For the first time in my life, I am intentionally losing a game

[sachertorte]

I’m a terrible loser.

But when games are unbalanced I will intentionally throw things a bit. This mainly manifests itself in volleyball games where the teams are constructed in an unbalanced way. I set, so if I think our team is too strong, I’ll set the weaker players more than the stronger players.
It isn’t so much intentionally losing as much as optimizing fun.

[Frylock]

@Chronos

Personally, were I in the OP’s shoes, I would have said “Are you sure you want to do that?”,

Definitely, of course! Unfortunately the format we’re playing on doesn’t allow for take-backs.

[scratch_llll]

It’s just a game. I wish I had let my nephew win the last one we will ever have.

[JessMagic]

Competitive Dad, anyone?

The Fast Show - Comptetitive Dad -2-Squash

[Yookeroo]

@Dung_Beetle

That was kind of you, Frylock.

He’s just playing in to his friend’s hands. This is exactly what Frylock’s friend was expecting. Getting you to throw the match is pretty brilliant.

[BigT]

@Blaster_Master

Not only this, but it’s impossible; all of the information is available for all to see. Any conclusions one draws about one’s strategy that is incorrect is that person’s own fault. I suppose there could be some deception if one includes chatter between opponents, but that’s the meta-game, not the game of chess itself.
Either way, I strongly disagree with ever deliberately throwing a game for any reason where your opponent expects you to be giving your best. I wouldn’t try my best against a young and notably much less skilled opponent or I’ve deliberately fumbled when it makes sense as part of a mutual joke, but in the latter its typically already understood that I was almost certainly going to win anyway.

Personally, I think it’s part of fair play. Sure, everyone agrees cheating is wrong, which falsely inflates one’s apparent skill, but throwing a game is pretty much the same in the opposite direction. The thing is, slumps happen, but taking it easy on your opponent because he’s in a slump isn’t really fair to him because he then thinks he’s doing better than he is and, as a competitive person myself, I want to know that I’m facing the best my opponent is able to offer and it would be insulting to know he’s just letting me win because he feels bad for me. Really, if you feel bad for him, as his friend, the best thing to do is to be a friend and talk to him about it.

For non-competitive people, cheating is wrong because it is selfish, not because it’s unfair. Throwing a game is okay because it is altruistic, not because it’s fair.

There are situations where I even think playing your best is wrong. For example, when you are thoroughly beating someone, and you know they are upset about it, I feel that continuing to push hard is rubbing it in their face. They already know they aren’t good enough to beat you.

In this case, though, I don’t see a problem playing either way. It’s not lying to not play your best if you haven’t agreed ahead of time to play your best (i.e. what Tripolar said).

There’s always a balance between competitiveness and etiquette, between fair play and a fair fight. It’s just that competitive people draw the line differently than non-competitive people. A 100% competitive person is a dick, but a 100% non-competitive person is no fun to play with.

[Gatopescado]

I throw games of Battleship with my kid.