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Chess.com daily puzzle (Warning: spoilers)

19 watchers

JCB Dec 2021 11:15am, 4 Dec 2021 2,875 posts	Quote Pin JCB Today’s puzzle annoys me. Opponent doesn’t play optimal moves. Basically a blunder so there’s a mate in 2.
jda Dec 2021 11:37am, 4 Dec 2021 11,276 posts	Quote Pin jda I think so long as you see the winning move, it's fine that the opponent plays "suboptimally". After all, in a lost position, every move loses, postponing the inevitable by a bit isn't necessarily better than playing something else that requires a precise response. I'm more annoyed by the cases where I play a winning move, only to find that there was a better one and therefore I was "wrong". These are very rare though.
JulesR Dec 2021 12:25pm, 4 Dec 2021 27,220 posts	Quote Pin JulesR I had this yesterday - I win a queen for a rook, but when I took the queen I got the big red X, as I could have win a whole queen by a diversion check on opp’s king guarding their queen. In my mind queen for rook is winning, but as James says, a full queen up is better. But both are winning.
JCB Dec 2021 2:37am, 5 Dec 2021 2,876 posts	Quote Pin JCB True regarding winning and winningest. Emanuel Lasker: “When you see a good move, look for a better one”
jda Dec 2021 8:13am, 5 Dec 2021 11,286 posts	Quote Pin jda Today being another case in point. There is a forced mate in 6 but in a real game I’m sure I’d prefer the alternative move with a +10 evaluation that doesn’t involve such a big sacrifice!
SPR Dec 2021 8:40am, 5 Dec 2021 35,854 posts	Quote Pin SPR If it's forced, why would you prefer something else if you saw the forcing line?
JCB Dec 2021 11:30am, 5 Dec 2021 2,882 posts	Quote Pin JCB It’s not too obvious!
jda Dec 2021 11:35am, 5 Dec 2021 11,287 posts	Quote Pin jda Because there’s less risk that I might have overlooked something. Right at the highest level, players will sometimes choose a slightly inferior line that simplifies in their favour and I don’t think that’s a bad habit.
SPR Dec 2021 11:43am, 5 Dec 2021 35,855 posts	Quote Pin SPR Fair enough. I've miscalculated moves previously when I had something I thought was forcing (think there was one game against JCB, lol!). TBH I don't think I'd have seen that in a game. Would be a nice one to play though.
JCB Dec 2021 11:46am, 5 Dec 2021 2,887 posts	Quote Pin JCB Yes, given it’s a puzzle it’s something to look for, otherwise not foremost in the mind.