Resolved: automatic draw due to insufficient material after time-out - bug? - Chess Forums

Tom_van_Diepen

Jul 16, 2011

0

#1

Hi,

I disconnected involuntarily in a game against petrovaslatina, with me playing black and 30-something seconds on my clock (see below).On returning and to my surprise I had been granted a draw, even though theoretically I could have lost the game (with black king on a1, pawn on a2, white king on c1/2 and bisshop somewhere on the diagonal b2-h8).

I wonder, is it a bug? (And has the subject been covered earlier? ;-)

Kind regards,

Tom

TadDude

Jul 16, 2011

0

#2

Tom_van_Diepen wrote:

Hi,

I disconnected involuntarily in a game against petrovaslatina, with me playing black and 30-something seconds on my clock (see below).On returning and to my surprise I had been granted a draw, even though theoretically I could have lost the game (with black king on a1, pawn on a2, white king on c1/2 and bisshop somewhere on the diagonal b2-h8).

I wonder, is it a bug? (And has the subject been covered earlier? ;-)

Kind regards,

Tom

Not a bug, a persistent question.

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/since-when-did-this-rule-change

http://blog.chess.com/webmaster/live-chess-gets-some-love

"Automatic draw on time-out if opponent has insufficient mating material: KB, KN or KNN"

Tom_van_Diepen

Jul 17, 2011

0

#3

Hi TadDude,

Thank you for reply. I will check out the links (and probably wrap this topic up ;-)

Thanks again,

kind regards,

Tom

Tom_van_Diepen

Jul 17, 2011

0

#4

Hi all,

Following the first link provided by TadDude I found the remark below by DavidMertz1 usefull (italics and bold print by me). It is not the last word on the subject, but at least I now know where the draw was coming from, and that it is not due to a bug.

16th July 2011, 01:11pm

#7

by DavidMertz1
Milwaukee, Wisconsin United States

Member Since: Jan 2010
Member Points: 77

According to USCF rule 14E2, "The game is drawn even when a player exceeds the time limit if... Opponent has only king and bishop or king and knight, and does not have a forced win."

It's one thing to not expect best play. It's another to assume the opponent will promote one of his pawns to an opposite colored bishop and then put his king in the corner with the bishop next to it.

Thanks again to TadDude.

Tom