Only if you have their brains wired up to some sort of monitoring device. Then ...
But I digress. It is a problem for the site, but the solution is far from obvious.
Abandoning a game in stead of resigning.
Sort:
There's no way to tell, so I'd assume good faith.
No, we can't tell for sure. The fact that people disconnect, having just dropped a piece or fallen into a mating net is pure coincidence and nothing whatsoever may be drawn from it. 
Is this not a form of tactical retreat or some players just cant stand defeat of any kind WHY?
Is this not a form of tactical retreat or some players just cant stand defeat of any kind WHY?
Is this not a form of tactical retreat or some players just cant stand defeat of any kind WHY?
Matthew2219 wrote:
Twice today I had games "abandoned" by my opponents after they were "disconnected". Their connections looked perfectly fine but their positions were hopeless. This may have been beyond their control, or it could be a rude way of failing to resign. Can we tell which is the case?
Welcome to online chess, they do it because they're poor losers -- this happens 2,362,435,864,123,853 times a day, it's not worth mentioning.
People will also call you a cheater for taking a knight they hung, or instead of resigning will let their clock run out so you have to wait. Again this happens all the time and isn't worth talking about. As you play higher rated players it happens less often.
I once fell into a mating net and was quickly offered scissors. I declined with a smile.
Thanks!
orangehonda wrote:
Matthew2219 wrote:
Twice today I had games "abandoned" by my opponents after they were "disconnected". Their connections looked perfectly fine but their positions were hopeless. This may have been beyond their control, or it could be a rude way of failing to resign. Can we tell which is the case?
Welcome to online chess, they do it because they're poor losers -- this happens 2,362,435,864,123,853 times a day, it's not worth mentioning.
People will also call you a cheater for taking a knight they hung, or instead of resigning will let their clock run out so you have to wait. Again this happens all the time and isn't worth talking about. As you play higher rated players it happens less often.
Agreed. This topic is heavily belabored. We get upset when it happens; yeah, yeah. When people abandon intentionally, it is bad sportsmanship. When it happens by accident, that's... well, that's that. But regardless of the position, we will never know the true reason behind any individual's abandonment (unless they leave a message). We can assume until the cows come home (you know, like, "Oh, come on! Don't be so naive! I had them in a mate-in-1!" Or, "Get real; they had like 15 minutes left on their clock, and they leave right when it's hopeless for them?"), but that will always be short of knowing. So regardless, each individual case, barring more unusual circumstances, always merits the benefit of the doubt.
Against "disconnect instead of resign" opponents, a button "claim win in case the opponent is disconnected" can resolve the issue.
i just give benefit of the doubt on it, there's been a few times where I played and had another tab open to listen to pandora and my internet froze up. *shrug* it's just a game
I really don't see the point in stressing over this. The outcome is the same.
...live and let live.
Dec 30, 2010
0
#15
Well i've lost games where i was in a stronger position but my connection got hung It does happen a lot.
Jan 25, 2012
0
#16
Matthew2219 wrote:
Twice today I had games "abandoned" by my opponents after they were "disconnected". Their connections looked perfectly fine but their positions were hopeless. This may have been beyond their control, or it could be a rude way of failing to resign. Can we tell which is the case?
[The site has a policy that naming and shaming is not allowed. Moderator]
Twice today I had games "abandoned" by my opponents after they were "disconnected". Their connections looked perfectly fine but their positions were hopeless. This may have been beyond their control, or it could be a rude way of failing to resign. Can we tell which is the case?