55
votes
Accepted
Is it rude to ask my opponent to resign an online game when they have a lost endgame?
Is it rude to ask my opponent to resign an online game when they have
a lost endgame?
Yes, it is rude, although you are in good company. In one Olympiad Victor Korchnoi is alleged to have asked his ...
- 94.5k
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 ...
- 15.8k
39
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
38
votes
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Why is it not a checkmate?
Welcome to Chess Stack Exchange.
I believe you're doing well here. It is surely a checkmate. Probably the website isn't programmed that way to recognize that move. But, as per your question, this is ...
- 532
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
37
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Is it rude to ask my opponent to resign an online game when they have a lost endgame?
Brian Towers answered the question, but to help you understand why people don't resign, I recommend you watch this lecture by GM Finegold Blunders, with GM Ben Finegold. The gist of it is:
Never ...
- 6,506
35
votes
Accepted
Is there a website that supports blind chess?
Lichess has an option to play blindfolded if you have an account registered.
You have to activate the Speech Sound effect, in the upper right corner → Sound → Speech.
To enable writing coordinates(e.g....
- 466
34
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 ...
- 444
33
votes
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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
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 ...
- 3,587
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
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Is it rude to ask my opponent to resign an online game when they have a lost endgame?
It's always rude to ask your opponent to resign. They should resign of their own accord once they're convinced that you're overwhelmingly likely to win the game. In my case, that always meant you'd ...
- 2,807
31
votes
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Are banter blitz players who draw arrows on the board during the game breaking the FIDE Laws of Chess?
I agree that it would break the FIDE rules against note taking, but this is not a FIDE tournament; it is online blitz on Lichess, so FIDE rules need not apply. You'd have to look at the Lichess terms ...
- 10.5k
31
votes
Accepted
What prevents chess engines from being undetectable?
Engines have no concept of natural moves and they have no fear. An engine will play for the most advantage, not for the most manageable advantage, even if it allows a fierce attack, because it sees ...
- 3,469
30
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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
How could one cheat on Lichess?
How could you cheat? This is what the Lichess terms of service say about it:
Cheating. We define this as using any external assistance to
strengthen your knowledge and, or, calculation ability to ...
- 10.5k
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
29
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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
25
votes
Accepted
Moving into check for a draw as black, why is it illegal? Comparison to Racing Kings
Imagine a variation of chess without the rules about check and checkmate, where a player wins simply when he captures his opponent's king. In this variation, Kxd5 loses the game to exd5.
Turns out, ...
- 532
23
votes
Why is it not a checkmate?
The sidebar says "1. Qe7# (1. Qc8#) (1. Qb8#)".
In case you're not yet familiar with chess notation, this means:
1. (White's move number 1)
Q (the Queen)
e7 (moves to space E7)
# (and ...
- 331
23
votes
Why can't I move this knight on e2? Why does the engine suggest moving the knight on b1?
The reason you cannot move the knight is because it is blocking the check from the queen on e7. This is known as a "pin". Since it is illegal to make a move that puts yourself in check, the ...
- 18.4k
22
votes
Is it rude to ask my opponent to resign an online game when they have a lost endgame?
Honestly it's rude to ask your opponent to resign in any position. The one exception may be them deliberately letting their clock run to 0 in a completely lost position, but in this case they're being ...
- 19.8k
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
20
votes
Accepted
Why did I get only 5 points even though I won?
Most chess sites use some variant of the Elo rating system
If you have a much higher rating than your opponent, the expectation is that you will win. So if you do win, then we haven't gained that ...
- 3,166
19
votes
Accepted
Why do some players consider it rude not to accept a rematch in online blitz?
They may have made a fatal mistake and think that in another game they can win.
It happens sometimes. You could make a mistake, or miss a mating pattern, and suddenly you've lost the game although ...
- 2,081
19
votes
Does using a less common opening make you a stronger player?
In general, less common openings tend to give weaker opponents issues, since they have yet to properly grasp many fundamental ideas of opening play and middlegame strategy, and if they don't know the ...
- 7,978
18
votes
Accepted
What are the letters and numbers next to an opening's name on online services?
The Encyclopedia of Chess Openings (or ECO) is a classification system for the opening moves in chess.
Instead of the traditional names for the openings, ECO has developed a coding system that has ...
- 1,300
18
votes
Moving into check for a draw as black, why is it illegal? Comparison to Racing Kings
Those are just the rules of the game. You could absolutely try to make the case that moving into check in such a situation should be legal, but playing by those rules wouldn't be chess anymore (it ...
- 19.8k
17
votes
Moving into check for a draw as black, why is it illegal? Comparison to Racing Kings
I will answer from a different perspective: why Racing Kings (RK) has a rule to allow black a chance to draw, and why the same logic doesn't apply to chess.
What is Racing Kings (RK)?
Background for ...
- 4,980
17
votes
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ChessKid or an adult chess site for a 15-year-old?
My advice would be to use the adult site. I've had several students but never recommended a kid-friendly site to anyone older than 8 years old.
It would be good to know why exactly you want that ...
- 16.3k
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