Stop Forcing Auto-Resign In Games

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MasterMatthew52

Jan 3, 2022

3

#1

I'm sitting in a game, taking my time to think carefully in the early stages of the middle game in a difficult position trying to find the best move and a notification pops up in the bottom right-hand corner saying my game will auto resign in 10 seconds if I don't make a move.

Preventing people from stalling out games in the first couple moves is one thing, but forcing me to make a move on move 9 in a certain amount of time in a complex position is absolutely ridiculous. The whole point of having a clock is to have x amount of time to think about your next move. This auto-resign nonsense should NEVER happen after the first two or three moves. I understand there are trolls out there that won't move after starting a game, but on move 9?? If someone makes it to move 9 don't you think they are actually playing the game.

Here's the situation:

Arena tournament, 3-minute time control, move 9, my turn. I have 2:50 on the clock and trying to think how I want to continue. There are a lot of moves I could make, but I need to find the right move because my opponent has created a lot of threats. I have 2:50 on the clock and I play bullet a lot so I am pretty good in time pressure. I want to take 30 or so seconds to look at the position because I have 2:50 on the clock, I am, by rule, entitled to use that 2:50 as needed. Then I get a popup saying I need to move now, so I get choose a move to avoid resignation and that move was a blunder - my opponent now proceeds with a huge attack because I wasn't able to think about all the consequences of the candidate move I thought of. This ridiculous rule has now lost me the game.

Before you say anything about how 3-minute time control is supposed to be fast so I should be moving fast in the first 10 moves, I understand that, but I still have 3 minutes to use how I want and I can choose to use 2 of those 3 minutes on one move if I please. In that case I would be to blame for losing because I ran out of time to think later on, but that is my right to do. If I'm comfortable going into move 10 with only a minute left while my opponent has 2:45, that is my decision and I have every right to do so.

Is there really that big of a difference between move 10 and move 11 where I should be allowed to spend all that time on move 11, but not move 10 without facing an auto-resign? This same thing occurs in standard time controls. If I have 15 minutes with a 10 second increment I can spend 5 minutes on a move and play with 5 the rest of the game especially since I have the increment.

I know you might be thinking that in an arena the goal is winning quickly, sure that's right, but winning a game and using three minutes is better than ending a game quickly because of a blunder. You still have to win to get points and if that takes more time so be it. You still want to win and play a good game.

I understand trying to stop trolls on the site and giving everyone a fair experience, but this is not the way to do it. We should be able to spend our time thinking at any stage in the game and not be threatened by this site that if we don't move now the game is over. That's just not how chess works and if anything it's less fair to everyone than if I was forced to wait 3 minutes and win the game because my opponent left after move 5. I would sit it out and hit the report button. This site does a great job handling people who stall out games.

5

TimdeJong

Feb 14, 2022

1

#2

I agree 100%. It's complete bs

RedSpeakable

Feb 14, 2022

-1

#3

This feature should only exist on Rapid Games. Also auto-resign won't actually force resign you until the game has progressed past move 10. I've checked...

aanval22

Feb 15, 2022

0

#4

Agree 100% with @RedSpeakable, such a feature seems pointless in blitz. Also, I think there could potentially be different move thresholds by rating, since higher rated players could be more expected to be in book longer, although this isn't always the case.

lfPatriotGames

Feb 15, 2022

-12

#5

Resigning is extremely common in chess. It's only natural that at some point, if you don't resign, someone else will do it for you. The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like. So, those who are entitled to your time are also entitled to resign for you.

The solution is pretty simple, if you don't want to auto resign, use less of your time.

3

2

MasterMatthew52

Feb 15, 2022

2

#6

lfPatriotGames wrote:

Resigning is extremely common in chess. It's only natural that at some point, if you don't resign, someone else will do it for you. The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like. So, those who are entitled to your time are also entitled to resign for you.

The solution is pretty simple, if you don't want to auto resign, use less of your time.

That is the exact opposite of the concept of a chess clock and makes no sense. If I wanted to use less time and have faster games I would play a faster time control.

2

porkqupine

Feb 15, 2022

0

#7

Never encountered this. Is it new? Maybe you're under some kind of penalty?

lfPatriotGames

Feb 15, 2022

-2

#8

MasterMatthew52 wrote:

lfPatriotGames wrote:

Resigning is extremely common in chess. It's only natural that at some point, if you don't resign, someone else will do it for you. The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like. So, those who are entitled to your time are also entitled to resign for you.

The solution is pretty simple, if you don't want to auto resign, use less of your time.

That is the exact opposite of the concept of a chess clock and makes no sense. If I wanted to use less time and have faster games I would play a faster time control.

Well what makes sense is always up for discussion. But I believe the purpose of auto resign is so that you don't use all of your time. I could be wrong, but I think there are games where if you don't move (as described by the OP) the auto resign feature kicks in.

So it stands to reason that if you cannot use your time, those who are entitled to your time are also entitled to resign for you.

MasterMatthew52

Feb 15, 2022

0

#9

porkqupine wrote:

Never encountered this. Is it new? Maybe you're under some kind of penalty?

It's in Arena tournaments until move 10. I guess the reason is the prevent people from stalling early on.

