ICB Where did you learn to play chess mate?

[CGM]

OK, ICE, it's like this...

I've studied the game for many years, read all kinds of books, and played countless rated turnament games against people of all abilities, not to mention countless unofficial games on the net also.

Now all this doesn't necessarily make me a good player, but I do know how good I am, where I stack up against other players, and from studying our game, and also your claim of a 2100 rating, I have an idea how good you seem to be. I would say it would make you probably about the 90th percentile of people who study the game and play it competitively. In other words, you are better than 90% of the chess fanatics out there.

I also have an idea about what it takes to get that good, and I do know that statements like...

i played few times about 5 years ago i was ok but havent played since i seriously suck now i would play but theres no point because i wouldnt be challenge

and

My teacher gave me a chess book i used to look at the openings and ETC. And when i got a computer i looked at Grandmaster's games and used to study them, but i got bored of Chess to be honest and as i said i started to concentrate on other things.

and

...I don't really play anymore i played a bit at school, my teacher there was a great player we used to play checkers, chess, every now and again.
He taught me quite a bit of stuff, but really i don't want to sound like im blowing my own trumpet. But i don't know what it is but i can see many moves ahead. You know like you said that time in Checkers ? well thats it i can just see the moves.

really don't cut it. Especially the part about seeing many moves ahead. Being able to calculate variations doesn't help you without a positional understanding as a way of evaluating the resulting positions. You need to understand the positions in order to see the moves.

Never mind the obvious contradictions in your statements.

As for the time lag on your internet connection that day, well you will recall there were three of us in the room. I was watching you playing the other guy. For a while the game was pretty even, and your connection was actually working quite well. Then you started blowing the guy away, and low and behold you commented that your connection problem was coming back. Draw your own conclusion about that one, people.

I won't even bother discussing the ins and outs of King's Indian Opening Theory or the positional understanding of that opening that "your play" indicated.

Anyways, that's about it. It's not that what you are saying is impossible, it's just very unlikely, unless you are some kind of genius savant.

[Kev]

I think he genuinely believes that nobody would spot him, but chess is a tremendously complex game to master. I've been playing solidly since April online and in a chess club since October.

I've attempted to study from books, analysed my own games etc and I still make basic mistakes, and that's in tournament level games, let alone in a 15 min online game where I simply wouldn't have time to think.

If you are not cheating Ice you should take the game up and study it as you are clearly a natural at the game. You also seem to have this intuitive understanding even without knowing the names of openings or having any positional or strategic awareness, it's amazing.

[leftylee]

I think he genuinely believes that nobody would spot him, but chess is a tremendously complex game to master. I've been playing solidly since April online andin a chess club since October.

I've attempted to study from books, analysed my own games etc and I still make basic mistakes, and that's in tournament level games, let alone in a 15 min online game where I simply wouldn't have time to think.

If you are not cheating Ice you should take the game up and study it as you are clearly a natural at the game. You also seem to have this intuitive understanding even without knowing the names of openings or having any positional or strategic awareness, it's amazing.