Should we get rid of Abort?

NO WAY

Skimming through this topic, it seems that there aren't any good reasons for keeping "Abort".

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Edit: This seems like a stronger argument, I didn't spot it the first time.

"if someone isn't moving at the start of the game and i get impatient i can click it. if i see that there is a red bar indicating a lag i might wait."

I sympathize with this. For one minute games, it makes sense that a 30 second waiting period is way too long. There should be a common standard for how long it's okay for someone to take for the first move, though, instead of leaving it at the whim and (im)patience of the opponent. I don't see why a 15 second limit on the first move shouldn't be enough, at least for 1-2 minute games.

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The most mentioned argument is, people want to try out their openings, or they just want to play as one side or the other. Well, you shouldn't be able to play only one side in rated games, it's unfair. Even if that side is black. If you could do this, then that would cut your preparations in half. Also, as was mentioned, the pairing algorithm will make you encounter your preferred color less often.. I'm assuming this makes you abort an increasing number of games inbetween each of your own games. Not good.

These are the best ways I can think of to handle the situation without unfairly inconveniencing the other part by systematically aborting:

- Patiently set up an Unrated challenge and just do the extra bit of waiting. Don't waste other people's time, waste your own if you want something specific. Unrated is perfect for practice anyway, and your argument is that you're practicing an opening.

- Keep a "practice" opening ready for both sides.. Better yet, keep a few! Unless you consider 1. e4 an opening, you'll not always get your wanted opening anyway. (And certainly not as black.)

- Practice your openings in Online games where you can set up an opening before the game, or against the computer, or against friends. Treat rated games as a test for your whole arsenal.

Other arguments:

a) Accidental start of a game because you automatically hit "New game" after dropping your queen.

If you do hit "New game", you bring up another player, who is looking to play. You inconvenience that player by taking too lightly on hitting the "New game" button and then aborting. It's a silly mistake that could happen, for sure, but you should take the consequence, not your opponent. Not that it's a huge deal for either side, but if anyone should take the consequence, it's the person who is responsible for the misfire. You can "pay" by forfeiting a few points of your rating (resigning) if you really don't want to play after all.

b) Not playing abusive players who you just played two games prior who spent the entire time questioning your maculinity and ancestry.

Disable the chat. The chess board doesn't mock you.

c) Fixing snafu's in settings like you meant to play a 2/1 game and hit the 30 minute game instead.

See a). If anyone should be made to take a little punishment for this mistake, it's the one who's responsible for it.

d) Aborting games with guys from Madagascar because everyone knows they are all fiends or sockpuppets.

Yeah.. bad. =)

e) Realizing that you have to pee even though you hit the "New game" button.

See a). Also.. Just a thought, this could also happen after move 1, or move 2, or move 3.. in which case, you run and pee at the cost of your clock, or you resign.

f) Suddenly realizing that the comment board is full of insults and you are going to play this jerk again.

Disable the chat.

As near as I can tell from reading this forum, people who abort games want to keep the abort option.  This is hardly surprising.  My question to those who abort games is:  How often are you aborting games to where simply resigning in the same situation would adversly affect your rating?

People (myself included) REALLY care about their rating on this site.  But, if you're aborting because you "have" to play black, or because you want to try out that new opening, why not just play an unrated game?

If you've signed up for a rated game, and you've set your filter properly, then why are you aborting enough games to care about removing abort?

No. A number of times I've wanted to play just my friend, and at the end of our game I'll accidentally hit the other option besides Rematch (can't remember exactly what it says), and then I'll be playing some random person!

Abort will still be available, just means that your rating will drop. Rating drop is a small price to pay considering it is your choice to abort. I don't care what excuse you use to justify using it. If playing black and your opponent not moving, just wait (I prefer a shorter time of say 10 seconds) as I play live chess mostly blitz. I have aborted games in the past because I have had unexpected interuptions and only use it very rarely so loosing a few rating points does not concern me. If some people try to exploit this proposed new feature by waiting the "30 seconds" in the hope that the opponent will resign will backfire on them so only idiots would gamble with that strategy, and idiots and chess don't go together generally.

