Should I consider this a draw?

I got into an argument with my opponent over this game as to whether it was a draw or not.  I was about to checkmate him and was playing better, but he found a way (by blind luck) to CM me in the last move.  I told him that i considered it a draw because of the circumstance, and he became unreasonably upset, even calling me a "noob", (ive been playing for over 15 yrs btw).  so what are your thoughts?  here is the game.. I think you will understand what i mean:

If you lose you lose. He found a way to win, the game is over. HOW IS IT A DRAW? Just cuz you out played him at first, he outplayed you and achieved checkmate.

There must be some sort of allowance for the slightest oversight that would never occur OTB.  Though technically not a draw, (he should have resigned, so this should technically be a win) I still consider it as such because of the slightness of the oversight vs the magnitude of the pre-checkmate advantage. 

A. It occurs plenty of times over the board

B. He didn't resign, which is a choice, so it is not technically a win.

C. Good luck playing chess if you don't understand how it works...

D. Also, how is it slight if you lose the game? If you hung your rook, would you still say that you won? I could argue that every game is a draw because the pieces are even at the beginning of the game, but it depends on the skill of the person. If it is unfair, too bad, that's chess.

Irregardless of the slight rule variances from player to player, i still consider it a draw (it actually kid of sucks that house rules can't be agreed upon prior to a game).  I appreciate your input, and I understand your point of view where rules get more serious/important as ratings improve, hence your rigidity to chess rules.

Therefore you don't play chess...

You have been playing for 15 years playing something that is not chess...

Rules matter to all aspects of the game, for example, if I play a variation of chess where I always win, that's not chess, no matter what rating I am...

If you're going to play with not the official rules, you must clarify, because the assumption is that you play chess, not a variant.

That's what i mean!  I was going to play that, but forgot (i even pre-planned it)!  It would have been devastating.  I would have never done that OTB (because OTB is REAL) so I don't consider this a TRUE loss.

According to your logic, every game should be considered a draw, because players almost always lose due to some (stupid) mistake.

Also, if you are playing for 15 years and don't know the rules of the game, calling you "noob" is actually quite complimentary.

The only rules people obey are FIDE's rules. Whether you like them or not

Anyway,  all that to say I still feel it was at least a draw.  I'm glad we are lower rated players, or this would have most certainly been a win, both officially and unofficially.

In some alternate reality, I can outplay the best computer engines, therefore my FIDE rating should be 3500+. Back to reality, the basic objective of chess is to checkmate the king, It doesn't matter if you outplay him for 99 moves only to overlook a checkmate threat on move 100, you still lose.

This is definitely a 100% lose. It's called back-rank mate. 25. .. Rxd5 is a horrible blunder! I admit that you had a winning position but the blunder was more than enough to make up for your good work  No worries. We all blunder. Move on.

ami_anjali wrote:

Yep... mov'n on from this one.    I guess i can compromise, with some saying its a loss, and me hoping its a win.. I guess i'll meet everyone halfway, and chalk this up as a draw.  Thanks for your help everyone, I really appreciate everyones guidance.

Going forward, it looks like I gotta start drawing less and winning more to get my rating up to a level where all opponents play REAL chess by the REAL rules. 

Well we can agree to disagree. I chose a draw because of the circumstance, and because of the aggregate opinions of contributing people on this matter.  I still think that this should be a win because of (26 Resigns!!  0-1) but I'm not at the level yet where I can judge who should win or lose.

15 years? Why are you still 780

vantangler, you are being absolutely ridiculous. Your opponent won fair and square, 100%, no ifs, ands, or buts, and if you cannot accept that, you should not play chess. It does not matter if your opponent got lucky or even if he didn't even realize his move would be mate. Checkmate wins the game.

We have a real casual environment at the local library chess club -- almost none of us there even play with a chess clock -- and I've never seen anyone there with such a poor attitude. If I did, I wouldn't play with him, and I doubt anyone else would either. Even the guy who once threw a rook and made me pick it up off the floor at least understood when he lost the game.

You can call it a draw if you like. You can also call it a potato, or an accordion. It won't change what it actually is.

I'm not trying to insult you here. I am trying to alert you to the fact you are being an extremely poor sportsman, and that attitude will get you nowhere. It will not get you sympathy and it will not get you any better at chess.

Repeat after me: When I lose, it is always my fault.

When I lose, it is always my fault.

When I lose, it is always my fault.

That goes for you, me, Uncle Bob, and Magnus Carlsen. If your cat jumped on the keyboard and caused you to play a silly move, then fine, that loss isn't your fault. Otherwise, it's because you failed to see your opponent's threat and respond to it properly. You have nobody to blame but yourself.

The sooner you understand that, the sooner you will improve. You cannot improve if you do not acknowledge your own mistakes.

Technically I'm not really a 780. There were lots of times when i lost on time when i was way ahead, and many times like this... where the loss is suspect, or open to interpretation.  Id say in all honesty, my blitz rating is more like 1200. 

Technically, I am doctor. All there is missing are a couple of years in medical school to get the degree, which is just a formality. I even considered applying for Princeton once.

This thread is hilarous. You simply cannot reason with a delusional person.

Ha ha ha ... I know what your saying, but I don't think that med school and chess proficiency are in the same ballpark.