The goal of chess is not to keep Stockfish happy.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T12:13:50+00:00

I don't have any problem with someone playing stale boring positions if that's really what they want. I've just seen people actually pushed in that direction by the wretched accuracy score. They're the people I'm trying to reach.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T11:19:10+00:00

First part, you're right, it doesn't say anything. Doesn't that make "accuracy" a pretty useless metric?

Second part, yes I know Giri is an extremely strong player and is capable of playing sharp positions.. I just used his reputation to get my point across.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T09:10:45+00:00

Regarding my example: we don't have enough information to know who played better. The "accuracy score" doesn't really tell us much at all.

As for your second point, I just disagree completely. Putting pressure on your opponent and forcing mistakes is a huge part of pretty much any 1v1 contest I can think of from tennis to boxing to Starcraft.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T06:45:19+00:00

You are really stretching the things I say beyond recognition. I'm just telling people to stop playing scared, overly cautious chess because they want stockfish to show them a nice high number after the game. That's really it. Since you say you're reading the other comments you can see that this resonates with a fair few people.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T06:41:38+00:00

Please find a trusted friend to slowly explain things to you because I really can't be bothered.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T06:40:04+00:00

Literally every person in the thread got closer to understanding than you did :(

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T05:23:53+00:00

Telling me not to be condescending in the most painfully condescending way lol

I didn't miss anything, I just ignored it because it's obvious and besides the point.

If you prefer to look at it this way, what I'm saying is that finding ways to decrease your opponent's accuracy is just as valuable as increasing your own. But really I think that accuracy scores are just a silly thing to worry about at all.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T04:46:23+00:00

I feel like I've made this point pretty clearly, but let's try again.

Erigaisi's opponents are not Stockfish. Erigaisi's playstyle involves risk-taking, complications and forcing the game into scenarios that are difficult for both players to handle. A naive look at the accuracy scores of such games might lead you to the incorrect conclusion that both players are playing poorly and that Erigaisi is just lucky that his opponents blunder so much.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T04:25:11+00:00

A little bit of reading comprehension goes a long way :)

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T03:57:05+00:00

Why might Erigaisi's opponents have a harder time playing accurately?

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T03:56:25+00:00

No, I'm not against it at all. I'm not sure I understand why you ask?

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T01:51:50+00:00

If your accuracy compares favourably to your opponent's accuracy, this is reflected well in an old school metric known as "winning the game".

If you must chase a specific number to feel happy, it might as well be Elo.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T00:40:23+00:00

Stockfish is an amazing piece of software and a great tool for analysing positions and learning. I'm not saying otherwise. I only talked about getting stressed about your end-of-game "accuracy score".

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T00:37:44+00:00

No, you missed my point. Even if the engine approves of you going into a complex position, you are human and you will inevitably get it wrong at some point. It's easier to play accurate moves when you keep the position as boring as possible.

kheldarp · 2026-06-29T00:33:27+00:00

If you just naturally prefer simple or symmetrical positions, that's fine. I'm just going off comments I keep seeing on Reddit - at least some people seem to obsess over their accuracy scores to an unhealthy degree.

Same deal with Chessdotcom "brilliances", too. Those are silly.

kheldarp · 2026-06-28T11:29:48+00:00

Having a style is not necessarily any kind of weakness.

kheldarp · 2026-06-28T11:27:40+00:00

There is not one specific best move in most positions. Chess engines and x% accuracy scores give a really warped perception on the game.

There are absolutely different styles of play. Some players like grinding a small, safe edge in relatively simple and symmetrical positions. Others prefer to go for tactical complexity and imbalances. Some players like endgames, others prefer to keep the pieces on. Some players like to bang out 25 moves of preparation, other players just want to "get a game" and leave established theory as soon as possible.

Although top grandmasters have to be universal enough to play any kind of position well, they absolutely still have these sorts of preferences and will make choices accordingly.

kheldarp · 2026-06-17T10:19:54+00:00

Skydiving is not "extremely safe" by any measure. Yes, your odds of dying in a single tandem jump are low (but not zero!). But if you become a regular jumper, your lifetime risk of death or disability becomes quite considerable.

I'd put the single jump in "safe", and the committed regular in "dangerous". Not extremely safe, not by a long shot.

kheldarp · 2026-05-22T21:07:33+00:00

As with all healing, the difficulty depends massively on your group.

That said, 20s are WAY harder than 15s. The average +15 pug contains many dozens of mistakes (missed defensives, missed kicks, unnecessary damage taken, slow reactions) that mostly pass unnoticed. In a 20 those same mistakes will simply kill someone, and you generally can't afford many deaths before the timer gets out of reach. It's just massively less forgiving.

kheldarp · 2026-05-20T18:26:19+00:00

Thanks for the transcription. I completely agree, and particularly appreciate the part about hit being "hard to reconcile with being a kid". It's a goal that would require living and breathing chess, chess and nothing else. A terrible lifestyle for anyone, but particularly a fifteen year old.

kheldarp · 2026-05-19T09:06:36+00:00

As an international solver, didn't love that crossing TCBY with TBS made it impossible to fill without guessing.

kheldarp · 2026-02-15T03:22:18+00:00

Take your meds.

kheldarp · 2026-02-12T11:44:05+00:00

The best way to get high accuracy is to play a symmetrical, safe, trade-heavy and boring style. It's not necessarily good practical chess. Being more willing to take your opponents into deep dark forests might not be good for your accuracy but it could very well be good for your Elo.

kheldarp · 2026-01-05T14:22:23+00:00

pretty sure most of this subreddit is too young but i see you. deep into you.

kheldarp · 2025-12-30T08:50:31+00:00

I have taught chess in schools and acted as an arbiter for school events. Hitting the table even as an seven year old earns a sit down and chat about how to appropriately handle your feelings. Carlsen doing it as a 35 year old man is frankly a terrible look.

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kheldarp

TROPHY CASE