Ettiquette of draw offers in tournaments

I'm curious if experienced players have some insight to offer.

Online, I've often gotten draw offers from my friends (or others) when I have a pretty big advantage. Obviously it's not a good idea to accept, but it's not a big deal to me. I know how to decline, and there's no time pressure and minimal distraction when you are playing turn-based games.

Does anyone have an insight on the proper ettiquette of draw offers during tournaments for "normal" players (that is, non-GM types)? Obviously I'm not going to offer a draw when I've got a substantial material deficit, but how "equal" or "drawn" does a positon have to be before offering a draw is reasonable?

It seems that at duffer levels of skill (lack of skill?) no game is really guaranteed to be drawn, since playing on almost guarantees someone will make an error that might be significant.

i personally think its ok to draw when both you and  your oppenent have an equal position and a shortage of mating material

Games can be drawn for a number of reasons.  Someone is tired, not well, expecting a tough game, has a date, etc.  An equal position is not a reason for a draw, otherwise that would be a given result at move 1.  If you're both short mating material it is a draw.  Better is offering or accepting a draw because you do not feel you can win the position; lack of time, lack of skill (how good are you at B&N vs K?), lack of energy or that the chance of winning is less than the chance of making a mistake and losing-Queen endgames are very difficult to calculate. Or any of the reasons I gave above.  As long as you are not annoying/pestering your opponent with draw offers and vice versa, a draw offer, like a motion to adjourn, is always in order.

You will never learn if you think about draws!Playing difficult and tough endgames, like those mentioned above , is one of the essentials of chess.If you go for the victory you are forced to improve.

Hooray for bgianis's post!!! TO offer a draw, 99% of the time speaks of LAZINESS and DISRESPECT. To resign, 100% of the time speaks LAZINESS and DISRESPECT.

Seeing we're talking about draws, I'll address that. The 1% time a draw is acceptable are the obvious draws,  K and Knight vs. King and Bishop, etc. or NO mating material, not just a shortage.

SO long as there is ANY glimmer of hope remaining to win, an offer of a draw is like a slap in the face. Queen vs. Queen would be a draw if you were playing chessmaster vs. chessmaster. But were not talking about flawless play, or 2600+ play.

Dear chess players, I came to play chess. I came to WIN. You disprespect all my hard work by asking me to accept a draw when, if you BLUNDER, I can win. You deny me, as the previous poster stated, the ability to learn from the endgame. You ask for a draw because, perhaps, you know that you WILL blunder, because your endgame is not up to par.

If an even position and equal material merits a draw, THEN LET'S JUST DRAW BEFORE WE EVEN MAKE ONE MOVE!!!!

In tournaments I have been told and it makes sense to me that the higher rated player makes the Draw offer.

I am not speaking of a 50 point rating spread but when a 1600 is playing an 1800 then it is usually left up to the 1800 to make the offer.

Here at Chess.com a battle to the death every time might make sense, especially if you are young.  But in serious OTB and CC draws are a valid tool and strategy.  I would point out that in a SD TC your desire to squeeze to the bitter end could easily lead to a game lost on time.  If you've only a small advantage it is easier and less time consuming to defend.  The person who blunders should not offer the draw and repeated draw offers are a violation of rules and etiquette.

To say a draw offer is disrespectful is willful blindness and egotism considering only your own point of view.  Why play out a long endgame in which one side has a marginal edge that can't reasonably be converted to a full point?  Just to arrive at the next round exhausted so you can blunder on move 10 and end that round early?

Egotism, you BETCHA! Chess is war. I don't begin any game hoping for a draw. That's why I'm pushing the 2000 rating USCF. I lost track of the # of tourney games I WON that were drawable. I lost track of the # times my OPPONENTS got flustered that our game just went on and on and on and on then the inevitable happened....they blundered.

I've had my share of SUDDEN DEATH games (with BOTH  marginal advantages and disadvantages)  where my opponent has made a purely crappy move and handed the game to me. Of course, it has backfired on me and I have lost my share of games due to the same reason. But averaged out, I know I WON more points than lost.

Egotism? I hope so. Self confidence is a KEY ingredient in winning.

In rated OTB tournaments I very seldom offer a draw, with many of the prevously mentioned reasons in mind.  It is my preference to play, to discover what the position has to offer, and if in doing so I should blunder and lose, then I still learn something about the game for future reference. 

There is one circumstance in which I will consistently offer the draw...  If I am in a much worse position or have a severe material deficit, yet I determine that I can force a draw in some manner (repetition of position, for instance), then I will offer the draw rather than demonstrate it.  In this fashion I will offer my opponent the opportunity to save his time and/or energy for another round and at the same time tacitly admit that he/she possesses the skill or vision to see the draw rather than rub their nose in it.  This is the type of game that would surely be a loss for me if I were to press for more, and the draw is the best outcome that I could reasonably expect. 

