Resigning

Thx GP, I almost thought you meant that all other RHP players are collaborating together in order to fight me. 😉

Do high-level players sometimes continue to play until checkmate in order to force the opponent to do more effort and get tired for the next game, for example in the world championship?

Hi TV.

At the top level if you are playing on in a totally lost position you are not
tiring out your opponent. He will be sitting there on auto-pilot not taxing
his brain at all.

Sometimes you see top level games continuing when all is lost.
What you do then is look at the move number and if you know the time control
you have sussed it.

For example if the game ends on move 40 or 41 (in a 40 moves in 2 hours game)
you can almost be certain the winning player was time trouble and the losing player
was playing on to see if the other lad would make the time control.
As soon as he did the losing lad resigned.

If someone asked me to resign I would ask them to post their complete analysis of the position. I would comb through it looking for improvements and if the analysis was solid I would resign. If not, I'm laughing.

If someone chooses to play on in a lost position it doesn't bother me. It's good for morale and I smile every time the game comes up. It takes 5 seconds to fling off a move in a winning position. It's not like OTB where you have to keep an eye on the board, until the game ends.

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
If someone asked me to resign I would ask them to post their complete analysis of the position. I would comb through it looking for improvements and if the analysis was solid I would resign. If not, I'm laughing.

If someone chooses to play on in a lost position it doesn't bother me. It's good for morale and I smile every time the game comes up. It ...[text shortened]... ing position. It's not like OTB where you have to keep an eye on the board, until the game ends.

That seems like a very reasonable response to a rude request- a form of "Ok, if you have the cards, show'em".

Originally posted by KnightStalker47
If someone asked me to resign I would ask them to post their complete analysis of the position. I would comb through it looking for improvements and if the analysis was solid I would resign. If not, I'm laughing.

If someone chooses to play on in a lost position it doesn't bother me. It's good for morale and I smile every time the game comes up. It ...[text shortened]... ing position. It's not like OTB where you have to keep an eye on the board, until the game ends.

Yes, there's something slightly frustrating about people resigning a couple of moves from checkmate. I've got an 1,100 carrying on in a position where in his place I'd resign, since I have plenty of games which are difficult one which is easy is nice to have. I assume he wants to see how I finish him off - besides he has some hope of a stalemate trap.

Hello everybody, I am new here at RHP. Great discussion! I remember a few games when I was down on material/time/space but I didn't want to resign. Rather than wait for my opponent to become perturbed, I asked my opponent to please forgive me if I wished to play on because I was learning from playing him. Every time my opponent was gracious - even the one fellow who was known to be exceptionally rude and egocentric. That fellow became helpful in the end, when it was over by analyzing our game and showing me where he knew he had the game in hand. Now, when I play others, I often provide my analysis and constructive feedback to help them grow. For me, like most people, there is nothing so gratifying as helping another improve his or her lot in life. Let the competition be in your head, but not with the egos of others.

I just checked your game and saw that he definitely had the game in hand. It was wise and thought of you to resign, steve45.

Originally posted by warthog7
Hello everybody, I am new here at RHP. Great discussion! I remember a few games when I was down on material/time/space but I didn't want to resign. Rather than wait for my opponent to become perturbed, I asked my opponent to please forgive me if I wished to play on because I was learning from playing him. Every time my opponent was gracious - even the one ...[text shortened]... ve his or her lot in life. Let the competition be in your head, but not with the egos of others.

Well, yes, that strategy would work particularly well on an egocentric. The only point of criticism I'd make is that you should wait until the game is over before saying that - suppose your opponent blundered after you'd admitted likely defeat, had you not made your comment they may not have relaxed and blundered.

I figure I don't want to win a game that depends upon simple blunders of others. If someone is beating me badly enough for me to see my demise, then I figure he knows what he is doing.

PS, In the past I usually make those cheap blunders while talking with someone - chess mouse in hand. I think most of us have watched ourselves go on autopilot and make a move out of sequence while talking -or just after talking (the dreaded "hand-blunder move"😉. The exclamation, "Oh, what have i done?!" I'd rather not lose that way, so I'd rather not win that way.

Originally posted by steve45
Yet again you miss the point. Where in the FIDE rule book, does it say you have the right to want an opponent to resign just because you think you are in a winning position. I wonder how many games have been won from a losing position. Thousands and Thousands.

In the FIDE handbook, article 12.6, it clearly states that plopzilla was wrong in his behaviour; other articles suggest that, had this harrassment occurred over the board he should have lost this game on an arbitral judgement.

Originally posted by Shallow Blue
In the FIDE handbook, article 12.6, it clearly states that plopzilla was wrong in his behaviour; other articles suggest that, had this harrassment occurred over the board he should have lost this game on an arbitral judgement.

Thanks Shallow Blue. And thankyou everyone else for your supportive words.