Would You Resign in Positions Like These?

@EndgameStudier I agree, but I am actually into fighting to make chess an official sport! Main reason is to let young, promising players have a chance of getting government support and sponsorship, because it will make easier access to a bigger network of active live players, and a broader set of tournaments, championships and qualified coaches.. It would mean a lot for  both promising and established players to have more resources.. I really think chess should be a sport. It is a lot of time, energy and effort going into it to reach the top. And when thinking of it, it is a high concentration-level and skills of study and performing, like golf, curling, pool/ biljards, dart, bowling etc. They are about the same level, but considered as sports.. right?

I wouldn’t resign. Not usually that is. 

I would resign, it's a very easy endgame convert to win. If it would be a game when the opponent has serious time trouble, i would go on, but otherwise.... no

I would resign.... It's almost insulting to play on against black in that position.

Still, you do you. Especially in daily games where not resigning is not quite as annoying.

Even if black didn't have a bishop in that position I would resign.

Hi Snowy.

I know of someone playing a game and she was in a hopeless looking situation. She, maybe even stubbornly, played on where I was thinking why doesn't she just resign.

Anyway, her apponent made a mistake and ended up handing her a checkmate opportunity which she took and won.

Since then I'm sometimes not so quick to resign what looks like a lost cause. If my opponent is clearly a better and stronger player I'd be more likely to resign a big disadvantage (personally I would have in this game)

But then of course there's an opportunity of an error in moving so an opponents king cannot move but is not in check. Nearly happened to me in a recent game.

I suppose then it's to judge each game as it comes and while being realistic not to be too quick to throw in the towel. And for the one with the big advantage sometimes to know a bit more patience and understand a winning position isn't a win til it's a win, so don't just expect it to be handed to you on a plate.

Wonderful. Thanks for the detailed tip!

Also thanks to the rest of you guys! I now know what I will do normally in situations like these.

Everyone may continue commenting if they like but I will be done with this forum.

resign and use the time gained to learn from your mistakes.  [this assumes you eventually want to be a stronger player.]

I have become a much better player by not resigning. Usually I just lose from a really bad position, but I learn more from losing than winning. But whether I win, lose, or draw a bad position by playing on I have learned to see things I would not have seen before. 

As is ever the case in these debates, the majority of titled players will be for resigning, and the rank and file club players and the beginners will say "Never Surrender!".  You can decide which group you aspire to be in for yourself .

I was just noticing the same thing. The only times I wouldn't resign is if I was having an interesting discussion in the chat, if the game was part of an important tournament, or another game I really wanted to win for some reason, or if the game was played against someone much weaker than me

Yes, fighting to the end might make a tiny difference in games won, but I'd rather just resign and start a new game than spend time finishing a monotonous, one sided endgame. Overall, that's probably better for your rating to take the point loss and go play a more complex and interesting position

Well, I wanted to. But the stories of samurais taught me that we should never give up, even if Godzilla is straight looking at you (like omg its soooo cute).

I think most people would agree fighting to the end will make a tiny difference in games won. The number of games won or drawn from a very bad position is very small. But I dont think that is at all the reason to keep playing. Just like all games, coming from behind can be very rewarding. If it's a complex or interesting position, there can be drawing (or even winning) options if you can find them. 

I think it's more about playing the game and respecting your opponent. I think it's disrespectful to quit when your opponent gets an advantage. In the game of Sorry, it's bad sportsmanship to quit when you have 4 pawns on the board while your opponent has 3 home and the 4th only one square away. Of course it's only a game, but manners matter. To me at least. 

We have all played games where we've won or drawn from a horrible position (Q+K vs. K stalemate for example). And we have all lost games we should have very, very easily won. So we all know, for a fact, that it happens. I agree that it happens rarely, but again I dont think that's the issue. When a player plays to checkmate, he wins the way the game was designed to be played. And the losing player grants him that win the most respectful way. When someone resigns (because they dont like the position) they deny the winning player that satisfaction and respect. Nobody ever knows, for sure, if checkmate would have come.

...your opinion is the only basis for this statement.

If the mate is particularly unique or hard fought, sometimes a GM will "allow" the mate and not resign (see:  Game of the Century).  GMs do not play out losing pawn races and K+Q endgames, or K+R endgames, because it is *not* respectful, by tradition, and by common sense.  Bullet and blitz are exceptions, for the simple reason that the time being wasted in a single game is minimal.

We've been through this before.  Each game has its own etiquette, and none are more "valid" than the others overall.  Your "play out your best game at all times to show respect your opponent" stance doesn't even fly in the biggest sports, which also have their own unique evolved etiquettes than involve "less than optimal" play or "giving up before the outcome is 100% assured":

- Soccer players kick the ball out of bounds and give it back to the other team after an injury, and often teams pass the ball around and do not attempt to score when a player goes down, waiting for the whistle

- Teams take a knee in football at the end of the game close it out faster to show respect for the other team, and the opposing teams are not even *allowed* to keep charging at full speed when they do

- Baseball teams do not steal bases when they are ahead by a lot of runs

- Losing and winning golfers concede putts, even though you can technically win a golf game no matter how many strokes down you are

- Runners concede races by slowing down before an obviously losing finish to save themselves for the next heat (heck, sometimes races have runners in them that are only there to set a pace and have no intention of winning it at all...what a lack of respect!)

- Tennis players concede well placed volleys rather than make a weak return

- Boxers et al concede bouts

By your logic, none of those things should be happening, because not giving your all is universally and absolutely disrespectful to your opponent.  If your stance is that resigning is always disrespectful, then the other end of that spectrum, running up the score, is ergo respectful, because it shows you are truly worried about opponent's ability to come back and win...except, no.  Different things are considered respectful or disrespectful in different games.

I could go on and on, because almost every sport and game has some kind of example of non-optimal play that is etiquette-based...but why bother?  "Nobody ever knows for sure" is not an argument that makes sense.  What matters is the individual game's rules and etiquette in those situations.

Bringing your ideals for T-ball over to Formula One racing does not really amount to anything.  It's a false equivalency.

Bravo. My opinion exactly. Thanks for taking the time to write it all out

I'd resign immediately. Chances of not losing rely on some terrible accident happening to my opponent and there is nothing to learn from playing on for either side.

I'd resign,  I've been outplayed/blundered,  even if I win for some reason I didn't earn the win to accept it, plus not resigning irritates the opponent

POST NUMBER 69 hahahahahaha