Etiquette question

Etiquette Question: Is it in bad form to recommend to player that they resign? Is there ever a okay time to ask?

e.g. its a long haul and the guy is down to 3 pawns with no hope of promotion against two rooks. He moves once every 3 weeks??? Curious...

Thanks

No, I consider it rude. And he's playing within the time controls, which, once again, is perfectly legal. If you don't want to wait 3 weeks per move then play games with shorter timeout periods.

It is bad form in a tournament or clan game at any stage.

In a friendly I sometimes say: "if you feel like resigning this game we can start a rematch" and usually the opponent agrees. Occasionally I get "I'd like some endgame practice" and I say "fine" and play out the game to the finish.

Originally posted by meta x zen
Etiquette Question: Is it in bad form to recommend to player that they resign? Is there ever a okay time to ask?

e.g. its a long haul and the guy is down to 3 pawns with no hope of promotion against two rooks. He moves once every 3 weeks??? Curious...

Thanks

No, it is not. You can always offer draw, once, but not often, and that's what you can do. To nag is not within etiquette.

I think the only option in this situation is to ignore it and not let it bother you.

To help you ignore it you could even create a folder just for games like this...a sort of naughty corner...and this way you won't have to look at the game until they eventually move. In the past I have sent a polite note: ..."Just checking all is OK as you haven't made a move in our game for a while. It looks good for white from here but I'm happy to play it out to the end if you wish"

But you've no way of predicting how your opponents going to react to this.

I always want to play the end game because that is the weakest part of my game (although that is like saying its the bluest part of the ocean).

When someone suggests that I resign I'll generally reply with a "No I want to play the end game regardless of the outcome"

If that person nags or demands I'll ignore him or her and put that game VERY low on my priority list. So if its a 21 day game I'll generally only move when there is 1 day remaining (because that is my priority list - move anything 1 day or less).

I like Mahout's reply though - very polite and, in that instance I'll move in the game as soon as I can.

Originally posted by meta x zen
Etiquette Question: Is it in bad form to recommend to player that they resign? Is there ever a okay time to ask?

e.g. its a long haul and the guy is down to 3 pawns with no hope of promotion against two rooks. He moves once every 3 weeks??? Curious...

Thanks

Yes. It is bad form, and a violation both of etiquette and the rules against harassment, to request that your opponent resign. Just make efficient moves to remove whatever doubts linger.

How about if, for example, you see a mate in 3, and you message your opponent the line (which will imply that you want your opponent to resign)?

Originally posted by lausey
How about if, for example, you see a mate in 3, and you message your opponent the line (which will imply that you want your opponent to resign)?

I think that should be perfectly normal. Then it would be bad etiquette for him not to resign.

Originally posted by diskamyl
I think that should be perfectly normal. Then it would be bad etiquette for him not to resign.

I don't see it that way. Not even with a total analysis it would. Why? You could be wrong, and then we are back to the original question: "Is it okay to ask your opponent to give up/accept a draw?"

If mate in 3 is okay, what about mate in 4, in 5, in 10, in 25, in 50 moves? Where is the limit?
Is it okay to be saying: "You seems to be in mate in somewhere in the rest in our game, why not give up now?"

I think it is unappropriate to say"Mate in 3, give up!", h*ll, I've been mistaken even to mate in 1! Very embarassing, indeed.

Why not wait out the 3 moves? This is a friendly act with no misunderstanding involved. What's the big deal?

I remember a game between a young man and a older one which was being watched by a large crowd. The young man was material down but had a terrific attack and eventually announced triumphantly "Mate in 3!". The old man just smiled and lit his pipe. The young man frowned and looked at the board again. A few moments later he said "No, it's mate in 4!". The old man puffed at his pipe and winked at him. The young man studied the board again and after a few minutes further study he turned red and said in a much quieter voice "I resign".

I was part of the crowd watching the game and I believe I was the only one who saw the epilogue - when the old man left to go home a few hours later the young man was waiting for him in the car park and gave him a good kicking.

Originally posted by meta x zen
Etiquette Question: Is it in bad form to recommend to player that they resign? Is there ever a okay time to ask?

e.g. its a long haul and the guy is down to 3 pawns with no hope of promotion against two rooks. He moves once every 3 weeks??? Curious...

Thanks

Simple answer: yes. I know it can be frustating, but that's simply part of the game.

It's even worse OTB. Once in a game in Hungary I blundered a rook in time trouble. My opponent (a wellknown Hungarian IM) played his move and then offered me his scoresheet to sign, even though I hadn't yet resigned! Rather in shock I signed it, though I think that if it happened again, I'd play on a rook down till the time control then let the clock run down.

The player who is sitting in a dead lost position with a certain mate loss may be doing so for good reasons:

1. Some players probably get frustrated and resign in the won position, especially non-stars who are limited in their games;

2. People make mistakes, often moving quickly to a stalemate, or even having a moment of chessblindness and losing a sure win;

3. Some players are trying to make new personal high ratings; by delaying their losses their ratings are artificially inflated, albeit minimally, for a short time (no harm done);

4. Some players know that by putting aside a lost game and letting the clock slide down they are irking the other player, i.e., they are actually deriving pleasure from knowing that they are causing some small degree of irritation.

My recommendation:

1. I announce mates in one, two or three moves, and give the moves; if they continue to play it out, I play graciously, and still thank them at the end. Bear in mind that there are a lot of players who believe this is the right way to play the game, and it's their right to play it out;

2. I don't offer multiple draws and I know that I am playing someone who is very immature when I get repeated draw offers when I have a strong advantage or even a sure win;


3. I never request or "suggest" the other player resign. I think that only gives them more pleasure, or irritates them to the point that they wouldn't resign, even if they were about to.

Originally posted by coquette
The player who is sitting in a dead lost position with a certain mate loss may be doing so for good reasons:

1. Some players probably get frustrated and resign in the won position, especially non-stars who are limited in their games;

2. People make mistakes, often moving quickly to a stalemate, or even having a moment of chessblindness and losing a su sure, or irritates them to the point that they wouldn't resign, even if they were about to.

quite often the stalling is also caused by something the opponent messaged. sometimes with good reason, sometimes not.


I take pleasure in knowing my opponent is agonizing over a lost position, as we all know you can't just ignore such a game. it's always there, in the back of your mind, grinding, annoying... and it takes me seconds to move, giggly about the upcoming win, while the opponent usually wrecks his brain to find the best defense.

What about a situation which is a dead draw and the opponent declines my draw offer? If I only have a king left, it's in the middle of the board, and my opponent has only 2 knights, but declines the draw offer, what then? In OTB play, I'd call the arbiter, but what happens on RHP?