Resignation Etiquette???

I was just wondering, is it generally considered rude to drag out a losing online game instead of resigning? I’ve been getting a lot of that lately. I think it’s kind of rude. I’m not talking about a game in which they’re simply down in material by the way, I’m talking about totally, hopelessly lost games in which they take the full three days to move their king one square while I mate with queen and king – stuff like that.

i never resign no matter what.  mate or gtfo... but i dont waste my time by playing slow.  your opponent wont play you again and if they have good game it worth it to study and come back to win.  you opponents are just aholes.  they exist in any competitive enviroment.

Perhaps they are simply hoping for a miracle :]

And to answer your question: Yes, it is a bit rude. But you need to be aware that some people don't know the etiquette...and others just prefer to give their opponents as hard of a time as possible.

I generally resign early in a lost position... probably mostly because I am not a strong player (about 1416 right now).  But if someone out of preference or principle wants to drag it out 70 moves or more I give that perogative to them and challenge someone else.  I prefer to move on with my life and not stress about somebody else. 

In my experiences, beginners won't resign and they aren't encouraged to. Once a person has some experience they generally know when is a good time for them to resign and they will. However, there are always a few who refuse no matter what. I used to play OTB at the Berkeley Chess Club and there was this one old guy, who was A strength as I recall, who never resigned, he always played to checkmate no matter what. Sometimes opponents wouldn't go for the immediate mate, instead taking whatever material he had left and queening every pawn they had before delivering mate. And the old guy made them do it. I don't recall anybody being bothered by it, they knew it was what he did and accepted it as part of playing him.

One thing about Resignation Etiquette every chess player should know:

If you're 1 move from being checkmated, and you know it, it is VERY bad etiquette to resign before your opponent wins. Players are semi-obligated to move anyway, as mentioned by top-level players.

That is not to say that you should let your opponent take you to the cleaners. I'm saying that if there is no potential mate within the next couple moves and you are in a totally lost position, feel free to resign with some sportsmanship. But to resign the second before you lose is highly frowned upon in most levels of chess.

 That edit would probably make your statement more accurate.

 Thanks. That's a very good point to edit it like that. But it'd be nice to know if all types of chess were marked with a high standard of etiquette.

At beginner/ weaker competitve levels(around 1200-USCF) players may go all the way to mate, and it is not uncommon at all. If they usually play at 3 days per move, and they continue to do so, I see no problem with that unless they intentionally slow down. But don't worry, if your game is won, that is enough, and slowing down will not help them.

If you are a member of ICC(Which I recommend you to become if you want to seriously improve live chess play), Dan Heisman has a interesting lecture in one of his amateur analysis games in which a live games, two weaker competitive players play and one loses by blundering by playing quickly. He says that if one player takes forever to play moves when he is totally deaad lost, it is actually very rude in live games. Don't play him in the future. In correspondence, one does not need to play a whole game in a single sitting. If they only log on each 3 days, they will only play once each 3 days, it is not rude. Resignation etiqiette is less signifigant in corrrespondence

 No level of chess is free from rude players or those without etiquette. Even some GM's have been known to display very poor sportsmanship.

It seems to me that the opposite is true. Playing it out in correspondance may prolong the gmae for weeks, or even months, whereas in live it may only prolong the game for a few minutes.

I have resigned a few times, often wondering whether my opponent would rather have the satisfaction of playing it out the rest of the way.  People have resigned on me when 3 to 10 moves away from a loss, so I have no run into any 'bad' resignations.  Even if one move away, I do not see a problem... especially when pending mate is obvious.  Admitting defeat or being defeated... no difference in my mind.

If it is a casual game, it should be no skin off your nose, you can always start another game. However in a tournament it will affect several players. Couple that with all the threads about 'vacation abuse', and perhaps there should be a 'fair play policy' for turn-based chess where offenders aren't allowed to join tournaments.

 I've had people screw up the queen king vs king ending and gotten a draw. I've had games where I've been in a bad position and then ended up winning due to mistakes.

When I reach the level where people don't make those kind of mistakes anymore, then I would start resigning.

I also don't play turn based chess because the slowness of it is too painful for me. So on here the most someone would have to wait is a few minutes or until they get the mate.

When you resign, just make sure you really are losing. I had a game where my opponent resigned immediately after I blundered a piece, and he didn't realize.

Yes, Browni, your arguement is very true, the correspondence will be stretched. On the other hand, if a player who plays to mate does not intentionally slow down, it would be rude to make him go faster. If a working adult logs on only each 2 days due to time, and likes to play to mate, no problem. In live I have never played anyone on ICC who is rude when losing. They often resign when it seems hopeless. It should be said that any opponent who slows intentionally is very rude, whether in live or mail. The loser would be better off studying the game and avoiding the mistakes he made, and allow the winner no trouble savoring the victory.

Must have also been embarrassing for the IM whose opponent refused to resign a King/Knight/Bishop vs. King ending and the IM couldn't remember how to force the mate.

Don't ask for names or details, it was a story I was told...could be an urban legend for all I know.

 I would never have thought that to resign would be considered bad form, whatever the circumstance.  You learn something new every day.  Thanks for the tip.

 What is ICC?