Wishing people good luck?

I say good luck before playing an opponent mostly because I was taught that it is considered good form at the local coffee house where I learned to play. Secretly though, I am not totally convinced that there even exists an element of luck in chess. I know that luck exists in the sense that you might get really lucky and our opponent oversleeps on the day of the tournament. The absence of chance and luck is what makes this game so intriguing to me. Do you say good luck to people when you play chess with them? I would love to hear some other thoughts on this. 

Sometimes I make the right move even though I didn't see why it was the right move, and the unintended consequences of the move turn out better that imagined.  Surely that is luck.  Wishing good luck is good sportsmanship and it makes the world a better place to live.

I always wish my opponent good luck, online and in OTB tournaments too, lots of people don't say the same but that's fine with me.  I just try and be sportsman like and be kind to my opponents.  After a game in a OTB tournament I'll ask my opponent if they want to review the game with me especially if I lost so I can get some pointers =].

I sometimes use the formula: "May the worst player win" - if I am playing a lower-ranked player. http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/good-luck2

That's not luck, that's intuition. Numerous grandmasters have pointed out that in certain situations the board just calls for a move, void of any deep calculation or foresight. It's an element of pattern recognition more than luck. Can anyone here find an example where luck actually played a role in their chess game, other than some kind of mistake by your opponent? O and yes I always say good luck at the start of my chess games.

I always give a "have a good game" to my opponent, otb and online. 

Speaking of etiquette, I once got in a heated argument on ICC with a guy who would (win or lose) never be the first to say anything after the game, but would become irrate if you didn't thank him for the game.  I've always held the opinion that the loser of a game should be the first to say "good game" or "thanks for the game" as, just in otb, the person resigning the game is really the first to know that it's over... just seems a little self-important to jump in there first as the winner of the game.

In games between closely rated players I think the best way to honor your opponent after you've won is to challenge them to another, which says (for me anyhow) that I recognize you as a worthy opponent, and would like to play again.  I know that I feel honored after a good game if a better player beats me and then challenges me again.

I don't say 'good luck.'  I don't think it exists in chess in any meaningful or significant way and no two serious players would want the game decided by luck anyway.  If you want the game decided by luck go play Monopoly.

I'd actually rather people didn't say good luck - I find it slightly annoying. Since chess has nothing to do with 'luck' (random chance), it's almost as if my opponent is suggesting that I'd need some extraneous help to win the game. That might well be true, but still, there's no need to point it out.

I don't like the phrase, "good luck". It seems to me to suggest that the outcome of the game is somehow less a result of our own play and more as a result of some external circumstance over which we have no control. I prefer to say something on the order of:  "Play well and enjoy the game."

I avoid wishing my opponents luck simply because I don't want them to be lucky :).  I'd rather them accidentally hand me a brilliant queen sac win :).

i was playing a otb game before and i worked out the big 4-5 move combination and worked out that i lose in it. Then for some reason i picked up my rook and entered the combination. He went on to the win the tournement. I think the fact i made the move was somewhat luck imo.

I agree that there IS certainly luck in chess and that I would hope an ensuing game is not decided on luck.  But when someone wishes me "good luck" it makes the game more friendly and I don't take it literally... I prefer to just say "hi" to avoid all this confusion...

Why does everyone view the statement "good luck" literally. It's just a simple exchange of pleasantries meant to express good etiquette and respect for your adversary. By no means do I mean "I hope a hurricane hits the building 2 moves before I have you in checkmate".

Would this be an instance of good luck or bad luck? In a sense - after such a hypothetical hurricane hit, your opponent (if he survived) could say to you: "oh, bad luck, old man", and you could say the same.

I'm another devotee of the "Have a good game." comment.

I don't believe in luck at all, but I sometimes wish my opponents 'good luck' just as a gesture of goodwill and etiquette. Sometimes I chat about other stuff from their profile instead - seems a bit more sincere.

I like to ring the changes with my opening greeting. 

Sometimes my opponent has an obvious counter, but chooses an unconventional response instead.

I usually say "good luck" and hope my opponent is someone who thinks too much about the correlation between luck and skill in chess. 

Some people can't even respond to "HI" or a "GG" or even worse "Good Move"

I wish we had a means of rating people with regards to their chess etiquette but I'm not sure just how that could ever work.

On the Good Luck part, I simply see it as a sign of goodwill. 

What about an opponent that rarely blunders but just happens to to blunder in the game you are playing? Would this be considered luck?