not enough pieces left???

Oh no it does mean you had no any pieces to checkmate your opponent, so is draw :)

kw1989, if your opponents run out of time, they cannot win the game - only you can. It is as if at that point you take control of all pieces and have unlimited time to make moves (at least it is like this for most situations, I see it as an easy way to rationalise what is happening). Since you did not have sufficient material to defeat your opponent, you could ony take their pawns off the board and draw the game, that is indeed the result of the game. A draw. 

my point is HE ran out of time so I win on time, but I didn't it was a draw :/

You can only win on time if YOU have sufficient mating material left on the board when the opponents time expired.

As you only had a king, that is not sufficient mating material. The game is thus a draw. Normal rules of chess.

nope been playing about 3 weeks, read a book on the saturday started playing on the Sunday i think around Xmas. Also if chess is not against the clock why have one, seems a bit stupid to have a clock if its only used for when the rules suite!!!??/ thats like me out here in Syria at the mo (UK military) saying I can carry my side piece but you can only use it on certain people!! its all or nothing same as the clock surley

The clock was introduced to force players to move and to conclude the game in a reasonable time frame. Before the advent of the clock, some players would sit for hours before making an obvious move, just to wear down their opponents.

For a while, various penalities were discussed for overstepping your time, but loss of the game--the ultimate penalty--finally won out. However, at no time did anyone ever consider that the game of chess had become a race against the clock. It was still a game based on the pieces on the board.

Imagine Magnus Carlsen having only a king and a bishop against a newcomer who has a queen and a rook. Given an infinite amount of time, Magnus might actually win the queen and rook off the newbie. But he can never force the win. With only a bishop, the game must be a draw.

That's the idea behind you getting a draw when your opponent's clock runs out. Without the clock at all, the most you could ever get would be a draw. You can't be awarded a win that you'd never get just because time ran out.

If you'd like to improve at chess, play to a sensible time limit so you can actually form ideas and carry them out - not just get into a woodpushing contest and hope the clock will gift you the occasional win.

And I think you'll find you are limited as to the people you can use your sidearm on - or if not, I hope you stay out there in Syria (in peace and personal safety, obviously. Ex-Service family myself and not so base as to wish you harm).

Are you saying you have no rules of engagement ?

Anyway, I didnt think the UK had any forces in Syria

thanks for your reply Msteen, makes sense now, WOW owtuna you sound like most the remfs I know but thanks for your input. finally Gil-gandel thanks for your support, yes we are limited and is only supposed to be for final personal protection and then I would rather face CM than pick and chose out here who I can and cannot :/

Lagomorph read next comment and yes we have been here for months, just observing and its no secret we are. seeing to fair paly and all that, not that there is any rules for "them"

Glad you take it that way kw1989. Seriously, don't play too much short-time-limit chess early on - you'll learn very little that way. For the rest, you have wiser heads than mine to advise you. :)

 Amen to that brother.. stag on