Can I drop out of a tournament without hurting ...

I signed up for the 2009 Championship tournament thinking I'd be playing maybe a half dozen games at a time. Well I woke up this morning to find it had me enrolled in 35 games. No way I can keep up with that. I've worked hard to get my 1500+ score over several years and I don't want to resign all these games if it will drop my score. Do I have an option? I haven't made any moves in these games.

Originally posted by remington1
I signed up for the 2009 Championship tournament thinking I'd be playing maybe a half dozen games at a time. Well I woke up this morning to find it had me enrolled in 35 games. No way I can keep up with that. I've worked hard to get my 1500+ score over several years and I don't want to resign all these games if it will drop my score. Do I have an option? I haven't made any moves in these games.

No option I am afraid. This game overload ruined my life in the 2008 championship, and I lost plenty of rating points. The only thing you can do is play them through, or resign after two moves.
Given that the latter course of action guarantees the rating drop you fear, you seem to have little choice but to play them.

Try putting them all in one folder and just playing them through at speed each day. 20 seconds a move, it will only take 12 minutes of your day.

if you resign before you move do you still lose points?

Originally posted by remington1
I signed up for the 2009 Championship tournament thinking I'd be playing maybe a half dozen games at a time. Well I woke up this morning to find it had me enrolled in 35 games. No way I can keep up with that. I've worked hard to get my 1500+ score over several years and I don't want to resign all these games if it will drop my score. Do I have an option? I haven't made any moves in these games.

If you resign your games before 2 moves have been made, your rating will be unaffected.

D

You can resign without any penalty. All you do is favor every other player equally, so no harm done.

Originally posted by coquette
You can resign without any penalty. All you do is favor every other player equally, so no harm done.

Correct. You should resign before making your first move. Theoretically, you can resign before move 3 (before the 6th half-move) without ratings penalty, but I have not felt brave enough to test that.

My rating is unaffected if I resign before making my first move, always.

Originally posted by AudioRapture
Correct. You should resign before making your first move. Theoretically, you can resign before move 3 (before the 6th half-move) without ratings penalty, but I have not felt brave enough to test that.

If 4 half moves have been made, I believe your rating will drop.

D

Originally posted by Ragnorak
If 4 half moves have been made, I believe your rating will drop.

D

Are you sure it isn't 5 half moves? I don't think you want to make the 6th half move or your locked in then.

Originally posted by Ragnorak
If 4 half moves have been made, I believe your rating will drop.

D

I've just double checked and I lost rating points in this game after 3 half-moves had been made...
Game 3462691

D

Originally posted by Ragnorak
I've just double checked and I lost rating points in this game after 3 half-moves had been made...
Game 3462691

D

Maybe it's different for set-piece / thematic games? That would make sense because depending on the start position, it could be possible to get into a completely losing position with just one move.