What is the worst way to lose at chess?

The worst has got to be to lose on time while you're in the process of delivering mate to Magnus Carlsen, and then drop dead from shock.

i dont know my opponent just resgned without playing a move, and then challenged me to another game, and we played a full game .....

A cerebral haemorrhage would be a terrible way of losing.

When my grandfather died he left a small notebook with his correspondence chess games. One of the games ended rather abruptly with the comment "opponent deceased". You could say that it's also a pretty awful way to win. ;)

I was playing an OTB tournament about 4 years ago, and was on the top table in my rating group going into the last round.  The last round I was against a player rated significantly higher than I was, who also had a reputation of being an unpleasant fellow.  The tournament times were 40/90 G/30.

We both got through our first 40 moves, and the game was extremely close, both positionally and time-wise.  I gradually opened up a significant advantage, but was slightly behind on time (a big deal, I had ~1 minute left to his 2).  We were the last game going in the room, so everyone who was left, including the TD, came over to watch.  I pinned his queen to his king with my queen, and I had a pawn backing up my queen, so I was about to go up a queen and win the tournament.  He tried to move his queen elsewhere, but I told him it was check, and the TD took a minute off his time.  He then proceeded to move another piece instead.  I knew about the touch-move rule, but I figured the TD would have said something, as he was standing right there.  The TD said nothing, I assumed that because he didn't make a legal move his touch didn't count, we played on, and I ended up losing on time.  

After the game, one of the other players in the room started screaming at the TD, saying that he should have called touch-move.  The TD insisted it was his position to enforce, but not call, rule infractions.  Another person then started yelling at my opponent, that he knew better and he was a dirty cheat.  My opponent started yelling back that he would break every rule possible in order to win, at which point I called him a piece of scum the likes of which I relieve myself from daily in the bathroom.  He then started yelling at me and challenged me to a fight outside.

The next week, I talked to the TD and he said he wrote in to USCF, and got a reply that he should have enforced the rule himself, seeing as it was the difference between a won game and not a won game (my opponent having no time left, and me being up a queen).  All he could really do at that point was apologize and ban my opponent from the club for a year, which he did.  That's my horror story, losing out on first place money because of time pressure, lack of knowledge, a sleazy opponent and a TD that didn't do his job.  

he must have lost a few games himself as well

can somebody give me the background here .....

P.S. your handle is the greatest oxymoron I have ever come across !

I did not say checkmate, I just checkmated my opponent but then I saw it was check on me! So he said illegal move!

In most blitz games in Iceland the rule is illegal move = lost game

#unshenina

smoothie mate

The worst for me is losing on time when I am 1-2 moves away from mate, especially when I know I'm low on time and have to move fast.

In my opinion, the worst way to lose a chess game goes like that :

You have a really nice winning move but you have a few seconds on the clock and you can't find it, so you play another move which you think leads to a draw. But then, your oponnents plays the rook on the 8th and... CHECKMATE !

Positionally completely winning, and then....

P.S. your handle is the greatest oxymoron I have ever come across !

Thanks, that was the goal 

thnx ....

getting beaten by a girl

Loosing to me is cruel in a psychological view.

I think if you combine AlxMaster and Carnage's suggestions you get close to the right answer.

As a former TD, this topic raises many important questions in my mind. Here's one.

Player A and player B are playing a tournament game. It is currently A's move and his clock is running. A runaway bus crashes through the wall, splits in two, hitting and killing both players but leaving the table, board and clock intact. After some time, A's clock flags.

Does B get the win on time? If so, is this the worst way for A to lose at chess?

Nice

On a popular twitchtv stream.

That gets uploaded to youtube.

Hits 50,000+ views.

In four moves.