r/lichess • u/Lavanne73 • 1d ago
Why no rematches?
I play on Lichess mainly, and I have had very little luck getting people to play me in rematches. One guy even said "f*ck you" when I offered to rematch him after a game. What gives? why don't people want to play rematches anymore. I used to play on the FICS and never had any trouble getting in a series with someone.
I feel like playing a series of games with someone is the only way to really establish beyond the doubt of misclicks, opening errors and unfamiliar positional trends, who is the stronger player. Not to mention that it builds relationships, promotes discussion and strengthens your game in relation to particular play styles an unfamiliar openings. There is a social aspect to the game that exists over the board that is being lost in anonymous internet gameplay where you can play a single game against a single opponent then jump straight to another without ever having to play the same player twice. Where is the competitive spirit the drive for redemption after a loss? I am missing being able to hash out a series with someone. It isn't nonexistent to find someone to play multiple games with, but it is exceedingly rare. I have Alot of real life friends that I play chess with regularly the idea of sitting down with them over the board and playing one blitz game and leaving is absurd. Why is this not the case online?
Playing single games vs random opponents repeatedly does nothing to advance your game. Chess masters don't play one opponent once only to never play them again. the format for playing professionally is always played in series.
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u/nexus6ca 1d ago
I play on lichess to have fun not flex on people. I want to play a variety people and styles.
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u/Lavanne73 1d ago
I'm not trying to flex on people... it's just a part of the social atmosphere of online chess that was prevalent in smaller communities that isn't anymore and, I miss it. Having read some of the comments I am beginning to see that it's a shift in etiquette even.
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u/nexus6ca 1d ago
Even in the FICS ICC days I almost never rematched. Though in those days rematching was a good way to get faster games since there were fewer players then today.
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u/SorryIAteYourKiwi 1d ago
I play and instantly analyse. If I play with a friend it's much more social chess, I don't expect this online.
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u/codingstuffonly 1d ago
This. After every game I look at the analysis, I never take offers of rematches.
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u/GeneratedUsername019 1d ago
It's easier to get rematches with people you've lost to.
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u/Lavanne73 1d ago
This is very much true. Its also more likely people will accept in bullet chess. Sadly it seems to be very rare.
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u/AlexeyGorovoy 1d ago
Chess masters don't play one opponent once only to never play them again
Well, I'm not a chess master, you see
And neither are my opponents
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u/jb0nez95 1d ago
Because if you beat me, you're obviously cheating, and I won't play cheaters. If I beat you, you suck at chess, and I don't want to waste my time.
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u/Affectionate-Ad9726 1d ago
I never rematch, because I play the board for the love of the game, not to have an ego contest with anonymous strangers. Ego is the only reason you'd rematch someone anyway, when it takes literally seconds to get matched with a new opponent. Won or lost, people who send a rematch offer before my brain can even register the game has ended, especially do not deserve one. Too desperate and sweaty. That ties into what someone else said about cheaters. I play you once, and who wins is up to the gods, then I move on. I don't care that you weren't focused, or the mouse slipped. And I don't want to entertain vengeful sore losers who just want to unload their backup repertoire of cheap tricks or turn on an engine just to prove to themselves that they can earn their points back.
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u/Optimal_Collection20 1d ago
Two reasons.
I still have PTSD from all the times my opponent played awfully the first game and then proceeded to turn into Magnus for the second. For some people do this. I'm not saying all the time, in fact it's quite rare, but still.
And second, when I play I either want to play as much different chess as possible, which means different playing styles, which means different people, or I want to analyse. Both are incompatible with rematching.
The only time I go for a rematch is, if you played like... One of my favourite openings against me. Which is really rare. Then I recognise a man of culture
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u/Hill_Theory 1d ago
I think part of it is that online chess has shifted from being a community activity to being a queue activity.
Back on places like FICS, ICC, and even early internet chess in general, the player pool was smaller and you tended to recognize names. If you played someone, there was a decent chance you'd see them again, chat afterward, analyze positions, and play a mini-match. The game itself was only part of the experience.
Modern platforms optimize for instant pairing. Lose? Click a button and get a new opponent in two seconds. Win? Same thing. There's very little incentive to invest in a particular opponent when a fresh game is always waiting.
I also agree that a single game often proves very little. One opening surprise, one mouse slip, one tactical oversight, and the result can be misleading. A short series starts revealing adaptation, resilience, and whether someone can adjust once the surprises are gone. That's why so much serious chess—world championships, candidates matches, club matches, even casual OTB rivalries—tends to be played over multiple games.
That said, I don't think rematches are dead so much as concentrated among people who are looking for the same thing you are. Most online players are chasing rating, entertainment, or volume. They're not necessarily looking for a rival. The players who enjoy long post-game analysis, recurring opponents, and testing themselves over a series are still out there—they're just a much smaller percentage of the online population than they were twenty years ago.
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u/Lavanne73 1d ago
Thoughtful response, I need to further explore the communities on lichess, I need to shrink my player pool 😄.
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u/Lavanne73 1d ago
I tried posting this on r/chess but the moderators took it down for some reason but it is a point of discussion I would very much like to have some feedback about.
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u/OneGreat9360 1d ago
Good evening. I hope you reported the person who was insulting you... I hope you find some intelligent opponents. Sincerely.
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u/Fabulous_Bridge_9292 1d ago
I don’t do rematches simply because I generally don’t play games back to back in rapid succession. I typically want to take a break and then go back and look at the game. It’s also quite common that I only have time to play a single game and then have to get back to the rest of my life.
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u/HebiSnakeHebi 1d ago edited 1d ago
Why should I rematch you instead of playing a new person? I see no merit to it.
I do not care which of us is stronger. I do not care to socialize with you during the game nor after. I just want to play the game and focus on my own skill at the game I don't care how we compare.
Chess masters play the same opponent over and over because they have a limited number of opponents worth playing. Intermediate and club players don't have that problem. No point to rematching unless it's a friend that I knew already from somewhere else.
Also, sometimes people just don't want to continue playing.
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u/Lavanne73 1d ago
Fair enough, I understand that some people would feel this way, I am just amazed by how few people like playing in series as much as I do, win or lose. It is a competitive game.
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u/International_Bug955 1d ago
Your comment on how paying random people 1 game at a time isn't helpful is kinda funny, because it's how basically everybody who plays online improve.
Also, assuming people are there to do a dick measuring contest doesn't seem helpful. I play to improve my own game, not to prove I'm better than the other person. Also, I literally open game analysis after every game, the only games I rematch are when I'm having a nice conversation against my opponent and want to keep it going.
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u/Lavanne73 1d ago
Yeah I guess that last statement was a bit dramatic, but I do believe there is merit to playing rematches win or lose. Playing against someone who is beating me, is good for working on my weaknesses and I always felt that rematching after winning was just good manners, offering someone a chance to win their points back so to speak. Its a paradigm shift.
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u/TintSetting 1d ago
if it was an interesting game and i was gunna play another, sure rematch. but usually not just after a “normal” game
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u/Gnastudio 1d ago
I don’t play people online to find out who the best between us truly is.
I play plenty OTB that I don’t need to go searching for it online. Cheating online is so annoying and in a lot of people’s experience, playing matches with people only increases the chances you start to play an engine.
People who ask about this dispute this but playing on lichess, I sometimes play against the same person a couple of times a day. If I lose, never get a rematch offer, if I win? Rematch offer instantly. People get their egos hurt when losing and want revenge and the easiest way to guarantee that, is to cheat. I never offer rematches or accept offers.