MasterMatthew52

Feb 15, 2022

0

#10

lfPatriotGames wrote:

MasterMatthew52 wrote:

lfPatriotGames wrote:

Resigning is extremely common in chess. It's only natural that at some point, if you don't resign, someone else will do it for you. The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like. So, those who are entitled to your time are also entitled to resign for you.

The solution is pretty simple, if you don't want to auto resign, use less of your time.

That is the exact opposite of the concept of a chess clock and makes no sense. If I wanted to use less time and have faster games I would play a faster time control.

Well what makes sense is always up for discussion. But I believe the purpose of auto resign is so that you don't use all of your time. I could be wrong, but I think there are games where if you don't move (as described by the OP) the auto resign feature kicks in.

So it stands to reason that if you cannot use your time, those who are entitled to your time are also entitled to resign for you.

Well yeah your first move or 2 should take too long so auto resign makes sense, but move 10 isn't always a quick decision which is what I'm saying.

lfPatriotGames

Feb 15, 2022

-1

#11

I agree. If on move 9 or 10 you have a complex situation, it could take a long time to make a winning move. You might sacrifice some time in order to get a better position, which wins later on.

But, the auto resign feature is probably designed to not allow full use of your time.

IM pfren

Feb 15, 2022

3

#12

lfPatriotGames wrote:

The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like.

Maybe this applies to acey-deucey, but not chess.

1

Jenium

Feb 15, 2022

1

#13

@OP: Yes that is totally weird, especially in a Blitz game. If chess.com insists on implementing this, they could simply ask to confirm that you are still there, like youtube does...

PineappleMcPineapple

Feb 15, 2022

0

#14

it doesnt even work until move 10

lfPatriotGames

Feb 15, 2022

-1

#15

pfren wrote:

lfPatriotGames wrote:

The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like.

Maybe this applies to acey-deucey, but not chess.

It applies to chess here, on chess.com. It may not apply somewhere else though.

IM pfren

Feb 15, 2022

0

#16

lfPatriotGames wrote:

pfren wrote:

lfPatriotGames wrote:

The time on your clock isn't there for you to use as you like.

Maybe this applies to acey-deucey, but not chess.

It applies to chess here, on chess.com. It may not apply somewhere else though.

If it applies, then it is not chess, but rather another stupid online game.

Leaving aside making your first move in time, the rules of the game do not say ANYWHERE that you have to spent your time like this, or that. If chess dot com wants to stop aborters, he has to find another way to do that.

1

ChesswithGautham

Feb 15, 2022

0

#17

I agree with you

lfPatriotGames

Feb 16, 2022

-2

#18

pfren wrote:

lfPatriotGames wrote:

pfren wrote:

Maybe this applies to acey-deucey, but not chess.

It applies to chess here, on chess.com. It may not apply somewhere else though.

If it applies, then it is not chess, but rather another stupid online game.

Leaving aside making your first move in time, the rules of the game do not say ANYWHERE that you have to spent your time like this, or that. If chess dot com wants to stop aborters, he has to find another way to do that.

Yes. I think that's the whole point Nowhere in the actual rules are people forbidden to use their own time as they wish. But it's a chess.com policy that overrides that. It's a chess.com rule, not a chess rule.

If someone is more entitled to your time than you, and therefore has the right and ability to resign your game for you, then you may be right. It may not be chess, but rather another stupid online game.

catmaster0

Feb 16, 2022

1

#19

lfPatriotGames wrote:

pfren wrote:

lfPatriotGames wrote:

It applies to chess here, on chess.com. It may not apply somewhere else though.

If it applies, then it is not chess, but rather another stupid online game.

Leaving aside making your first move in time, the rules of the game do not say ANYWHERE that you have to spent your time like this, or that. If chess dot com wants to stop aborters, he has to find another way to do that.

Yes. I think that's the whole point Nowhere in the actual rules are people forbidden to use their own time as they wish. But it's a chess.com policy that overrides that. It's a chess.com rule, not a chess rule.

If someone is more entitled to your time than you, and therefore has the right and ability to resign your game for you, then you may be right. It may not be chess, but rather another stupid online game.

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your current point here, but if the OP wants this concept changed, and you seem to agree this is not an ideal mechanic, based on you calling it another stupid online game, what are you arguing you in your initial posts, which to the best of my understanding look like a defense of said mechanic? I'm somewhat uncertain of what you are saying your opinion is of the rule in question, could you clarify?

lfPatriotGames

Feb 16, 2022

0

#20

I'm saying I don't necessarily disagree with the policy. Chess.com's house, their rules.

But it's their rule, not a chess rule. I agree with the original comments that it's probably not right to force people to artificially manipulate their time. If someone wants or needs to spend a lot of time around move 10 or so, that should be their right. It's their time, maybe they have some serious thought to give to the position in front of them.

But chess.com penalizes that person with an auto resign if they take too long to think, even though they are well within their allotted game time.

So my agreement with Pfren is that by doing that, by implementing their own rule, which is not a chess rule, chess.com may have turned that particular format into just another stupid online game, rather than actual (real) chess.

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/site-feedback/stop-forcing-auto-resign-in-games

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