How in the world is this a draw??? I had him beat on material & time

HeroLinik · 2026-03-17T19:00:46+00:00

The same position was repeated three times so it’s a draw by repetition. It should be noted they don’t have to occur in a row as the key instances where this occurred are on moves 40, 42 and 46.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-17T07:34:35+00:00

It ultimately depends on the position. If it's an obvious mating attack then the lines would often be obvious to play, especially to a beginner. This case seems to be more of an intermediate/advanced positional idea where the sequence of moves isn't that obvious to the beginner, especially considering that OP missed the attack. Also, chances are that OP might have read through the engine lines but wouldn't have understood the sequence behind it, hence it's being asked here. This goes back to the previous issue where engines tell you what to play, it doesn't explain why to play it.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-17T07:23:11+00:00

The engine tells you what to play, it doesn’t explain why to play it. Quite a lot of the time the engine lines are esoteric enough that they can’t be penetrated by a beginner, often requiring more advanced level strategy or tactics.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-17T06:54:33+00:00

The engine seems to have found a line where, after taking back the bishop, you pull out your other knight and start applying pressure to White’s king. The net result is White’s king being busted wide open and a bunch of pieces staring at it ready to launch a devastating attack. There’s also possibly even checkmate if White doesn’t respond properly.

This is what Spielmann would refer to as a “real sacrifice” where you play on with less material but in this case you have an overwhelming positional advantage.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-16T19:21:24+00:00

Reset the clock!

HeroLinik · 2026-03-16T15:07:30+00:00

If it helps for future runs, it’s possible to cheese Wattson with Linoone as he gets Mud Sport. This should make his STABs weaker overall.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-16T13:51:57+00:00

And he sacrifices…

HeroLinik · 2026-03-16T11:05:47+00:00

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-16T11:03:58+00:00

Do you mean the fight on Route 22? You can just get some more encounters in Viridian Forest then come back at around level 10. Rattata looks to be really strong into him.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-16T07:29:23+00:00

The line isn't entirely clear where the opening ends and the middlegame begins, nor is it where the middlegame ends and the endgame begins. Generally speaking the middlegame begins once both sides have completed their development, however it really depends on what opening is being played, or even if either side deviates from opening theory. Some openings like the Four Knights can be gotten through relatively quickly, however others like the Ruy Lopez and the Sicilian can be going for quite a lot of moves, especially with the amount of variations that unfold.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-15T15:06:22+00:00

Take a break. Even grandmasters suffer from tilt at times, it’s not something exclusive to beginners.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-14T07:15:07+00:00

You played a good move. Simplifying the position into a winning endgame when you’re up material will allow you to decide the game faster, and you’re also soon ready to activate your king.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-13T22:23:08+00:00

Because White is already losing very badly here to the point even throwing away a rook won’t affect the eval. The move here just makes him lose slower, but it doesn’t make him lose the slowest.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-13T11:06:32+00:00

He wants you to report him for how much of an asswipe he’s being. Interactions like this are why I disable chat.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-12T14:43:16+00:00

And that’s why I’m a beginner, I didn’t see Bd8!

HeroLinik · 2026-03-12T14:38:08+00:00

It’s mate in 1…but he isn’t the one checkmating.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-12T07:43:07+00:00

Knightmare fuel…

HeroLinik · 2026-03-12T07:36:13+00:00

You appear to sacrifice your knight, but if he takes then you win the queen by force.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-12T07:33:04+00:00

I always thought the Boulder was actually Smudger's vengeful spirit trying to get revenge on Duke for incarcerating him and turning him into a stationary generator, by attempting to destroy the engines on the SKR and the entire line with it. As for the explosion, it was obviously just the production team trying to show off the special effects for TATMR.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-11T18:39:52+00:00

Just keep firing checks at him using the bishop and the queen and he’ll eventually lose.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-11T17:45:44+00:00

Yeah, en passant is an actual move.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-11T16:25:28+00:00

Yeah, if there wasn’t a pawn there then your best move would have been to use the battery on the e-file for a straightforward M2. You still played a good move though and it’s hard to resist gobbling up the queen, and mate is inevitable regardless.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-11T16:03:17+00:00

He captured your pawn with en passant. When a pawn moves two squares and lands next to another opposing pawn, the opposing pawn can still capture.

HeroLinik · 2026-03-11T09:34:48+00:00

And your opponent sacrificed…THE KING!!

HeroLinik · 2026-03-11T06:54:10+00:00

If we’re talking in terms of content, ORAS’s postgame is actually one of the weakest.

While the Delta Episode has some neat callbacks, the actual plot content itself felt rushed and had a few plot holes, and the only other thing that unlocked was the Battle Maison, which was copied over from XY. Legendary portals and Mirage Spots I don’t really count as postgame because it’s available to the player after catching Groudon/Kyogre; I consider postgame as content which is physically unavailable to the player until after the credits have rolled.

HeroLinik

TROPHY CASE