remembered I should probably write this down, if only to have a little vent.
Back when I was in the military, I actually won a chess tournament. To be honest, I can't even recall what the occasion was.
It was at a base near San Diego with about 3,000 people stationed there.
The competition, however, was frankly pathetic.
My prize? A day off.
I think I have the certificate for it buried somewhere in my house.

The whole thing was organized by some commander who happened to be a member of a local chess club.
As for me, I don't really have an official ranking. I’ve never competed formally—well, except for one time when I was maybe twelve or thirteen, playing five rounds in the Junior National Championships (where I lost all five games 🙂). For the most part, I lack a rating, though I suppose I sit somewhere between a casual player and a club regular.
After the tournament wrapped up, I started playing a match against this guy. He seemed to think he was some grandmaster because I didn't have an official rank.
I took the first game 🙂 and basically walked all over him.
I actually had to play two more games just so he could end up winning 2-1.
LOL

I got a sticker too, and there was a photo op. 🤣
I put it up in the control room for a few days, but then I realized it wasn't great for team building. 😬

Matthew Young35 said:Have you given Lichess a shot yet? It’s worth your time.

If you're looking for some solid software to get your fixes running, you really ought to install Babaschess. It’s absolutely flawless.
I wonder if Babaschess might actually be backing Chess.com. I should probably go take a look and see for myself.
EDIT:
Hell, nothing from that.

I tossed one... maybe I would've gotten used to it eventually.

brightpilot6 said:My one moment of supposed glory happened back in middle school when I represented my school at some regional tournament held under the Swiss system. I actually managed to grind my way through to the seventh round, where I ended up facing off against a local prodigy. Naturally, he absolutely dismantled me. I eventually finished somewhere just above the median, though I suspect I was cursed by bad luck right from the start ☕

As for my ego, during a recent intramural tournament, I managed to beat this guy who could barely hold his breath, let alone a chess piece—he was an old drunkard, really, so it wasn't much of an achievement. He beat me in maybe ten or fifteen moves, yet he immediately started telling everyone I should be the school's top representative. Apparently, if you beat a guy like that, you must be the next Bobby Fischer 🤣🤦

🤣

Anthony Wright30 said:Perhaps it might have been feasible to organize some sort of tournament in the virtual space, assuming such a thing is even possible

I suppose I am merely a beginner, though I don't imagine I would particularly mind being completely dismantled by someone more experienced😁

And besides, working alongside the folks at PDF Betting, we’re actually putting together some organized betting action too. 🙏

It appears that even they have found a way to stay active during this whole pandemic era, I suppose.

Maybe folks in Texas could set up an online forum or something
It’s much easier to coordinate within a dedicated group, though I’m certain there are plenty of interested parties right here as well.

The conversation died out on my fax machine after my buddy from Ford absolutely tore me to shreds.
It’s gotta be Texas...

As far as card games go, I’ve mostly stuck to things like Blackjack or maybe some Texas Hold'em. I suppose I never really took the time to learn how to play anything else.

Anthony Wright30 said:As far as card games go, I’ve mostly stuck to things like Blackjack or maybe some Texas Hold'em. I suppose I never really took the time to learn how to play anything else.

Maybe playing Spades would be a good way to split things three ways, or even just something to do after a few rounds of Blackjack or Poker.

As far as gambling goes, I’ve pretty much only ever messed with roulette.

TV Bingo

urbanhawk17 said:As far as gambling goes, I’ve pretty much only ever messed with roulette.

What’s your take on gambling? I guess it depends on whether you view it as a way to pass the time or just a slow way to bleed your bank account dry, though maybe most people just see it as a losing battle from the jump. ☕

Texas can pull it off, I guess, but maybe we should just call it Toreador instead. 😬

So, after my first real brush with the high-stakes grind at the university, I basically dove headfirst into trying to build an online career. It felt like the obvious move, I guess. But after grinding through hundreds of thousands of hands and realizing I just can't seem to beat anything more profitable than a measly 3 big blinds per 100, I’ve come to the conclusion that I should probably just stick to my studies and some casual games with friends. Maybe that's just how it goes.

thank goodness I don't have any luck when it comes to gambling

Honestly, we should just rename these things "Games of Pure Luck" because, let’s be real, who here has actually gotten lucky enough to win anything anyway? 🤦

restlesssurfer97 said:thank goodness I don't have any luck when it comes to gambling

A little play on words there!

Oh, man—those were the glory days of sports betting! Remember when you could just bank your money on teams like Chelsea, PSV, Celtic, Lyon, or even those gritty guys from the NHL? It was a different world back then!

restlesssurfer97 said:thank goodness I don't have any luck when it comes to gambling

unfortunately, the casino owners certainly do.

Jesse Sullivan5 said:Oh, man—those were the glory days of sports betting! Remember when you could just bank your money on teams like Chelsea, PSV, Celtic, Lyon, or even those gritty guys from the NHL? It was a different world back then!

Anyone looking to place a wager on Villarreal?

Anthony Wright30 said:Anyone looking to place a wager on Villarreal?

Man, I still have those vivid memories of catching draws at 1.30 odds back in the old Premier League days! ☕

Jesse Sullivan5 said:Man, I still have those vivid memories of catching draws at 1.30 odds back in the old Premier League days! ☕

If my memory serves me right, Inter had that one specific season where they went 2-18-0...

Or perhaps I am merely dreaming? 🤣

Edit: I suppose I wonder why you chose a small town in Maine as your location.🤣

When it comes to chess and ego, man, it totally takes me back to being a kid, just sitting there playing against my older brother or one of those older guys in the neighborhood, and I’d lure them out onto thin ice without them even noticing, just sliding into a checkmate, but total silence, you know? I wouldn't say a word, just act like it was just another move and the game keeps rolling, and I'd just sit there watching him with this blank stare while he's hunched over the board, completely clueless, and I’m just tracking that exact millisecond when it finally clicks, but he doesn't react at first, you see, it’s like watching the realization of defeat slowly ripen inside his head, but he keeps cycling through all his options for a second or third time, still not lifting his head, and then it hits him—he's gone through everything three times and there's just nothing left, he realizes it and realizes I'm staring right at him, already knowing everything, because it's not like this is the first time we've been here, so he slowly raises his eyes, our eyes meet, I’ve got this stone-cold poker face, he looks at me, I look at him, just staring in silence, these moments feel like they last an absolute eternity, just waiting... waiting for me to burst out laughing, but I stay cold as ice, awwwwwwwwww what a feeling 🙏🙏🙏 I really miss that 🙏🙏

Then I get this little smirk, what Americans call a smirk, and that’s the breaking point, the moment everything snaps, just shoving the pieces around the board, making a real show of packing up and walking away... depending on how intense things are getting, I might even throw in a "loser cleans up the pieces" while his back is turned as he walks off, though if things were super tense I'd probably just let it slide 🤣🤣

Anthony Wright30 said:If my memory serves me right, Inter had that one specific season where they went 2-18-0...

Or perhaps I am merely dreaming? 🤣

Edit: I suppose I wonder why you chose a small town in Maine as your location.🤣

I actually live right down near San Diego. ☕

Jesse Sullivan5 said:A little play on words there!

Look, I get that sports can be therapeutic and all, and yeah, playing the game is healthy for you, but honestly, just not this particular brand of chaos, and thank goodness for that because if it were, I probably wouldn't be feeling nearly as healthy as I am right now.