Playing for stalemate: does it EVER work???

Not once have I ever succeeded in forcing a semi-competent opponent to stalemate, nor have I ever fallen for a stalemate. Yet time and time again I am forced to close out obviously won positions against opponents seeking stalemate. And yes, they're playing for stalemate - I can tell by their moves (pushing pawns forward, trading off material, etc). It's utterly retarded. Just resign.

Does it ever work? In your experience?

I see your point.

And in Blitz or Bullet I'm sure my argument is wrong. Things happen. But in regular chess or online chess I sometimes take it as an insult against me. I'm like, "this guy doesn't think too highly of me to think I might fall for stalemate".

And as I've said, in my experience it's never once worked. Anyway. Don't want to sound too complainy. It's just something that can get annoying seeing so many people do it. Most resign, but way too many try for stalemate. But it is their right. Just as it's my right to find it insulting. I realize that I'm not exactly an expert, and my opponent knows it, but I would not fall for stalemate.

Well, that's what you do when you have a bare king against K + P and get the opposition.

I don't understand? I am talking about playing for stalemate.

And I don't understand your avatar! Spanish women are beautiful. My mother is spanish American.

It's a kind of joke. If the strong side has its pawn more advanced than its king and you get the opposition, in most cases it will be a draw by stalemate (example: white king on f6, white pawn on f7, black king on f8).

Indeed they are! But usually they have also strong character, I can tell you.

As long as you understand this is the stuff you see online, and not so much in OTB tournament games, you understand that its the annonymity of the internet.  I know a kid that boarders on USCF 1800, and he will make you mate him.  A waste of time?  Sure, but it is what it is.

Yes, why not?

Here is the end of a game of mine, played at the final stage of the Greek 1983 championship. Black has few ways to draw, and picked the most elegant and fastest one (I was Black):

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1069554

-- taken from http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1003221

I see. I am a little slow sometimes.

sure

Definitely. My mother isn't representative of all spanish women and I don't know how much american culture plays into her personality, but "bullheaded" can be an acurate description. Just ask my dad.  

WOW. I would almost be tempted to just move my king if I was white.

I couldn't say it better!

You mean for move 5? After Bxe7 it would be a draw.

Yes, I know that. The king is in the corner and it's a rook pawn. Even without the black bishop it would still be drawn. That's why I said "almost".

Once, I played a game with a friend which ended in a K v. K+B+N endgame--I was the K. Neither of us knew if checkmate was possible with those pieces, so we decided to play it out. We found out later that it is indeed possible to win checkmate with those pieces, but my friend didn't know how, and I was able to get a stalemate.

But in online chess you can just take a break and go watch chess videos on how to checkmate with those pieces, and then come back and apply the knowledge. It's a good example of why I think online chess is kinda lame, but that's a different argument.

I fell into a stalemate in an online tournament game but I don't know if you'd call be semi-competent 

But I'm sure I've seen you make other complaining posts against players not "doing the right thing" so knowing it annoys you I'd probably try for stalemate in case you got annoyed and made a mistake - that IS a totally valid part of chess!

I've almost done it once in OTB. My opponent for some reason chose to lose.