Game Drawn - Unsufficing Material - Chess Forums

aidzofspadez

Apr 11, 2012

0

#1

I win on time and the game is drawn by unsuffincing material. Happens all the time. Why don't you fix this?

Xoque55

Apr 11, 2012

0

#2

Assuming this complaint is directed toward Chess.com, it's not the fault of the website. If you practice some basic endgames you'll notice that certain pieces cannot help a King deliver checkmate. In that case, under the rules of chess, there is Insufficient Material to bother trying for a checkmate because it is impossible.

Some examples of games that are drawn due to Insufficient Material:

King vs King+Knight

King vs King+Bishop (that is, a Bishop of either light or dark squares)

King+Bishop(s) vs King+Bishop(s) (assuming that neither side has Bishops of both light and dark squares)

King vs King (of course)

King vs King+2 Knights

The last one may come as a surprise to some people who have heard that checkmate can be reached in a King vs King+Bishop+Knight. A quick glance at the material count shows how both cases are equally matched in terms of point count:

King vs King + Bishop(3 points) + Knight(3 points)

King vs KIng + Knight(3 points) + Knight(3 points)

Yes: King vs King+Bishop+Knight can lead to checkmate for the winning side with a complicated procedure. However, though the point count is identical, it is still impossible for a King and 2 Knights to force a checkmate on a lone King.

Hope this helps!

piphilologist

Apr 11, 2012

0

#3

If you only have a king left when the opponent runs out of time then its a draw. See article 6.9 of the Laws of Chess.

6.9

Except where one of the Articles: 5.1.a, 5.1.b, 5.2.a, 5.2.b, 5.2.c applies, if a player does not complete the prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, the game is lost by the player. However, the game is drawn, if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player’s king by any possible series of legal moves.