The same thing has happened to me, I've lost count of how many times. I don't even know I've hit the New Game option until a new game starts. I stopped playing for a few months because of this. I think the buttons are too close together, and it's too easy to hit the wrong one. Maybe this could be changed?

If there are legitimate interface problems that are causing people to abort games then perhaps those should be addressed first.  But, I believe the vast majority of people are aborting games because they forgot to pack their big boy britches.

On the rare occasion that you hit the wrong button causing you to play some one you dont want to, just abort (simple). You only lose rating points not money.

not allowing abort will inflate/deflate ratings like timing out already does

no of course not.

but adjust it.

The issue I would have is that it's very easy to accidently start more than one game at once in live chess. Usually I don't even realise I've done this, until I finish the game I was playing, and notice there was another game window open which has been auto-aborted because I didn't even notice it existed. If you get penalised for failing to make your first move in a game, I'd lose a lot of games in that manner.

Having said that, I wouldn't have a problem with the abort button itself going, as long as you don't get docked rating points for not starting a game you weren't aware of.

Also here's a thought - what if neither player notices the game window? In this case, it's simply a 50-50 toss-up over who gets penalised, it's the person who is unlucky to be given the white pieces.

Is there anything like abort abusers. If someone aborts a game on you, just start a new game. It doesn't take much effort, just a click of a button. Remove 'abort' option and people with bad connection will lose unfairly.

Automatically resign? No, this is pure nonsense. How about instead that the clocks start when the games start, just like it is done when your playing a live tournament. Now, when my rival plays an uncommon opening, not only do I not have time to decide how to reply, but now I lose rating points for it? What is this bullshit? If I play a 5 minute game, I should be able to have the right to reserve those 5 minutes to think about the position whenever I want to, whether it be the first move or once we leave the opening.

No way in hell. This is just stupid. I'll leave chess.com if you do this.

Am I the only one who doesn't want their rating to go UP in an unfair way? I am against the idea of removing the abort button.

After reading much of this thread and the pros & cons of removing this fuction, how about a compromise?

Keep the abort button at it is but add a hidden tally for the "bad apples" who supposely love to abuse it for whatever it suit their reasons. This "tally" should only increase in value when one's keeps aborting games in succesion but should be resetted if one's do it only one time for the reasons these players demonstrated against removing such a feature. Then, after a certain number have been reached, had the abuser's abort button becoming a resing one. After a while and several games, maybe 100 or more, this resign button may revert back to abort and give the abuser a "think" about his misguided ways.

A bit laborious, but should be efficient I think...

It's a big world out there. Win, lose or draw, my preference is not to play the same opponent more than once. When I get paired against an opponent I have just finished playing, I don't want to play him again. I will abort the game. If I get paired a third time, I've already told him I don't want to play him again. In that scenario, I will "camp" on the game waiting for him to abort. No sense in me being flagged as the "bad guy" when the server is choosing my opponent. If you want to eliminate the abort button fine, but give me the control I want to avoid being re-paired against the same person more than once. You do allow me to filter out opponents based on rating range. How is that treated as "fair play" any different then my attempt at filtering out those opponents I have already played? I say leave the abort button alone unless you can give me better control of who the server assigns as my opponent.

It wouldnt be big deal to me if you got rid ot it. I find my self useing it against lower rated players more often then higher rated ones. But its a nice option, why fix something that isent broke?

Why don't you just keep a limit on how many games you can abort in a row/specific time period to prevent abuse??

If I accidentally start a game I don't want or my mom asks me to come for dinner the first thing I look for is an immediate mate( which is usually not there) or abort if I am within the first 2 moves.

There are many ways I would want to abort a game and abort abuse isn't really too bad.

I mean if someone cancels a game you can get a new one by clicking one of the many dots present on the screen.

Taking away the abort option is only worse than taking away cancel seek option because players feel bad if someone cancels their seek just when they are about to accept it.

Only difference is about 2 seconds.