five-minute rule

i'm used to my 30-minute live chess games being forfeited when a player fails to move within five minutes, but i just played a game where my opponent failed to make a move for about fifteen minutes, until the clock ran out. can you clarify this point?

thanks

I don't think the "5 minute rule" you mentioned exists. Usually if one side abandons a game with a lot of time left on his clock, the server will end the game before his time runs out. But it takes longer than 5 minutes.

The rule is when an opponent disconects they have 5 minutes to re-connect. If your opponent simpley don't move, you wait until his clock runs out or you can resign. When this happen, I let their clock run with a few nasty words on the side. There's alot of bad loser jerks out there.

If there is alot of time left on the clock, the system will automatically give you the point if they don't move after some time.

Not sure how long the wait is. I read once in the forums that if they wait for 1/2 of their remaining time, then they automatically lose. So, if they had 20 mins left on their clock, after 10 mins of not moving, they automatically lose.

I've waited for about 20 minuts for their clock to run out. There should be a 5 min rule for moving too. Chess is a game of honor and disconnecting or not moving is a way to cheat. I run into this problem all the time. Chess.com should put a stop to this crap.   

max of 5 mins per move would be unreasonable. It happens quite often that you need more than 5 mins to plan your move in complex or difficult positions.

Also, how is not moving a way of cheating?

not moving isn't cheating, but it takes advantage of someone who could have many other things to do, including playing a real game, but has to wait there watching the clock tick until time runs out. each time a player does this to me i block them from ever again being able to play me. once in a blue moon i know it's a technical issue rather than a bum player, and that's different.

Have you ever played OTB?  If youre playing 30 min, or whatever the time control, you can take as much of the time limit as you want to make a move. 

Why is this so hard to understand? 

Isnt it amazing how you dont see or hear these complaints in OTB tournaments? 

Understood.  I play online, OTB, and at a club.  The only place this is an "issue" is online.  That, and the fact that people are simply way to impatient.

The problem is that your opponent is invisible. In a face to face match he/she might get up and stretch their legs, but you are aware of them doing that. Over the 'net, you have no idea if they are thinking or have simply abandoned the game and are wasting your time

I understand that, but in a 30 minute game, if they decide to take 20 minutes on a move, its there time.  I dont understand how they are wasting your time?  In an OTB game, its not wasting your time.

it's true you can't be sure they're blowing you off; however, when the game proceeds evenly and suddenly you get the upper hand and they disconnect, it's kind of suspicious. also, some players, at such a disadvantage, wait 4 minutes and 59 seconds, then make some move, and do the same thing again, probably hoping for you to resign, abort, or call for a draw. after a while you gain a sixth sense for this kind of thing.

if you change the time control to something like 10min +10sec instead you may end up with a lot less time to wait if someone just blows off moving hoping you will resign.

The 5 minute thing is left game only.

Uunless it starts by no activity on players pc maybe that would be good.

What would count as "no activity" on the pc? I know that I've taken longer than 30 minutes on certain moves before and that would be horrible for anyone that is serious if they got forfeited.

You have overlooked the simple word "and"  If your opponent abandons without letting you know, it is your time being wasted

Like skype even a mouse pointer move negates the count down, someone is still there.

What if someone doesn't touch the computer for 30 minutes while sitting there thinking about their move?