48
votes
Accepted
Game ended with a handshake
From my experience (small to medium central European Opens), offering a handshake without words is a commonly accepted form of resignation.
The handshake is not part of any official rules. However, ...
- 5,898
45
votes
Accepted
Why do GMs repeat moves instead of offering a draw?
A repetition giving the opponent the opportunity to claim a draw is a de facto draw offer but not a de jure draw offer.
What does that mean? Well the "de facto" part means that in practice ...
- 93.5k
39
votes
Please help solve this endgame problem posed by a friend
White is one tempo short of catching the pawn - if White could make two moves immediately it would be a draw as white would just take the black pawn. But they can't, so white has to find a threat ...
- 4,146
35
votes
Accepted
Running out of time before playing a forced move that would draw the game
In the final position where white's only legal move is Kxg8 leaving bare kings the position is a draw if white's flag falls before playing the move. The FIDE Laws of Chess are quite explicit:
6.9 ...
- 93.5k
34
votes
Accepted
What will happen if all games are draws for a World Chess Championship?
From the Wikipedia page of WCC 2021:
The match consists of 14 games, and a score of 7½ wins the world championship. If the score is equal after 14 games, tie-break games with faster time controls ...
- 1,898
33
votes
Accepted
Is this an incorrect draw by chess.com?
From chess.com support, the site follows the USCF rules on draw vs insufficient material in that if there is insufficient material* for a forced mate and the opponent does not have a forced win, it is ...
- 3,545
32
votes
Examples of forced stalemate
Oh sure, here are two examples (annotated):
This is a neat puzzle from the chess.com tactics, with white to play!
[title "White to play!"]
[fen "1q6/2b2ppb/4p1k1/7p/2Np1p1P/3P1Q2/6PK/8 w - - 0 1"]
...
- 12k
31
votes
Accepted
Why did I lose on time with three pawns versus a knight? Shouldn't it be a draw?
Draw with insufficient material is covered in article 9.6:
The game is drawn when a position is reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal moves, even with the most ...
- 1,577
31
votes
Accepted
Does a KQQ vs KQ endgame position with perpetual check exist?
The position given by Akavall is indeed a draw by perpetual, but it's a bit difficult to see because White has many different options at some moves. They can even choose to sacrifice the h2 queen, ...
- 24.7k
29
votes
Why did I lose on time with three pawns versus a knight? Shouldn't it be a draw?
Worst-case scenario:
Upgraded all your pawns to knights
Your king is at Ka8
Your knights surround your king, so at Nb8, Na7 and Nb7
Opposition knight is at Nc7# - checkmate!
So it is indeed possible ...
- 1,284
28
votes
Is this a draw despite the Stockfish evaluation of −5?
This is a fortress and a draw.
The black king can't advance as the rook, shuffling between h3 and f3, prevents it. The only way to break the fortress is to trade the queen for the rook and pawn, but ...
- 5,151
26
votes
Why is there no rule allowing a player to claim a draw in lonely king endgames?
Why is there no rule allowing a player to claim a draw in lonely king
endgames?
For the simple reason that there is no need. If you are the player with the extra material you can offer a draw and be ...
- 93.5k
24
votes
Is this endgame (sort-of Q vs K) a draw?
According to the Lomonosov tablebases, it's mate in 40 for black. While the queen can't force mate by herself, she can force a zugzwang. In this case, when the bishop is forced to move to e8. Then, it'...
- 4,177
24
votes
Accepted
Can you take back a draw offer?
No. Rule 9.1.2.1 of the FIDE rules says it all:
9.1.2.1 A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before pressing his clock. An offer
at any ...
- 27.6k
22
votes
What is the theoretical maximal material difference of a dead draw which is not a stalemate?
[fen ""]
1. a4 b5 2. b4 bxa4 3. c4 c5 4. d4 cxb4 5. e4 d5 6. f4 dxc4 7. g4 e5
8. h4 exd4 9. Ba3 g5 10. Nc3 gxh4 11. Qb3 f5 12. Kf2 h3 13. Kg3 h2
14. Bd3 Qa5 15. Kh4 dxc3 16. Kg5 h5 17. Kg6 cxb3 18. ...
- 671
22
votes
Accepted
Has the 75 move draw rule ever been invoked in a FIDE rated standard game involving a GM?
