I have (what might be a bad) habit : when considering a move I sometimes select a piece and float it over the various squares it might occupy. Occasionally, the piece will randomly drop without me releasing the mouse-button.
Could this be due to a momentary network drop-out? If yes, then the behaviour is most definitely a bug.
BTW, I am 99.9% certain that this isn't a case of me inadvertently releasing the mouse-button -- I think I would have noticed the consequences of doing that in other applications.
try a different mouse, this cant happen due to network issues.
Okay, network issues are out if you say, but I doubt my mouse is at fault : I use several pieces of software where drag-and-drop is a major tool -- I have never noticed them randomly dropping my selection.
I have this problem with old mouses.
If you take the mouse apart, the terminals where a click should register are likely gunked-up. This can happen over time. I wouldn't call it "standard" maintenance, because most mice have springs in them that make them hard to put back together, especially if you loose track of how the plastic components go together. (Usually tied to the scroll wheel.) -- In any case, usually simpler and cheaper to replace the mouse. (I don't invest in expensive gaming mouses -- whatever cheap throw-away is available works just fine for me.)
I've had a friend tell me that he noticed this happen with a lot of local RF interference when using wireless mice. (But never had that experience myself.) More often, with wireless mice, the battery is dying, or, again, click terminals are gunked-up.
Simple answer: Replace the mouse.
If the problem persists, check your OS and drivers (suggest a virus and malware scan if a new replacement behaves the same); and check the running load of whatever browser you use to play.
A very remote instance is a USB bus (usually mainboard) going bad, or, could be a sign of a bad management chipset (north or southbridge, whichever USB is routed through. But this is hard to diagnose and you should never assume this unless multiple USB interfaces start misbehaving simultaneously. (And, for that matter, if multiple USB interfaces misbehave simultaneously, while you can't kill a mouse, you can lose data on external hard drives; so if you suspect a problem with your computer's physical integrity, USB or motherboard dying -- unplug external hard drives to avoid loss of data, etc.)
I play on mobile from time to time, and it is frustrating when a piece drops on the wrong square--the most practical solution is not to drag-and-drop, but instead just to click on the piece then its destination. (This may reduce your visualization, but if you ever play OTB it is probably a good idea to get used to looking at the board without moving pieces)
Thanks all, I shall invest in a better mouse (surprising that it is that I only see the problem here, a new mouse is worth a try).
#1 My broken mouse does the same thing... it needs a new mechanical spring for its left button.
This has just recently started happening for me. No change in computer or mouse and as of two days ago the pieces started to just drop on squares while I'm still holding the button. Happens every other game now and is very annoying.
I don't buy the broken mouse explanation since I already have a nice mouse that works perfectly. It definitely feels like there was a code change that is having an unintended side effect.
i do think it is a mouse problem.
Sometimes i experience the same problem.
Problems: I started using a wire mouse(wireless mouses are just a pain in the ....) again and sometimes the cord needs to straighten up.
The other problem i once had there was a little piece of hair under the mouse sensor.
I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I understand. Unless you've kinked your mouse cable hard enough to break it (either the copper cable or shielding), it never needs to 'straighten up'. Hairs in the sensor may effect tracking, but would never effect button presses.
It also doesn't explain why my mouse never mis-clicks or drops a button press in any other application. When it happens on Lichess, you hear the piece drop but visually the piece is still attached to your cursor. When you finally let go of the mouse button, it disregards it and the piece suddenly appears where you heard the drop noise. What I'm experiencing is definitely a bug.
