Draw due to insufficient material to mate

Sort:
Avatar of piscatorox

So I just had a game in which I had K +N and my opponent had K+N+3P, and my opponent ran out of time. Objectively I was dead lost on the board, but since I could in principle give mate, I was surprised that the result was called a draw for insufficient material.

Googling suggests chess.com defines insufficient material as insufficient material to mate a bare king., is this right?

So does this also mean that in some of the well known positions with K+N vs K+P or K+N+N vs K+P, which are forced mates for the side with the knights, chess.com will then call the game a draw if the side with the pawn runs out of time?

(I don’t care about chess.com rating points; but I am intrigued by what seems a slightly wacky and unconventional way of defining insufficient material)

Avatar of vivi132
Hello
Avatar of blueemu

The rules you are quoting are FIDE rules.

Chess.com is based in the USA and uses USCF rules.

Try googling THAT.

EDIT: If I recall correctly, the applicable USCF rule is #14.something.

Avatar of LeeEuler

Yes chess.com doesn't recognize such positions as a win, it is just the way they do things. Related, if you have not yet seen it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxKmO0SCNkc&ab_channel=agadmator%27sChessChannel