How to play for a draw?

Absolutely.

Last round of the two-day tourney. Had about 30 minutes on the clock and yes there was a chance I could have won.

That said, it was bishops of opposite color and we each had a rook on the board. The odds were that I would make a mistake before the end which may have still given a draw result but could have also left me losing the game.

I was happy with the result. Won the Class C prize and gained over 50 rating points.

Ah, it's tough to refuse when a draw will win you money.

If you're looking to improve though, I think a fighting spirit is important. 30 minutes is so much time. Think of the experience and lessons you missed out on.

Well, that's my $0.02 anyway. I can't really talk, I used to be overly willing to draw with stronger opponents.

Playing for a draw loses against higher rated players.

Yeah, I wasn't really paying attention to the standings at the end. If I won I probably would have received $30 extra but if I lost I would have received $100 less.

Had I seen a forced way to increase my lead/position, I would have played on. My bishop was also between two pawns protecting both so that also informed my decision.

Chess Titan level 10: lolz!

The biggest mistake is too many people say "play for a draw against stronger opposition" or "don't ever play for a draw".

First off, pay ZERO ATTENTION to his rating.  Don't ever base a decision on your opponent's rating.

That said, base your goal on the current position.  If you are down a pawn with no compensation, you probably should be trying to draw, always keeping an eye open for situations that completely change the assessment (i.e. your opponent makes a subtle blunder).  If you are up a pawn and your opponent has no compensation, don't offer him a draw, try to win!  If you slip up, and suddenly see that you are worse, you have to switch gears and play for the draw.

It's never black and white, and playing for a win or draw via pre-meditation is something only a moron would do.

Study the games of players such as Vidmar, Anderssen, and Leko and all will become clear.

an act medium planing

Play the board, not the rating.

Playing for a draw is a surefire way of getting your butt kicked IMO.

Having learned the word snarky here I see it has two meanings. My comment was not meant derogatory. It was intended to hit the approach. Stronger is so for some reason. If your stronger opponent doesn't have special problems atm you have to work hard for a draw. Best is to play as good ad you can every move and not to care about the result of the game.

Here's one tip noone else is likely to say: strongly consider trading your rooks off. 

The conventional wisdom is to keep rooks on the board "all rook endgames are drawn". However at the amateur level, rook endings can be very difficult to play right. If the ending with minor pieces looks like it's a draw, my advice is to trade down to that. Do not keep the rooks on the board as a matter of principle, it is too easy to make a mistake on the weaker side.   

The problem with this idea is that you will play a weaker game if you play this way.  Just try and make the best moves is good advice.

and learn the principles of rook endings.

I’m playing a tournament (Algeria’s greatest treasure’s Martyr’s memorial), my 1st. After well over a year we’re approaching the final 6 players. I think I’m going to make it. The contest is for players rated 0 to 1,500. The best 2 players are currently at 1699 & 2045. They’ll beat the rest of us, with no problems. I think if I can manage 1 stalemate against either one of them, then I can take 3rd place. There must be an opening with more draws than the rest, like the ones mentioned above. I’ll try practicing those. Wish me luck. Thanks.

Probably be several more months, we have players that won’t even make an opening move until the last minutes of each 3 days. Plenty of time to prepare.