Losing on time in Blitz

How does the computer determine a loss on time versus insufficient mating material? It seems a little silly that the outcome of games come down to who moves the quickest in the last ten seconds when one side is clearly ahead. 

I don't understand your comment...  Blitz chess has been around longer than the advent of computers.  It has nothing to do with the computers.  If you dont want to lose based on just time, select a longer game time or a daily.  And if you still lose on time then, maybe you should give up chess. 

That was not meant as an insult, its just meant as pleasant humor.

Sorry if my phrasing was unclear, what I meant was I've had the computer call the game a draw when a flag falls and also call it a loss. I don't understand the criteria that determine the difference. 

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/what-does-quotflagquot-or-quotflaggingquot-mean

 Thanks, moving very fast at the end is lame.

Just part of the game

 Blitz chess (or even any sort of short timed game) is really about how well you analyze your opponent.  For instance, you will notice some players taking a strategy of trying to get a large buffer of time on their opponents in the beginning. Others will notice their opponent moving slowly and will weigh a timed win strategy over playing to win, so they play very defensively to make the opponent think and to create a situation where there isnt enough time for them to break that defense.  Others will go on a rampant early attack to set confusion, and some just try and swap as many pieces in the beginning as possible.  Some openings work better for blitz than in longer games.  Its all part of what you weigh as you build your strategy for the game. (assuming you are at the point where you actually have a strategy and employ it).  The masters when they play each other rely heavily on strategy to win.  Hence why grand-masters talk about studying their opponents behavior so they know what traps they may fall for, or weaknesses that they can exploit.

Now mind you this is coming from someone that can't seem to get and stay above 800. lol . Im hardly an expert, so this is more of an observation from a person who is trying to improve.

Win or draw is on Flagged games is basically based on Theoretical Mates and Material.  Computer will always give a pawn a value of A Queen. Let's say that Player X has a King and 1 pawn. Player Y has 2 Rooks. If Player Y runs out of time he loses because theoretically Player X can still Queen his pawn and win due to bad play by Player Y.

In the above scenario Player Y seeing he has very little time can trade 1 rook for the pawn and get a draw because Player X it is not theoretically possible for Player X to win with just a King.

And then there was light.....  Thank you!

I must admit, ever since I've changed my strategy in 3/2 games my score has shot up from 820's to 960's...my philosophy...I swap Queens as soon as possible...I find most players can't play without their Queen...meaning they need to "think"  about their moves...thus they end up eating a lot of their time...as I see their time dwindling I just start taking piece for piece, thus they start taking longer time to make a move...I find a lot of players can't play with only a few pieces "fast" like you need to in a 3/2 game...In some ways I feel bad, because I have won games I knew I should have lost, but then again...Chess is strategy...you need to know "how" to play and not just how to play...

just got done with a 3/2 game...they were "1060"...I was "980"...followed my strategy...had "7" so called Blunders....they had "3"...I won only because they were running low on time and they made two bad blunders that allowed me to mate them...so was because I was the better player or had the better strategy...because this no way works in 15/10 games...also don't understand how the computer says it's a blunder...like it can't see the trap I am setting...when I review and follow their suggestions...it just doesn't seem to work...

Aye. I play 10 minute games because I don't have time for the next longest default time (15|10), but I'd rather play 12|0 or 10|5 or something if I didn't have to wait so long for someone to accept it, since it's custom instead of default.

In the end the only goal is to win, and if you find your best chance of winning is by doing things that cause the other player to run out of time, then so be it.  When I started I had a habit of losing because the time would catch me, didn't take long before I realized I needed to either think faster whether by making standard moves in the opening to avoid wasting time thinking or sometimes just not thinking as much to avoid getting killed by the clock.  The OP just needs to adjust his strategy and accept that the clock is part of the game.

I think it's stupid to win a game of chess b/c you're seconds faster. It's a game of strategy and thought, it's one thing to take more time than is reasonable but seconds more or less to determine a game regardless of who's actually ahead? Crazy! Not chess, a mess.