Proposing a Takeback

Hello,

I'm playing here with a new account, but I've used Lichess before. Wonderful site.

As my first topic I want to talk about something that always comes up in my games, and seems to be more frequent now: players proposing takebacks in quick pairing.

I don't ask for takebacks unless the reason I'm playing a game is to study and for the other player it's the same. I feel like takebacks only have a good purpose in those cases. Meanwhile in regular competitive games it's just a way to correct blunders without either player agreeing that it would be part of the game.

Let's say I'm playing a game and the other player whom I don't know asks for a takeback:

* - I accept the takeback, and so I play at a disadvantage because I don't myself use them. I just accept my blunders.

* - I reject the takeback, in which case I appear to be non-courteous, lacking in friendliness, and petty.

It sours a game for me when I'm asked this, for these reasons.

If someone feels badly because they made a blunder to the extent that they want to get a do-over, I'm genuinely sorry that there is that much negative feeling from making a mistake. I wish that wasn't true for some players.

I range from poor to decent performance in games depending on whatever factors affect my chess mind that day/week/month. I'm not a 'good' player. So, I make lots of blunders. But I feel like blunders are just part of the game and the best thing to do with them is to learn from them rather than want to take an eraser to it and start over when, usually, the other player has committed to not doing so.

I understand not wanting to lose rating, also. I always play rated games unless it's with a friend. I feel like all of this applies either way because it's about fairness.

What do you think? When do you feel that takebacks improve the game, and when do you feel like they don't?

You can disable takebacks here: lichess.org/account/preferences/game-behavior I think that will disable them for both you and your opponent.

Turn takebacks off in settings like the guy says, but they can be nice to have in a training session so you might wanna keep them for casual games only. Also, kill the add more time option while your at it, people like to troll with that.

What's a takeback? Cannot find it in the rules of chess. In this a kindergarten thingy?

There was a time when someone asked for a takeback from me. I was wondering why was he asking for a takeback. But oh well, here goes nothing! I gave him a takeback and guess what happened? As it turns out my queen was hanging! As soon as I gave him a takeback he just took my queen, and then I resigned.
Wasn't his fault, was kinda funny. It's 100% my fault. Takebacks and undos are not mandatory regardless if you misclicked or not. In an OTB tournament, I had a winning position, and up material but my opponent had an attack. I was doing well until I mistakenly touched my queen, I had to resign because no other option ends up saving the position.

Ever notice how you immediately see that you've blundered right after a move is made? Thats why takebacks are garbage and shouldn't be an option in rated games. YOU HEAR ME LICHESS?

@AsDaGo thank you! All this time and I didn't look to see if that was an option. I'm turning them off for rated games.

@Sarg0n now that you mention it, I am reminded of the gutter guards in bowling.

@kaotic99 That's the thing yes. Almost always. And I guess it can feel like takebacks make sense if it's just a few seconds, but in a turn-based game it might as well be hours once a move is made.
I think takebacks are best used as an entirely different category of game.

Mostly when I have takebacks asked of me and I accept, it's blunders. But sometimes it's because my opponent saw a better line than the one they took. So they sat and thought about it and decided to change course. Again, all much better suited for studies and practice games shared with the other player, I feel.

I have switched takebacks off to avoid the conundrums (conundra?) you mentioned, and also because of having a poor experience with them when I did allow them.

I've found they're almost always requested because of a blunder (either an obvious tactical one, or pursuing a better line), and that's not a good reason to ask, or to grant, one.

If my opponent in the chat function says their move is a mouse slip, whilst I can't offer a takeback, I will agree to a draw if requested, if it looks like a genuine slip. The most common one is when someone is obviously trying to castle and messes it up.

Actually I recommend everyone to disable takebacks in rated games. No unsportsmanship, no stress, no disgrace, no arguing. So I kinda recommend Lichess to disable takeback in rated games overall.

Mouseslips happen in online chess. There's no right to get a takeback for a mouseslip, there's only courtesy, which a good amount of opponents won't even give back

@Sarg0n LOL same thing I think I disabled takebacks when I created my acc LOL