Chess cliches? All here!

1. Eyeballing your opponent, esp. after he makes a particularly strong or interesting move (this never really happens in chess tournaments or matches; strong chess players look at the board or elsewhere; they are not about "psyching the opponent out with their eyes. Neither was Fischer--he let his strategy psych the opponent out.)

2. Your opponent acting surprised when you say "check" (players at Fischer's level and even further below are not surprised. Checks are usually foreseen way before the move is finally made.)

3. Your opponent getting rattled when you say "check", because it means he is in trouble or on the run, and onlookers shuffling about thinking "he's got him now!"(Hardly. Checks are often not the best move, and can even be blunders. Many novices like to "check" a lot, but still lose.)

4. Saying "check". (Actually, most strong players dispense with the obvious "check", since it is so obvious, even discovered checks--especially Grandmasters in a match game. It's a bit gauche to remind your strong opponent he is in check!)

5. Moving pieces very slowly. (No. Most players think of their move, then move the piece to the square in a normal speed, as if they were simply placing a salt shaker on the dinner table. They are not "still thinking" of their move as their moving their piece, moving it very slowly and cautiously.)

6. Calling tournament games "matches". (Matches are 1-on-1 events, which consist of 2 players playing several games to determine the winner. A tournament is a multi-player event. Everyone in the chess world does not confuse these 2 terms.)