Draws

Hello Friends,

Can someone please point me to a link that explains draws in chess.  I am looking to understand is what material constitutes a draw. I have lost games thinking it was going to be a draw when the opponent won. It is also part of chess strategy knowing what pieces enable you to get a draw.  I still do not understand such a basic concept. I am looking for a chart if you will that shows all the material requirements for a draw.  Also, I had a draw after both myself and the oppoent made the same exact moves 3 or 4 times in a row. Does anyone know the exact number of moves required for chess.com to determine a game a draw? Thanks everyone.

At the top of this page is a menu. Under "Learn" is a link to the rules on chess. There is a section on draws.

In addition , draws also occur when one player runs out of time, but his opponent does not have "sufficient mating material". So having only a K; or K+N; or K+B, when your opponent times-out will mean the game is drawn.

This website (understandably) simplifies the latter situation. The rules of FIDE and USCF are different with respect to the interpretation of insufficient material. Do a forum search if you want to know more...it is too complicated to go into detail here.

The 3-fold repetition rule requires only that the same board position arises three times with the same player having the move. It does not have to be in succession, and the moves that create that board position do not have to be the same. It is not an automatic draw, but has to be claimed by the player.

To confuse the matter further, FIDE changed the rules today.

In addition to the three-fold repetition (not required to be consecutive) and 50 move rules, they have introduced a 5-fold repetition (which must be consecutive) and 75 move rules. In the case of the new rules the game is automatically drawn if either case is met.

Whether this gets implemented in chess.com I do not know.

This is good to know. Always thought the moves had to be in succession.

I don't get this. Wouldn't the 3-fold repetition happen before the 5-fold repetition? And wouldn't the 50 move rule happen before the 75 move rule?

At 3-fold and 50 consecutive moves, the draw is not automatic. It has to be claimed.

He is saying these new ones would be an automatic draw.

You are correct that the 3-fold and 50 move rule would occur before the 5-fold and 75 move rule. The crucial difference is that the former two require a player to claim the draw (the arbiter has no say), but the latter two are an automatic drawn game.

I believe the reason is to cut down on long games such as K+Q vs K+Q endgames.

How would the arbiter keep track of the move count then?

By looking at the players score sheet I suppose.

Wouldn't that distract the players?

If the arbiter looking at the scoresheets (which he must always be allowed to do) then that is a problem with the players.

No. Wearing a clowns hat, blowing a whistle, and jumping up and down might distract the players, but standing next to a player viewing his scoresheet should not.

Considering some of the silly things I've heard chess players say distract them, I wouldn't be surprised to find many are distracted by such a process.

Oh, yeah. That's better. Reminds me how they were saying 30 years ago that computers would make our lives easier.

The only improvement I've seen is that I no longer have to walk to 7-11 to get my porn. :)

Thanks for all the good info you provided. But I am almost certain that I was playing a game where me and the oppenent made either three or four of the same consecutive moves and the software created the draw. I never sent a request or accepted one.  Is that possible that the software automatcially draw the game? 

Automatically ? no, that is not possible.

If the game was drawn it was because your opponent clicked the "offer draw" button. In situations where the 3-fold rep or 50 move rule apply, clicking the "offer draw" button will draw the game without a response being requested or required from the other player.

Lagomorph....I played a 10 minute blitz game in the last two weeks and after 3 moves consecutive moves by me and oponent,  the softare declared the game a draw. Are you suggesting that the opponent can draw the game by offering a draw and the software will draw the game without me accepting the draw. That doesn't make sense to me. I think it is automatic. But I appreciate your input on how you think it works.  I will email the site admin to see if they can give a definitive answer.  I will post when I hear back from them. 

Probably your opponent clicked the Draw/Claim Draw button. In this case, you do not have the option to accept as it is the rule in chess that after 3 moves resulting in the same position, either player can claim the draw.

This is an official rule in chess, not a Chess.com rule.