68
votes
Do you say "good game" after a game in which your opponent played poorly?
Why not just:
Thanks for the game.
You wanted to play a game, and your opponent gave you a game. Played well or not, you could thank him for giving you the opportunity to play.
- 2,763
54
votes
Accepted
Is it bad etiquette to decline a draw offer when participating in a simul?
No it's not bad etiquette at all. A player being higher rated does not entitle them to automatically get the result they want, even if the position seems to indicate such a result.
And in the rare ...
- 19.8k
52
votes
Do you say "good game" after a game in which your opponent played poorly?
In short: Yes. It is a polite way to acknowledge an enjoyable game.
"Good game" isn't the same thing as saying, "well-played game".
Saying "good game" just means you enjoyed playing it. You could ...
- 4,249
49
votes
What are the actions one can do against chess.com players who stop moving when they are in an objectively losing position and refuse to resign?
Assuming you also have plenty of time on your clock, make a break: have a drink, or check your mail, or pay a visit to the bathroom, or grab a book (even if it's an openings book, it doesn't count at ...
- 15.6k
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
46
votes
How do you keep chess fun when your opponent constantly beats you?
There are many people who want to play chess with you. You can play chess online! Online sites such as chess.com and lichess.org will match you with opponents of similar rating so you should win about ...
- 5,011
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
43
votes
Is there a recourse when a player does not resign in a clearly lost position?
If you are using USCF rules, rule 18G says the director may adjudicate a game in an emergency situation. And they can declare an emergency situation if:
a player with substantial time remaining and a ...
- 18.4k
41
votes
Accepted
When losing in blitz, is it rude to play to win on time?
No it's not. Your opponent spent more time to reach a winning position and you spent less time to get time advantage. It's quite fair to use your time advantage over your opponents position advantage.
...
- 4,424
40
votes
Accepted
Etiquette question: a funny way to resign
No, it's absolutely not unheard of. It happens frequently (even at the highest levels) and can actually be seen as a sign of sporting spirit to allow the opponent to execute an excellent combination ...
- 5,746
39
votes
How do you keep chess fun when your opponent constantly beats you?
There are lots of ways to play with a handicap in chess. One way is to give one player a starting material advantage, where the weaker player starts with an extra queen, or the stronger player ...
- 538
38
votes
Accepted
What are the actions one can do against chess.com players who stop moving when they are in an objectively losing position and refuse to resign?
The behavior you describe is bad sportsmanship and goes against the policies of chess.com. See the chess.com fair play policy and this blog post about the new abuse report system which includes an ...
- 10.5k
37
votes
Why does a touched piece not have to move in online play?
I think the reason becomes more apparent when you consider why the rule is in place for OTB games - an opponent constantly moving their hands around the board and moving the pieces around can be very ...
- 3,119
35
votes
When you are winning, is it ethical to not go for a checkmate right away?
There is no rule or law that says that you have to try and checkmate in as few moves as possible and so there is no ethical requirement either.
In fact, if there are just a few pieces left on the ...
- 93.5k
33
votes
Accepted
Is it ethical to spar against an engine when playing correspondence?
Chess.com's site rules have the following to say:
You can NEVER use chess programs (Chessmaster, Fritz, etc) to analyze current ongoing games unless specifically permitted (such as a computer ...
- 694
33
votes
In a online game, is it considered good etiquette to offer a draw when the opponent obviously misclicked?
Just to offer a different answer:
No. No takebacks, no draw offers. In short time controls this is part of the game. It's the same as a blunder under pressure. I pressured the opponent on either time ...
- 435
33
votes
I provided water bottle to my opponent, he drank it then lost on time due to the need of using bathroom. Is this unethical?
No, what you did is what is known as a gambit. You offered your opponent material (in this case a water bottle), which he accepted. This would be considered a blunder on his part, since although it ...
- 431
31
votes
Is it bad etiquette to keep playing in a clearly hopeless position?
As a general rule, if something is not done out of malice then it's not bad etiquette in my book (especially if it's allowed in the rules). So if all you do is play on in a lost position, then I don't ...
- 7,978
30
votes
Is there any etiquette about how to proceed when a technical problem leads to a misplay in an online game?
That's called a mouse-slip, and it's part of playing online. Watch some of Carlsen's online play (e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJlOlufG-JM) and you'll see even he mouse-slips on occasion. ...
- 391
30
votes
Accepted
Is it improper etiquette to ask your opponent what his/her rating is before the game?
Yesterday, I played a tournament match, and at the table next to me the guy asked his opponent for his rating. “I don’t really know...” was the reply, “about 1580, I think. And yours?”
“Euhm... about ...
- 522
29
votes
In a online game, is it considered good etiquette to offer a draw when the opponent obviously misclicked?
It is perfectly good etiquette.
Something similar happened in an Amber blindfold Gelfand - Kramnik:
[FEN ""]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bg4 5. h3 Bxf3 6. Qxf3 e6
7. Nc3 Nbd7 8. Bd2 Bb4 9. ...
- 6,506
27
votes
When you are winning, is it ethical to not go for a checkmate right away?
It depends.
The USCF Code of Ethics states that the following is unethical:
Deliberately failing to play at one's best in a game, in any manner inconsistent with the principles of good sportsmanship, ...
- 18.4k
26
votes
Is it improper etiquette to ask your opponent what his/her rating is before the game?
I don't think this would be a breach in etiquette - but I think it is a somewhat dangerous thing to do for you. Chess is as much about mental fortitude as it is about "playing skill" and regardless ...
- 810
25
votes
How to minimise your opponent's fun in a game?
I play for two purposes:
to win the game, or when winning is unlikely, to draw the game.
to improve my chess skills, which eventually enables me to win/draw more games.
These are good ...
- 93.5k
25
votes
I provided water bottle to my opponent, he drank it then lost on time due to the need of using bathroom. Is this unethical?
According to the FIDE Laws of Chess:
It is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner whatsoever.
If you placed the water there with the intent that it would cause him to use the ...
- 18.4k
24
votes
What's the etiquette for giving checkmate on board?
This is really a question for fairly low-rated players, who tend to play things out to the bitter end. If you are reasonably strong, the only reason your opponent does not resign earlier is that he ...
- 32.4k
24
votes
Chess etiquette: Carlsen withdrawing from the tournament
How would you rate Carlsen's actions, relative to your understanding of chess ethics?
The ethical side really boils down to the question, "who is hurt by these actions".
If it is a Swiss ...
- 93.5k
23
votes
What do you do when an opponent asks for a score sheet after a game in which recording is not compulsory?
You did the right thing! I would definitely allow my opponent to take a picture of the scoresheet. There is no need to be sour, as it is very unlikely you had or will have any disadvantages from his ...
- 5,746
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
21
votes
What are the actions one can do against chess.com players who stop moving when they are in an objectively losing position and refuse to resign?
I followed @itub's suggestion and filed a report against the particular user. Here's the answer I got from Chess.com support:
[...]
Certainly, this is not what we want on our site! I have sent ...
- 1,030
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible