Students need to be warned not to play all the same moves as their opponent. That poor sort of strategy gives your opponent a great advantage-- they will know what you're going to do! You lose the initiative in your game, then. You allow the other player to lead you, literally.

The best you could usually hope for is a draw, but many more times the result will be a trap, resulting in your loss. The famous Copy Cat Trap is a six-move line often employed against an unwary beginner to snap off the Queen at the cost of a Knight. Why not play to win?

However, IM Cesar Hidemitsu Umetsubo employed the Copy Cat Trap in a 2011 game at Campos Novos (Brazil) against Joco Felipe de Olive Cassaniga (not yet at ChessGames, but it is available at the FIDE website).

Copy Cat Games are formally called Symmetrical Games. Karel Traxler, Josef Krejcik, Sam Loyd and others have composed chess lines on this motif. These contrived games commonly end in checkmate.

The Batsford Book of Chess Records (2005), page 57, was my first exposure to the Rotlewi vs Eliashov sic game Rotlewi vs M Elyashiv, 1909. It says that "the opponents were probably not playing seriously, but amusing themselves and their honorable spectators. It was the last round of the amateur tournament in the international Chigorin Memorial congress, and this draw assured Rotlewi of second place behind Alekhine, while Eliashov at best would take undivided fourth place instead of sharing 4th-6th." The commander of the Black chessmen has also been seen as Eljaschoff, for those of you who peruse chess databases.

Further, the Batsford Book of Chess Records, on page 57-58, claims that the game E Stoliar vs J Szukszta, 1969 by the two masters Efim Stoliar and Januza Szukszta in Bulgaria in 1969 is the longest Copy Cat game. It diverges from being a true symmetrical game slightly, but it also ends in a draw.

There was a fifteen-move 2003 game in Vienna between Konstantin Landa and Dierk Seifert (not at ChessGames yet) that is a decent example of a symmetrical game-- it breaks symmetry a couple of times. It ends with resignation at apparent disadvantage of a Pawn, but a game analysis engine shows a four-point disadvantage.

Do not act like a blind, brainless imitator. Creative effort is valuable in chess. Always play with a sense of purpose and think ahead. You make progress by giving your best to each game-- by applying as many excellent principles as you have learned. Chess progress or improvement is not for the lazy.

Anyone may choose to just play chess for fun. If your idea of relaxing is to copy half-moves without even short-term goals, then no one will stop you. No one will impose on your freedom to play this game within the rules. The problem is, however, that you should expect to lose, or get a draw at the best of times.

Take a look at two other Copy Cat game collections-- Game Collection: Copycatz & Agreed/Book Drawz Fredthebear's pic by <fredthebear> and Game Collection: Copy cat by <truepacifism>.

ChessCoachClark (CCC) originated this game collection and he updates it on occasion. This project is a work in progress, culling games from various sources, including several chess training books and personal research. The games are ordered by date (oldest first), not by importance.

Be well.
Be safe.