Yes.
[Event "Northumbria Masters"]
[Site "Newcastle"]
[Date "2018.02.18"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Britton, Richard L"]
[Black "Hebden GM, Mark L"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2255"]
[BlackElo "2454"]
[Result "...
- 93.5k
22
votes
Is it bad etiquette to try to make an opponent lose on time when a position is clearly drawn?
Etiquette doesn't really come into it unless your name is Gata Kamsky (strong language warning for the link). The rule is very simple. If you want flagging to be a part of the game then play with no ...
- 93.5k
22
votes
Accepted
Is this a draw despite the Stockfish evaluation of −5?
This position is a standard classical fortress. There is no way the Black color can go through as long as White just shuffle pieces, wait and do nothing silly.
Stockfish is a computer algorithm, it ...
- 22.4k
22
votes
Insufficient material draw on lichess.org
FIDE laws of chess: https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/LawsOfChess.pdf
"6.9 Except where one of the Articles: 5.1.a, 5.1.b, 5.2.a, 5.2.b, 5.2.c applies, if a player does not ...
- 3,314
22
votes
Running out of time before playing a forced move that would draw the game
Draw by dead position
Once Black plays 2...Qxg8 the game is a draw. At once, and whatever the clock situation. White doesn't even have to play 3.Kxg8 - it is irrelevant, but actually s/he shouldn't do ...
- 15.6k
21
votes
Accepted
Is this endgame (sort-of Q vs K) a draw?
Here's a simpler way to see why it's winning for black: You're right that the queen cannot checkmate the king by itself, but it can stalemate the king [*] (an example pointed out by Ionut Deaconu) and ...
- 12k
20
votes
Why is offering draw not recorded but giving a check recorded?
Both recording checks and draw offers are personal preference, and neither is required in your notation.
I actually do record both checks as "+" or "++", and draw offers as "(d)". I know I am not the ...
- 32.4k
20
votes
Accepted
Why is offering draw not recorded but giving a check recorded?
According to the FIDE Laws of Chess:
Appendix C. Algebraic notation
C.12 The offer of a draw shall be marked as (=)
As with a number of the laws regarding recording of the moves this is not ...
- 93.5k
19
votes
Accepted
Resignation when a draw is offered
is it legal to reply with resignation when a draw is offered?
Of course. This is all that the FIDE Laws of Chess has to say about resignation:
5.1.2 The game is won by the player whose opponent ...
- 93.5k
19
votes
Why do GMs repeat moves instead of offering a draw?
In many top level tournaments you are not allowed to offer a draw before a certain number of moves are played (often 30 or 40). The purpose of such a rule is to prevent very quick draws.
However, one ...
- 3,314
18
votes
Endgame - pawnless Queen + Rook vs Queen
In the vast majority of the cases, an ending of Q+R vs. Q should be winning.
However, some exceptions exist, for instance:
[FEN "6RK/7Q/5q2/8/8/8/8/3k4 w - - 0 1"]
1.Qg7 Qh4+ 2.Qh7 Qf6+ 3....
- 5,506
18
votes
How to indicate that "I need more time to consider your draw offer" in a formal game?
The polite way to react to a legally made (opponent moves, offers draw and then presses the clock) draw offer which you are not going to immediately accept is to say something like "I'll think about ...
- 93.5k
17
votes
How is this position a draw?
Two conditions must apply for a position to be checkmate:
The player to move has no legal moves.
His king is in check.
The first is true here, but the second isn't, so it's not checkmate.
When a ...
- 27.6k
17
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of "dead draw"?
A dead draw is a position in which no player has any chance of winning.
Sometimes erroneously used in a position where theoretically someone could win but both players believe it is so basic and ...
- 2,203
16
votes
Accepted
Rules: Is this position a draw?
This is a better question than it seems at first glance.
Intuitively it seems possible to claim a draw, since the position appears to have occurred three times.
However, according to a strict ...
- 4,980
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible