How to punish copycats in chess?

Is the reflection, opposition, assumed copy cat planned move an illusion or a psychological mimicking move? The player that takes the initiative can break the balance of the game. The starting position reflects the opposing position, it does not copy it. Flip the chess board and the pieces change position.

The initial position cannot be punished. Think of the initial set-up as being dragged out until a player changes the balance of the game. @Arseniy_Rybasov

When the opponent visualizes a better move than our own they normally play something different. Mimicking moves can only last so long before they must branch off to avoid loss of material. Think positive and visualize something better.

@Brian-E said in #10:
> Anyone who succeeds in annoying their opponent purely with the moves they play is doing well. Checkmate may be the ultimate aim of the game, but spoiling the opponent's happy mood means you're half way there.

You can't be saying stuff like that! + People might be going through sad times, and the one time they're happy their opponent ruins it.

@Panagrellus said in #19:
> related to that, this would be a fun bot:
>
> A bot that plays only black and always copies white's move, whenever it is legal to do so (if copying not legal, play top engine move). It would be easy of course to win against the bot with the tricks mentioned above, but it would be quite educational. (;
>
> EDIT: Ah, such a bot actually existed, but at least this particular one seems to be offline permanently:
>
> lichess.org/@/CopyCatBot/all

Why's it offline permanently?

@Brian-E said in #20:
> A story used to do the rounds (sorry, I cannot remember where I read it or who to credit) about a club champion who found herself without a game at the local chess club when her opponent went home early. Fortunately for her it was near the end of the evening, and a man turned up to pick up his daughter who was playing another game.
>
> The champion asked the man if he'd like a game while he was waiting for his daughter. He said that he didn't really play, but she insisted, so they sat down at a board.
>
> The club champion took White and opened 1.e4. The man thought for a moment and played 1...e5. White decided to play the King's Gambit with 2.f4 and was surprised when the man replied, without hesitation, with the unfamiliar counter-gambit 2...f5!? The champion furrowed her brows for a bit, then decided to continue the counter-gambiteering with 3.d4 and the strange game continued 3...d5 4.c4 c5 5.exf5 exf4 6.dxc5 dxc4.
>
> White decided at this point that her best course of action was an exchange of queens and played 7.Qxd8+. Her opponent had no hesitation in picking up his king, moving it down the e-file and capturing the white king with it. "That's not a legal move," said the champion. "Isn't it?" replied the man. "I don't really know how to play, I was just doing what you did."

Here's a shorter version in case you didn't understand or you weren't bothered to read all that:

There's a story about a chess club champion who found herself without an opponent at the end of the evening. A man waiting for his daughter agreed to play, despite not knowing how. The game took an unexpected turn when he made an illegal move, reasoning that he was just mimicking the champion's moves.

@Toscani said in #21:
> Is the reflection, opposition, assumed copy cat planned move an illusion or a psychological mimicking move? The player that takes the initiative can break the balance of the game. The starting position reflects the opposing position, it does not copy it. Flip the chess board and the pieces change position.
>
> The initial position cannot be punished. Think of the initial set-up as being dragged out until a player changes the balance of the game. @Arseniy_Rybasov
>
> When the opponent visualizes a better move than our own they normally play something different. Mimicking moves can only last so long before they must branch off to avoid loss of material. Think positive and visualize something better.

Take a shorter version if you like:

The opposition's mirrored move - illusion or tactic? Initiatives disrupt game balance. The initial position reflects but doesn't copy. Opponents change moves on seeing better ones. Mimicking lasts briefly before change is necessary. Think positive, visualize a better strategy.

@CoopAtHome You'd make a brilliant after-dinner speaker, I must hire you sometime.

@Brian-E said in #26:
> @CoopAtHome You'd make a brilliant after-dinner speaker, I must hire you sometime.

€1000000000000000000000000 per speech?

Sometimes being more wordy helps for those that translate posts. Here is a shorter version just for you: @CoopAtHome

A 26 word brief for post #21.

"Symmetrical setups are temporary and don't reflect equilibrium. Mimicking moves are psychological tactics, until visual balance shifts the initiative. Envision superior moves to avoid material loss."

@wateenellende said in #8:
> 1 d4 d5 2Bg5 Bg4 3Bh4 Bh5 4Qd3 Qd6 5Qh3 Qh6 6Qc8+ is also a mate in 6 in copycat style.
I can checkmate copycat players in 4 moves:
1. c4 c5 2. Qa4 Qa5 3. Qc6 Qc3 4. Qc8#

@Toscani said in #28:
> Sometimes being more wordy helps for those that translate posts. Here is a shorter version just for you: @CoopAtHome
>
> A 26 word brief for post #21.
>
> "Symmetrical setups are temporary and don't reflect equilibrium. Mimicking moves are psychological tactics, until visual balance shifts the initiative. Envision superior moves to avoid material loss."

Damn you beat me!