Are we really playing humans on here?

@tigerprowl

Looking at the game you posted at #26, I am genuinely confused as to why you would assume this player was an engine. They played poorly and lost. It looks like a fairly unremarkable game.

Part of being a bad player is a lack of self-reflection. Hence, most players, especially players rated below, let's say 2100, probably don't spend a lot of time evaluating their games. Because otherwise they wouldn't be bad players for very long.

What makes more sense... the site runs a behind-the-scenes network of a vast number of engine players with a huge variety of different skill levels, playstyles, and time management styles meant to simulate there being a lot of human players on the site, requiring a massive investment in resources, computational time, and management from a free, by-donation website, or that it's just pairing a bunch of humans together as advertised.

@LaserGuy No offense, but why do new people have to reply? If you looked at my previous comments you would see ........................................I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT WINNING OR LOSING............................................

Either continue the conversation or don't. Don't hand it off to someone else.

@tigerprowl It would make 0 difference if I am a human or I am Stockfish 10. If you play a bot , then congratulations, if you play a human, again congratulations. I am not required to prove you that I am a human or not.

You're posting a public forum. What do you expect to happen?

I am well aware that you aren't talking about winning and losing. Neither was I. I was talking about how absurd your hypothesis that there are a huge number of bots on the site that are emulating poor players, complete with unique profiles and game histories; rather than the more reasonable explanation of the same data that there are just a large number of players on the site of a variety of skill levels, but (some) don't conform to your expectations of how someone should behave postgame. Players that play online do not behave in the same way as people at your local chess club.

@newagear What kind of expert are you on this? It takes a modicum of effort to play Stockfish level 1500 and get pummeled, yet you can go up to 1700+ when playing these seek games.

Are you proclaiming the levels aren't being tweaked?

"You're posting a public forum. What do you expect to happen?"

I expect this to happen, from people like you. You can't put a cogent thought together.

---

"Neither was I. I was talking about how absurd your hypothesis that there are a huge number of bots"

I never said huge number of bots. Where did you get this absurd assumption?

---

"Players that play online do not behave in the same way as people at your local chess club."

I never said anything about a local chess club. Where did you get this absurd assumption?

LOL

Ok, Laserjoints, I will call you out on your absurdity. Reply again with more.

Admittedly, the chat has gotten absurd, and I have little desire to pile on, @tigerprowl. I will however share a quotation from Hamlet, after he has seen the ghost:
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
I notice how you keep saying, or asking, why would a human do this? why would a human do that?
Humans play chess a thousand different ways. Their behavior is unpredictable. Irrational action is an indication of humanity.
One more point, if someone has a chess playing machine, and goes to the trouble to hook it up to an online game, why would they waste that effort on a 1600 level contest?

i have read the whole thread and i think my brain just rotted away.

"Irrational action is an indication of humanity."

Yeah. I'd say it's our distinguishing characteristic.

@tigerprowl I looked at the game you linked and I would say this is a great example of how a real human would play. Your comments come across as quite paranoid. I think the problem is that you're not able to understand others will exhibit behavior you yourself would never show.

As someone who is regularly distracted by family life I can relate perfectly to someone taking a minute to make a terrible move.