If you don’t accept at least one rematch after you win, then you lose.

I personally don't accept rematches most of the time, but when I do, I think it's good practice to play at least 5 games with that person if you have the time. I think that rematches are good for developing a larger opening repertoire, but it's perfectly fine and not cowardly to refuse a rematch. Sometimes you just don't want to commit to chess for a certain duration.

At amateur level chess is played for fun. Fun is a 100% psychological factor. How comes that declining a rematch for psychological reasons is not a valid reason for you?

I wish Chess.com would create a special kind of live chess where both contestants agree in advance to play best two of three. All the whiners and complainers could go play there and leave the chess players in peace

The more of these threads I see and the more abusive chat I see when I refuse a rematch the more I figure they should just disable the rematch button because it just encourages rage monkeys to abuse people. Maybe limit it to friends and +2000 people or something. 

Of course it is! And there have been at least 100 similar threads over the years, and they were garbage too

Sometimes the game itself is just a tool for some kind of outcome the player wants to experience or achieve. The rematch idea is just too narrow of an idea to cover the wide gamut of possible experiences a player can have playing this game.  To insist on the rematch idea as the proper way to play this game is biased and too self-serving to say the least.  

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I completely agree with this. It's so frustrating to not receive a rematch. Everytime I win, I wait to see if my opponent offers one, if I don't offer it myself. And if I have any majority reason that prevent me from playing again, I explain it.

Why to explain anything? My opponent didn’t explain why he asks a rematch, he just clicked the button, I also just click the button - Decline.

We all know the reason anyone asks for a rematch. They want to try again. It's called sport spirit. Declining a rematch request, however, at least after the very first match and having won, is kind of rude and not very sporty. If you see the rematch challenge and you have a reason that prevents you from playing again, the best would be to excuse yourself rather than ignoring your opponent. Then it's understandable. Anyone with a sport spirit will be willing to play with any opponent a second time, if not now, some other day.

I also have a very obvious reason to decline: I don't want to try again right now, no need to explain it in words, a button click will suffice.

There is nothing rude or unsportsmanlike in declining a rematch request. In competitive chess rematches simply don't exist. Just try to play a rated OTB game in a tourney, ask for a rematch and see the reaction.

I find if i rematch someone the game gets rather stale and no real surprises happen as the opponents learned a lot from each other the first time,  i would only rematch players who are good sports or have some insight on how i or he can play better, but asknig for a rematch without saing good game, no thx.

This reminds of people who get mad when you refuse their takeback

i dont even have the takeback option on, what a stupid thing to have unless you are playing c hildren.

I'm pretty sure every grand master has played most of their opponents more than once. A lot of tournaments are the best of 3 or 5, and there's always the next tournament. If you don't feel like trying again right now, that's fine, but it's still rude not to at least excuse yourself and ignore your opponent when they're sending you a request. The best you can do is, if not play the rematch then, send a friend request and play it later.

I have nothing against playing same opponent again when the seek algorithm will pair us up in the future.

Please give me an example of a tournament where it's "the best of 3 or 5". I don't know any. In vast majority of OTB tournaments you play an opponent just once. In 10 years of competitive play as a club member I have never played same player more than once in the same competition. And even if more than one game is played it's predefined by the format of the competition. Format here is simple: one game. Rematch button was added as convenient mean to play more games with same opponent when both want it. Then people like you started inventing "rules" around it.

I have nothing to excuse myself for as I do nothing wrong. We agreed to play one game, that's it. If my opponent doesn't write me why he wants to play again I don't see any need to write him why I don't want it.

For what I've heard there are tournaments in which players play multiple games. If not in chess, in most sports. And even if there aren't, as I said, there's always the next tournament. Saying that you would only play with some opponent if you happen to be forced, like if you're lucky enough to be paired by the algorithm once again, is pretty much the same as not being willing to play with that opponent again, as you're not doing anything form your part to allow that rematch to happen. You can argue that you have the right to leave not giving any excuse, since a rematch is an agreement of both parts; and you'd be right; but it's still ignoring a person, it's still rude and it's still unsportmanlike.