when to resign?

what is everybody's opinions on when to resign?  if you see mate coming your way should you resign or play till mate?  if you drop major material should you play on or resign?  what is proper etiquette?

There doesn't seem to be a consensus on this point ...

A Question on Etiquette

Abandoning game

ahhhh he resigned

Another resignation issue

Attitudes Towards Resigning

Blocked from Posting on Resigning

Broken Record

Checkmate over Resignation

Chess Etiquette

Clock-rundowners...

Customary resignation response

Do YOU know when to resign?

Etiquette on resigning

Etiquette on resigning?

Etiquette zugzwang

Is it rude to keep posting about being rude for not resigning?

Kobayashi Maru (Hopeless Situations)

Letting time run out instead of resigning in live chess

LISTEN TO ME NOW!!!! and understand me later.

Never give up!

Non-resigning computers

Not resigning “when you should”

Perpetual Check

Problem when resigning telling you that you've resigned

Resignation

resignation

Resignation Etiquette

Resigned Game Stats

Resigning

resigning

resigning

Resigning

Resigning

Resigning a game

Resigning a game (2)

resigning and male pride

Resigning Attitudes - Let's Vote

Resigning in a Tournament

Resigning on move 1

Resigning too soon?

Resigning with dignity

rinning out of time

The amateur mind in the endgame

The Weight of Resigning Late

Think twice before resigning

Time to conceed?

Unsportsmanlike

Was GM Timman correct in resigning?

What is chess etiquette?

What's the average rating for resigning a game?

Take your pick jpd383 !

proper etiquette is to check the past forums for the 1,000,000 times this unsolvable question has been queried in the forums. I believe the proper time to resign is whenever you think is proper! I personally resign when I know the game is objectively lost, regardless of the strength of my opponent. Other people like to play on in hopes of tragedy. Others play on just to be idiots. There is a wide array of humans and actions apparently.

never resign, nobody ever won by resigning, 

A simple answer: It's a matter of playing strength (reading ahead in the game and not been able to see any route to avoid the loss) and character (when you see that you're in a lost position and yet you're not willing to accept it). Absolute sincerity about your actual strength it's the way to improve your game.

Resign when you're lost and you won't alienate a potential chess friend. If you think you can learn something by playing the position out, load it onto your computer and play it the bitter end as many times as you wish.

What's your goal here?

When you are hopeless you shoud resign.

FIFA (the controlling committee for football/soccer) is proposing to take a leaf out of FIDE's (the controlling committee for chess {(ajedrez, , šatrang, ,(höl)šydyraa, ,šakhmat, ,cang.ki, ,catur, ,cess, ,chesu, ,cờ (quốc te), cờ tướng, ,dābā, ,échecs, ,échecs, ,echedoù, ,escacs, ,ficheall, ,guójì xiàngqí, ,gwyddbwyll, ,küšt, ,kuningas, ,lūsus lātrunculōrum, ,male, ,šach, ,šachmatai, ,šachy, ,šah, ,şah, ,šahmat, ,şahmat, ,šahmat (-la), ,šahs, ,sakk, ,ŝako, ,šatar, ,šatar, ,sataranji, chesi, ,šatr, ,satranç, ,šatrandž, ,šatranj, ,šatranž, ,šaxmat, tšatrak, ,scacchi, ,Schach, ,schah, ,schaken, ,senterej, ,shah, ,sjakk, ,skaak, ,skak, ,skák, tafl, ,skák, talv, ,skake, ,szachy, ,tàileasg, fidhcheall, ,tš'adrak'i, ,tšatrang, ,xadrez, ,xadrez, ,xake, xake-joko, ,σκάκιskáki, ,шах, šah, ,шах, шахмат šah, šahmat,шахиšahy, ,шахматыšahmaty, )}) book. It is proposing a rule change such that, under certain circumstances, when one side has a 9-point lead, the match is declared over.

I will resign when they pry my mouse from my cold, dead hand...

tunatin> Clarify 'football'

A.k.a. soccer. Teams of eleven try to kick a ball into their opponent's goal.

 Exactly correct! I haven't been Checkmated in years, but am certain I never lost a game that I had a chance to draw or win.

Are you saying that you are UNMATEABLE?  (uh oh, I hope I didn't just summon a certain someone to this thread)

I never resign (except when i'm too tired to play and i'm a lot of pieces down, for instance 5 or 6)..

As you say anna girl... Maybe the checkmate you saw, your oponent didn't, and maybe he/she will make a blunder and then you attack. YOU mating your opponent instead. I've gone through that too many times luckily :) playing at a level 1400-1600.

Gesundheit!

The only time I resign, is when I play a terrible opening, or a terrible endgame...

    When you are an embarassment to your friends and family.

As Yogi Berra of the New York Yankess once said..." It ain't over till its over " !

Ive made plenty of mistakes and i like to assume that others can do the same so i dont resign unless they are all gone but my King and a couple pawns and even then just sometimes. I think its fun to stay and fight.

scrap the pointless comedy positions and get on with some real chess, it's very simple. After all, everyone is clamouring to improve; well, persisting with comedy positions and improving are two incompatible things. So which is it gonna be?