Is this actually a draw, due to insuficient material.

if ... Qf8 after Qf6 then Bxf8 - Kxf8 then Qh8#

We can see who ran out of time by the last move registered by the server. In this case, it's Black's turn, so Black ran out of time.  If you time-out, typically your opponent would win, but because they did not have enough "material" to mate, the Draw was called.

I know you're staff, but this makes no sense. I think what you meant to say is that if both players have insufficient material and either times out, then it is declared a draw.  Otherwise you're rewriting the rules of chess.

Kasporov Lives.

I don't make the rules, I just know what they are on the site . Some rules can be adjusted depending on the circumstances, anyone who has been to a real Tournament knows that.  

The insufficient material draw rule is even different in Live Chess than our Online Chess due to the circumstances of Live play, in fact I don't think we have one for Online Chess at all.  Don't quote me on that one as I've actually never come across it!  

I suppose this could be interpreted that way, but it's not the way I read it:

Finally, note that in cases where the opponent has insufficient material to mate (lone King, King + Knight, King + Bishop, King + 2 Knights) a draw will be automatically declared where there is a time-out.

If I didn't have to go right now, I would say let's head to Live Chess and test some games :)  Maybe tomorrow/later we can do it and post the results 

You are saying that if my opponent to only a king, and I have two queens, all my opponent needs to do is run out his OWN clock to get a draw?

That is clearly incorrect, and I can tell you that it does NOT work that way at chess.com. I am sorry, but you are misinterpreting chess.com rules.

@Jimmykay:

Thanks for that.  For awhile I thought I had entered the Twilight Zone! 

Blackenne said if EITHER one times out, it is a draw. This is clearly incorrect.

(I presume Blackenne was typing quickly and did not realize it. It was more likely a grammar mistake, but it confused some people, since it came from staff.)

• If the side who has enough material to give mate times out, it is a draw. (edit: Given the title of the thread, that the opponent does not have sufficient mating material.)
• If the side that has only a king times out, that player loses.

It works that way here at chess.com, and everywhere else as well.

Here is an example: My opponent has a lone king and runs out of time. OF COURSE my opponent loses (This is 1 0 bullet, forgive the poor play!, and note the final position is NOT mate):

yes, ponz, I was black in this game. I was premoving everything at the end, just trying not to allow a draw on time myself!

I BEG TO DIFER....

WRONG..."If the side who has enough material to give mate times out, it is a draw (IT IS NOT). If the side that has only a king times out, that player loses. It works that way here at chess.com, and everywhere else as well."?????

If your time runs out before your oppenent... YOU LOSE!!!!

UNLESS....

Occasionally chess games do not end with a winner, but with a draw. There are 5 reasons why a chess game may end in a draw:

• The position reaches a stalemate where it is one player’s turn to move, but his king is NOT in check and yet he does not have another legal move
• The players may simply agree to a draw and stop playing
• There are not enough pieces on the board to force a checkmate (example: a king and a bishop vs.a king)
• A player declares a draw if the same exact position is repeated three times (though not necessarily three times in a row)
• Fifty consecutive moves have been played where neither player has moved a pawn or captured a piece.      

@cptal:

We're talking about the "insufficient material to mate" rule here.  That would be #3 on your list.  Staff member Blackenne is maintaining that if either player has insufficient material to mate, then a timeout by either player results in a draw.  Jimmykay and I are saying that a draw results only if the player with winning chances times out.  If the player with insufficient material times out, it is simply a loss for him.  

read the title of the thread. I agree with you, and that is what I am saying.

If you have a great material advantage and your opponent still has enough to force mate and you run out of time, you lose!

That's not quite what the debate is about though.  We all agree that what you say is true.

we all agree on that.

So you draw when you run out of time and your opponent has insufficient material to force mate.

I think this is fair.