So we set up the board and Shelly sat on top of the stone fence, overlooking our park table. We drew for colors and I got black.

Soon his unorthodox moves had me thinking. Could I refute them and get an advantage with black or just settle for equality?

Then we maneuvered back and forth a couple of moves which later made it more difficult to recreate the game when I got home.

Normally as a master I can recreate most games after I play them fairly easily, assuming I am not recording them for some reason.

Eventually I got an initiative but the play had slowed down. On some moves I was taking a "normal" minutes but that's could be considered slow for a non-clock "skittles" game.

Hustler X was playing a little faster, but even he could only manage minutes per move when the going got a little tougher. On move 32, I contemplated abandoning my rook by moving my queen to f3, attacking a knight on e2.

However, after a minute or two I could not make it work. But then what else could I play? I could not find any way to strengthen a possible attack.

So I finally settled on a "quiet move" Bf6, which would be a handy dandy place to have a bishop on some of my opponent's possible counter-attacks.

After I got home and recreated the game, the first thing I did was ask computer engine Rybka what I should have done on move After a short think it popped up But on his very next move Hustler X, who was not aware of the danger, unwisely pushed his king up a square.

I immediately thought "He can't do that! Qf3, with multiple threats including mate, does work. Everything I've heard from multiple sources converging on a pretty consistent conclusion seems to indicate they are usually around , with a few hovering around If you get to USCF, you should be able to hold your own, and at , you'll be able to defend yourself against them quite well.

One area they have an advantage is just being utterly and completely comfortable in their environment. You and I are comfortable playing in our nice homes in a chair at a computer, or a well regulated tournament setting.

With them, you'll be playing in a chaotic environment on a shitty board with shitty pieces place all askew on the board and off kilter on the squares, noise, people watching, talking going on, distractions, weird, bizarre openings, playstyles and variables.

If you are both , you'd have to add in at least pts advantage to the hustler just for environmental and psychological comfort They play thousands of these games, daily, for years.

I'm guessing at the pts psychological factor but I am confident it's not too far off reality. Forums General Chess Discussion.

NM Trapper4. Apr 30, 1. Just out of curiosity, how good is the average chess hustler playing in a park or somewhere? Apr 30, 2. Don't quote but I think I remember reading they are something along the lines of usfc.

Apr 30, 3. Trapper4 wrote: Just out of curiosity, how good is the average chess hustler playing in a park or somewhere? Apr 30, 4. MrKornKid wrote: Don't quote but I think I remember reading they are something along the lines of usfc.

Apr 30, 5. Apr 30, 6. Apr 30, 7. Apr 30, 8. Apr 30, 9. I'd say they are good enough. That's what is about. NM TheOldReb. Recently, while playing this reporter a chess novice , Osayaba dragged his plastic, dog-chewed pieces across the rubber board swiftly, never taking more than a few seconds to make a move.

When it was his turn, he nestled his queen next to a king trapped behind his own pawns. Osayaba uses his queen and rooks to corner his opponents in minute blitz games.

He was fresh out of water. Osayaba won the game with the help of the late William Lombardy. Lombardy trained Fischer from the time he was 11 years old through his historic victory over Boris Spassky.

Osayaba was 10 years old in when he got a chess set for Christmas. He would spend hours after school every day studying strategy with a local librarian.

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