Since the original post mentions the etiquette of the draw, and to my knowledge there is no rule describing such (only the mechanics of the offer itself), I submit that IMO the draw offer is an appropriate way to show respect towards your opponent when the outcome of the game can reasonably be determined to end in a draw and there are very few resources for play remaining on the board.

In no case would I offer the draw to my opponent "because he might blunder", as this implies that I don't respect his ability to complete the game properly after demonstrating his skill in the contest so far.  If my opponent has played the better game, then my preference is to play on until all my resources are spent or I have no perceivable compensation, and then admit defeat and congratulate the other player. 

While this is my preference, I also support the player who wants to continue on until he is checkmated.  You can learn a lot by observing how a more skilled player handles the end of the contest, but please be aware that "playing it out" in a hopeless situation (K+Q+R vs. K) will probably be viewed as insulting if done OTB instead of in the post-mortem analysis room.

Brian

 AHhahahaAHHAHAH

 Whats so funny?

 I had to watch a soccer game so i did the same...

I offered a draw down a pawn with opposite coloured Bishops recently, knowing it was a total draw. (pawns were on our Bishops colours, btw, his on Black and mine on White) If it is an obvious draw, I say offer it! If neither player makes much headway in the endgame for a few moves, take the chance of the offer, I say.

Your questions answered: offering a draw, by IM Silman.

". . . never offer a draw unless there’s simply nothing left in the position, and. . . never accept a draw unless the board is devoid of play or if [you] are seriously worse. It doesn’t matter if [you] are playing Kasparov, accepting a draw means [you] will miss out on an important learning experience." - Silman

This says it all for me.  Even in a R+P vs R in a drawn position if there's still that one trick left you HAVE to keep playing until it's DEVOID of all possible play.  Because next time your opponent my test you, and it's better to loose and be forced to fix your problem instead of thinking, oh, I kind of remember this is a draw, and shake hands.

If a titled player offered me a draw in a middle game I certainly hope I wouldn't take it unless there was something obvious like a repetition.  I pay to play in tournaments and I play in them to learn from my mistakes.  Making a premature draw to me is like throwing away my money.

Sometimes players will offer a draw when they gain something tangible from it, like a guaranteed spot in the money, or a guaranteed trophy, etc. I would certainly take a draw if a draw were to clinch an FM title. I've read it's commonplace for players to get draw offers in tournaments when a draw clinches an IM or GM norm. I would also take a draw if taking the draw meant a clear first place, assuming that there was some prize money.

I've offered draws in positions which still had some life to them and had my opponent reject the draw offer. I'm ok with that, it shows fighting spirit. I don't think I've ever intentionally done a "Trojan Horse" draw offer. I was in a tournament game recently against an FM where I had finally reached a clearly drawn position (R + RP vs R), I was the R, and my King was in an OK spot to defend, and my opponent graciously offered a draw. (He had about 5 min left to make all his moves, and I think I had maybe 7 or 8). He did point out afterwards that he could have played on. But it wouldn't have bothered me if he did, since I was sure that I could draw that against him. Who knows, maybe he would forget about the clock and run out of time?

I don't get too worked up about draw offers. Even sometimes a lower-rated opponent will offer a draw in an equal position out of the opening; I generally decline these. They still have to prove that they can play a middlegame, right?

I never offer a draw in a lost position, I try to achive a draw with good play.

If I make a draw offer, it's only because I can't win and my opponent can't win, so I usually claim the draw!

If people offer a draw when they have a lost position, I tell them, "do you think this is a draw?" and offer them to resign instead.

Also, there is some etiquette in OTB draw offers. The higher rated player should offer the draw. The player with the better position should offer the draw. A draw offer should not be made again until the position has changed substantially.

And of course you are supposed to accompany the draw offer with the move made.

I don't know the legality of offering a draw without making a move -- is it a binding draw offer, where the recipient can request you to make a move and then they will consider the draw offer? Or can it be withdrawn?

"A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before stopping his clock and starting the opponent’s clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid but Article 12.6 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In both cases the offer cannot be withdrawn and remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other way."

Fide handbook.

(12.6 is about offering nuisance draws)

I think my policy is good for players that are around or below my rating (1800 USCF). I usually wait until I'm in a theoretically drawn position (or one is in clear sight) to offer a draw (exceptions being opposite colored Bishops and such things). If the position really is a draw, draw it and you haven't really lost anything but a little time! If it's not an obvious draw, an 1800 player can still learn from the position. Every OTB game is valuable; you only get to play so many unless you live in NY or something. I accept my opponent's draws a little sooner than I will offer one on my own. The only problem with my policy is that you could get tired if you stretch your games on too long, but I've never really struggled with that (maybe that is unique to scholastic players, though).

When I really have trouble with etiquette is declining draws. I generally say "I think I'll play on", but that's a little clumsy and takes a while to say, which is a negative in the middle of a tournament.

When declining a draw I usually say "No, thank you."  Sometimes I might add something like I'd prefer to play on.