Blitz Chess #14: Mate with a Pawn Against Unrated Opponent

This was my second most recent chess game. I wanted to play a few casual blitz games because I didn't really want to stress myself out if I played faster time controls or rated games since I would only get frustrated if I lose. So I decided to just take a chill pill and play some slow games where there isn't too much risk. Moreover, these are the types of games wherein you can just experiment and learn a thing or two. So I was up against an unrated player on Lichess.

Since this guy was unrated, you can't be too sure whether he plays well or not. The rating helps you gauge how much experience someone has or how stronger they are in comparison to you and other people playing chess. Being unrated is an advantage in and of itself. It's like you're hiding your true strength from your opponent, waiting for the time to pull the rug from under them and surprise them with how strong you really are.

But, of course, in these online platforms, your rating usually stabilizes after playing 20 or so games. Moreover, if you keep winning your first few games, you will quickly rise up the ladder and fight tougher opponents than the ones you went up against before. So that kind of balances things out. Unless you're an elite grandmaster or a prodigy who wants to play anonymously, you probably won't climb up through the ranks and decimate all those in your path. Also, the pool of players and peers you will be facing is going to be wide and varied. In any case, I was cautious against this guy.

I played the Sicilian. From the very get go, I had the feeling that my opponent wasn't really taking the game seriously but I didn't care. I just went with it and allowed him to do his antics whether they were intentional or not. It was as if he was playing to be checkmated and I obliged. Of course, those usually are the toughest ones to checkmate in the end. Since you want to checkmate them the quickest way possible, you end up making mistakes along the way. So you still have to take things slowly and assess the position even if your opponent is already throwing you a bone.

I wasn't sure what my opponent's purpose was for throwing in the kitchen sink. Did he want to lose on purpose? Was he just toying with me? I didn't know so I played the game as I usually would. But given the circumstances, it wouldn't be as straightforward as a normal game I play would usually go. Furthermore, because he was clearly playing haphazardly, I decided to let go or give back a piece in order to get things going. I wanted to launch an attack as quickly as possible so that we could end the game.

Not that I mind winning a game which my opponent practically gave up on already but in those cases, I just want the game to end. It's simply torture to have to go through a game in which your opponent isn't even invested in. I've done that in the past out of frustration with myself and so I just give away everything so that my opponent could mate me quickly. Of course, they don't always mate you right away. They want to take their sweet time which I think is just ridiculous. It doesn't matter to me whether you taunt me that way or not, I just want the game to end. If you don't have anything special to do, then be my guest. I, on the other hand, have a life outside of this game so I'll let you have your way.

Anyway, I gave up a piece and after a few moves, there was a mating net and I just went for it because I didn't want to linger any longer on the game. I wanted to do something else so the quickest mate possible was the best option at that time. It just so happened that the checkmate was delivered by a pawn which is so cool. There are a few checkmates that can be considered cool. There are the immortal games where you sacrifice everything and checkmate your opponent in the end. There's the smothered mate which is just super aesthetic. And there's the mate with a pawn which is ironic considering pawns are considered the most expendable piece but also a very valuable piece especially towards the end. So that's how this game went.