Apparently, I made 4 mistakes and 5 blunders.

Dash must be total pants if I still beat him after that.

I've just beaten the Chess.com computer at its highest setting, equivalent to a 3200 rated player!


 


:

Recently I've been running out of things to read on reddit before I run out of vodka, so I've taken to playing against the computer on chess.com. At first I learnt a lot, and I even practiced some endgames - I learnt how to beat a lone king with a king and queen without getting stalemated, and then I worked out some of the other simple ones.

But I've got really frustrated with the 'blunder' warnings. Is there a way to turn those off? I'm not going to be able to learn anything if they keep giving the ending away.

I have done various searches, but it's the usual 'go into the Settings menu and choose this option which isn't there' nonsense.

I'm going to have to stick a post-it over them on my tablet screen if I can't find any other answer.

Guest wrote:

That'll be a Colossal Adventure!


(Very, very funny joke, if you get the reference )

I laughed, 3½ years later

I just wanted to say btw, the secret of the king and pawn V king endgame is to stop the lone king getting onto either the square in front of the pawn, or the square two squares in front of the pawn. That second one is crucial, cos if he can get to that one, he can get to the other one. You gotta head him off at the pass.

Fangirl Three wrote:

I've got really frustrated with the 'blunder' warnings. Is there a way to turn those off?

When you choose your opponent, select Challenge mode instead of Friendly mode.

For instance:


 

Thank you. I shall try that as soon as I sober up am in the mood for further chessage.

Your anti-suggestion suggestion worked.

I wish there was a similar fix for the practice endgames.

Nevertheless I successfully beat the 450-rated robo-opponent last night. I got their king trapped between two ranks with my castles on, and then I brought my queen in to checkmate his *ss.

Have you played Nelson, the 1300 rated robo-opponent? It's a nightmare to play against. It's so ridiculously over-aggressive.

Fortunately, I've worked out how to scupper its entire battle plan, with my very first move.

I wouldn't dare challenged a 1300-point monster while I'm still learning to battle the 450 ones. I only beat the last one because it stupidly gave away its queen (and then tried to bluff me by saying 'You fell for it').

The lower-rated bots don't tend to protect their queen or their rooks. So, if you attack those pieces, you've got a pretty good chance of capturing them and quickly annihilating your foe.

For instance, here, I'm about to capture the 400-rated bot's rook just by attacking with my knight because it's made no attempt to protect it.


 

I've now captured the rook.


 


Next, I'll move my knight back to where it was before and then capture the bishop which is trapped by its own pawns.

I've now taken that bishop.


 


Instead of taking my knight with its king, it's attacked me with its queen which I've now attacked with my pawn.

Instead of moving the queen out of the way, it's just left it there. So, I can now grab it with my pawn.

In just 7 moves, it's lost a rook and its queen because it made no attempt to protect either of them.

Therefore, when you play a low-rated bot, attack its queen and its rooks whenever you can.

And yet it said your initial knight move was a 'blunder'.

Why didn't it take your knight with its f7 pawn?

Last night I beat all the pawn v king endgame practices on chess.com, and the bishop one. But the knight one I couldn't crack. I quickly queened my pawn, but for the life of me I couldn't win with that nasty knight helicoptering around and putting me in check every time I thought I'd got the enemy king boxed in.

I did learn one thing though, to keep my king and queen on the same coloured squares so that the knight couldn't fork them.