if i'm in a position where i clearly can't  win, can i resign without getting the 5 minutes ban for unfair play?

u dont get banned for resigning a game.

Resigning can actually be somewhat annoying in cases where it deprives the winner of playing out an otherwise beautiful combination.

so the ban due to unfair play applies only to the player that abort the game in the first few moves?

http://support.chess.com/Knowledgebase/Article/View/171/0/fair-play-policy

I don't play live chess, but I guess aborting is not quite the same as resigning even if an aborted game is counted as a loss.

nothing unfair about it at all whats wrong with it just makes your opponent win quick    i mean thts what their to do.

On the contrary, it's bad form to refuse to resign in a hopelessly lost position.

Resigning a game that you no longer wish to play is your choice, no penalties attached. What others think of your choice is immaterial, as far as I'm concerned.

The only occasion where resignation is ethically inappropriate, in my view, is when your loss / resignation is a deliberate attempt to effect an unfair outcome in the event in which the game is a part.

Of course, some would view an uninformed or ignorant resignation (i.e., you have good chances for a positive outcome but cannot see this due to lack of ability) to also be inappropriate - much like an ignorant blackjack player taking a card ahead of you when clearly he/she should not be asking for a card. While resignation in such a situation is probably unfortunate, my view is that it would be unfair to hold such a player responsible for an ethical breach when he/she clearly does not know enough chess to play on.

Whew! Enough pontificating, Drawmaster. 

With all due respect, mr. Bubatz, I'd rather be deprived of the beauty of any one combination than be tormented for weeks and months (in Online Chess, that is) by the "I know I should have resigned 20 moves ago but I'll keep playing in case he drops dead" type of opponent... 

It's unfair if you do it while hacked into your opponents account.

My assassination plan has been exposed!

See, wasn't that hard, was it?...

In my opinion, a player has the option to resign at any time, if he feels the game is lost. Why should he subject himself to a slow torture to a better player, who is picking off his pieces one by one.

 HOWever, I think he has the right to play the end game as long as he thinks there is a chance, hoping, of course that the other player will make a mistake.  I've won many games, when an opponent "slipped" in the end game.  

Btw, how can a player continue another 20 moves IF the game is lost?  That just tells me that perhaps there was a chance and the resigning wasn't necessary YET.  

@Scot..that was a scarey comment. 

Resigning is totally unfair. How is anyone going to practice endgames if their opponent resigns the moment they lose a Rook?

In a GM level game, not resigning may be against the spirit of the game, but for novices like us, resigning robs an opportunity to learn.

No, in general resigning isn't unfair play.

I encourage you to resign any game you play against me.  Early and often.  

Epic, I feel your pain! :)  BuT.. you can practice tactics that are often end game scenarios, plus watch GM games during the end games closely. There's books, lessons in end games, etc etc.  I'll be happy to do some looking through the videos for you, if you like.  

I often get beaten towards the end of the middle game also, so I understand. :)