Why Abort?

As we announced here, and in updates to the Fair Play Policy here, we've made some changes to discourage people from unnecessarily aborting Live chess games.

Basically, we made it easier to see the Rating options for a New Game challenge (allowing users to specify a ratings-range for acceptable opponents), and we also automatically remove the ability to abort if an individual does it too frequently.

The changes are showing some positive effect - although not quite what we hoped for. So what gives?

Are the ratings options still too hard to find/understand? Are there other reasons for aborting that today's features don't address? Let us know! Maybe we'll take the reasons identified here and create a survey to see what else needs to be changed! Thanks much!

well, I mean sometimes my mouse slips and I play Ke2 instead of Bc4...

then I have to abort.

Then you are forced to play the bongcloud

He doesn't want to play such a clearly winning move, in accordance with the gentlemen's agreement in place across all levels of chess.

Might it be possible when players abort to ask them to explain why they are aborting right then? Have a few choices to choose from and an 'other' box to type in an explanation if none of the choices available apply? Is that doable?

Is it still possible to abort/resign less than four moves in without losing points?

If so, it could be that people are unwilling to play against certain openings.

Up to a point... If they abort too much, however, they ultimately lose that ability.. leaving them able to resign only.

Haha! I thought about that too... Make people take a 10-question survey every time they abort even. :D

I would not knowingly contradict her. :) But not knowing what she said, I'll just back out gracefully, and gesture meaningfully toward the relevant FAQ article.

I don't like to abort unless I have a good reason. I have aborted maybe 5 games when I have been on here. If I abort with friends, it is because I just had to tell them I couldn't play now, and of the real games, I accidentally accepted or found out that I had to leave suddenly. I hope I don't get fair play restricted :\

Not. Even. Close. That is exactly the spirit in which Abort was intended to be used.

FYI, the people who are running into trouble are aborting at least 2000% as often.

Hence our confusion.

I've aborted a couple of times when I've seen that the apponent has a poor connection and they don't start the game promptly.

I thought they had just implemented a 15 second auto-abort if the first move hasn't been made.

Just wondering...is there any setting to make clocks start automatically, like in tournaments? Or with a five second delay? That would be very helpful so that I don't keep waiting for people. Even with the new fair play restrictions, I find many people wait 15 seconds before moving, and then move. If they do not move, their punishment does not help me. It seems like chess.com should offer a free rating point or something whenever this happens. But just one, to stop inflation.

Im glad to hear that I am not going to get flagged. I haven't had to wait too long for anyone to move... but in one game a while back, it was a 10 min wait for my opponent to not make a move, so I aborted... :\

I've been getting a lot of games aborted over the last few weeks. I think it's because when I create a challenge for 2/10 the challenge comes up as a 10 minute game, not a two minute game. I've tried it with lots of different combinations, 1/5, 2/15 2/20 and the challenge never shows up right!