What is the best winning percentage at RHP?

Originally posted by kopatov
I am extremely confident that people of sound mind do not resign games of chess willy nilly when they are up or level unless they are trying to donate rating points. The objective of playing a game of chess is not to resign the game when up materially or when level.

Even someone of your level (circa 1500 FIDE Elo) should know this without asking stockingfish or Free Willy.

I think there are other reasons for resigning besides donating rating points.

Originally posted by moon1969
True. It is opposite color bishops that may lead to a tedious draw that maybe he wanted to avoid.

Nimzo resigned against me one time unexpectedly (on move 31 in the game below), and we were even in material but maybe I had the advantage. Maybe not. But I was surprised. And relieved, as I felt like I was playing out on a limb during the game. I follo ...[text shortened]... his posts in the forum. He seems like a nice guy, and knowledgable.

Moon- In that tournament, I had an unexpected change that led to a move across country. Thus the resignation from the tournament. Looking again at the game, despite my losing the handle on the position Black is probably ok.

Originally posted by Paul Leggett
The Nigel Short example is a new one for me- I did not know that a GM had lost a game like that under those circumstances. On the spot, though!

I suppose Informant or Chessbase will have to come up with a new symbol to annotate the reason for the result, as otherwise it leaves a bewildering database entry.

Don't they have a symbol for "was given a loss for rules violation" already?" I'm sure players, even top players, have lost games on etiquette before. Letting your phone go off is only the latest innovation in the ranks of blowing smoke in your opponent's face, accidentally (or "accidentally", in some cases) nudging the board off the table, and putting your mystical buddies in the audience. At least in Short's case it is clear that it was entirely unintentional.

But what a blunder. And the advice usually given is only half correct. You don't just remove your batteries from your phone, you give your phone to your second (or third, or fourth, or, if at all possible, significant other) who keeps it with him, far away from the playing venue. I leave mine at home when I go to the theatre - it may leave some people neurotic, these days, knowing that there will be five whole minutes during which they can't be reached, but at least it guarantees that there will be no accidents like these.

Richard