It seems to me that chess.com is a site devoted to good sportsmanship, not ruthless competition.
So what if you lose some honest games, where you honestly were contemplating a move and chess.com decided that you took too long? That is the price to pay for fair play in this site. There are other alternatives to this site however...the power of competition :)
Chess.com has some weird ideas on "fair play".
1) FAIR play is, there are time controls, and a player is allowed to use his time controls as he/they need to.
UN fair play is Chess.com capriciously, arbitrarilly and WITHOUT WARNING will force a forfeit of a game if a player takes too long on a move, REGARDLESS of how much time is left on the clock.
Sure, it's annoying when some jerk player stalls in a lost position - but you and your server don't know if it is a lost position, now do you?
The other chess site like ICS and FICS allow adjourned games, and the allow for adjourned games to be AUTO ADJUDICATED - where a chess engine examines to see if the game is clearly lost, and then adjudicates.
But this is at the player's request, and it is not the same as your arbitrary forced forfeit of a game.
chess .com has some weird polices on fair play........oh sure they just can't wait for u to play and then get caught up in a silly chess dispute/
Brad I thought we were on the same page ? How wrong I was.
not making the first move when the game start (should go back start reading "Chess for Dummies"), the unfair play come in , I applause for that. (remember, if you are not prepare to play live chess, don't play live)
oppo. and I playing well into the fndgame but is checkmate in one move but oppo when dead , stop moving, unfair play come in yay ! I am ok to wait till the end if is it a five min game.
otb I can see the opponent, internet I can't see the opponent, big difference.
Someone not moving when a game is started is just dumb, and they deserve what they get. But, BQ and the OP make good points. I could see situations where a player is in a position where they want to take their time to think, especially when they know they have more time than the opponent.
After 5 minutes I would have thought you'd get an alert checking to see if you're still there. Only if you fail to register your presence would you be forfeited.
Forfeit without warning seems harsh.
Chess.com has some weird ideas on "fair play".
1) FAIR play is, there are time controls, and a player is allowed to use his time controls as he/they need to.
UN fair play is Chess.com capriciously, arbitrarilly and WITHOUT WARNING will force a forfeit of a game if a player takes too long on a move, REGARDLESS of how much time is left on the clock.
Sure, it's annoying when some jerk player stalls in a lost position - but you and your server don't know if it is a lost position, now do you?
The other chess site like ICS and FICS allow adjourned games, and the allow for adjourned games to be AUTO ADJUDICATED - where a chess engine examines to see if the game is clearly lost, and then adjudicates.
But this is at the player's request, and it is not the same as your arbitrary forced forfeit of a game.
You have to wait for the clock to run down, before you can call somebody a jerk!
Otherwise, Chess.com should let the game take its course.
Also, in the same vein, I suggest that Chess.com appy the Fair Play Policy only when the player commits 3 violations.
Instead of whinning and moaning about it, come up with some kind of solution. I am sure the staff will be happy to listern to it. First of all live chess is never the same as otb except maybe the only time they are the same is when live chess have webcams going.
I am thinking of what to do during the live chess game. How about having a choices of thinking time allowed, for example, let have a 2, 3 or 4 mins thinking time allow during a 15mins game or 2,3,4 and 5 mins during a 30 mins game and so on. ?
can't edit my post atm 
just a note here: if you want to think as long as you like to. play otb or turn based.
Is there anyone who can tell us how the server calculates when your 'time' is up for one move during a game? There must be a formula used. I usually only play up to 15 min live games here, other than 1 day online, and have to say I have never been 'timed out' in a game, nor has my opponent. Maybe this only applies at a certain minimum time control? Any clarification would be appreciated.
can't edit my post atm
The latest bug. Seems nobody can.
Well, I'll be darned. Some of you MAY be talking about me. Maybe. I had gotten into a couple of arguments with those crying foul at folks who stopped play at a losing game. That has never been my problem except once, back in August when a good friend of mine died, and chess was not on the same level of priority, so I resigned all my games, with apologies. Two people came back and said they wanted to continue, I explained WHY I resigned, and one said he would wait. The other disappeared.
But then the unsportsmanship furor started, and boneybigmouth had to put in his two cents worth ("too much noise about nothing") and a perepheral comment came saying "PLAY the blitzes, and THEN talk the talk."
So I did. Only, when I first put in the challenge, even though white, I waited for any form of confirmation that sommeone was there to play, and then it shut off. "NEXT!" and like that for three (maybe more) times until the fellow who invited me caught up to me.
So three disgruntled players thinking there's some rude dog at the games. Sorry, but, put your guns down. I'm new, I'm slow at starting. NOW I find out it was the machine cutting me off?
THAT'S unsportsman like, it would seem.
Meanwhile, I only hear that side of the argument, even though I've had my "Lucys" too. (c'mon. Lucy VanPelt holding the football for Charlie Brown?) What about the person who isn't losing and just wanders off?
Sorry. No pity from me if you're whining about it. IT is a game. LIFE is real. Sometimes things happen in life that declare priority over anything else. Examples are fruitless, so, I will endeavor to make this shorter and sweet. (boneman, shorter from you WOULD be sweet!)
Is there anything in your lives that mean more than chess? Could there ever be an event in your lives that you would not even turn back to look...just go ahead with whatever priority you are engulfed in?
Ma died? Brother went to jail? You went to jail? House going through foreclosure? Your divorce? A favored pet dies? Your friend dies? Doctor tells you you have cancer? Start a new job? Fired from a job?
Oh, sure. Everyone will have an out...call out how it's so rare that it's not probable.
Well, you're wrong. It is extremely possible. And while you may point to some and say their low scores say they just didn't want to face the music of losing, if you did not communicate to them during the game of during their absense, then what are you doing? Bragging about scaring someone away?
Sorry. I'm sure I'm at the wrong address for that rant. But for crying out loud...IT'S A GAME! 32 pieces of wood on a board of sixty four squares. All you are bringing to the table is that you played someone who didn't want to make it a profession. Move on! Play someone else. And someone actually quit playing for a policy adjustment here? If you'll pardon me for asking, why the heck are you even here debasing this site? IF you have stopped playing here, I don't see that you should even be saying anything of import for the rest of us.
PLAY longer games if the auto clock shuts you down before moving. I got in a few games. Enough to realize I had some serious problems with my long game. But the site here offers quite a package, and I, for one, amd happy. I made $600 this year so far after costs. It's not like I can afford to pay. And the double edged sword just starts there, as I live 35 miles from the nearest large city and have no car for gallavanting around in to play chess at the local pub. I LIKE this place.
I'll bet you a LOT of people do.
But, back to the topic, if it is the topic, there shouldn't be an auto shut off unless that clock is prominently displayed. But then, it isn't going to bother my three minute games. I'm just not that fast. I'm not going to play anymore three minute games. Sometime this week, I shall try five minute games. If I find someone willing to play at a snail's pace.
Chess.com has some weird ideas on "fair play".
1) FAIR play is, there are time controls, and a player is allowed to use his time controls as he/they need to.
UN fair play is Chess.com capriciously, arbitrarilly and WITHOUT WARNING will force a forfeit of a game if a player takes too long on a move, REGARDLESS of how much time is left on the clock.
Sure, it's annoying when some jerk player stalls in a lost position - but you and your server don't know if it is a lost position, now do you?
The other chess site like ICS and FICS allow adjourned games, and the allow for adjourned games to be AUTO ADJUDICATED - where a chess engine examines to see if the game is clearly lost, and then adjudicates.
But this is at the player's request, and it is not the same as your arbitrary forced forfeit of a game.