Annoying time wasting

[Nigel White]

In recent weeks I've been playing in an evening tournament with a long time control, located a little way from home. I realised that when I entered that if a game went the full distance, I would not get home until after midnight, but this was a risk that I was prepared to take.

While willing to get home late after a hard fought game, I didn't expect this as a result of excessively slow play, verging on deliberate time wasting, by an opponent. In a recent game I had a totally winning position, a piece up and passed pawns (including a connected pair) on opposite sides of the board. The better my position, the slower my opponent's play became. At first this was understandable, as I assumed that they were desperately searching for some trick to save the position. But it became obvious that they were taking over ten minutes per move when there was only one possible move. The final evidence for this was that after the last move I played (which gave check) my opponent had only one legal move, and it then would have been mate next move. But rather than play the one legal move or resign, they just let their clock run down for more than 10 minutes to lose on time. Even more annoying, they then rushed off declining to reset their pieces on the board, as had been requested. Fortunately, I still had 40 minutes left on my clock at the end, so did manage to get home before midnight.

As it's every player's prerogative to use their time as they see fit, I guess there is nothing that can be done when encountering this sort of play. As I had plenty of thinking time while my opponent's clock was running, I could usually play instantly once they moved. In between my moves, I started to walk about the playing area waiting for their response.

What would others do in this situation? Am I being unreasonable to consider my opponent's behaviour to be not very sporting?

[Ian Jamieson]

In recent weeks I've been playing in an evening tournament with a long time control, located a little way from home. I realised that when I entered that if a game went the full distance, I would not get home until after midnight, but this was a risk that I was prepared to take.

While willing to get home late after a hard fought game, I didn't expect this as a result of excessively slow play, verging on deliberate time wasting, by an opponent. In a recent game I had a totally winning position, a piece up and passed pawns (including a connected pair) on opposite sides of the board. The better my position, the slower my opponent's play became. At first this was understandable, as I assumed that they were desperately searching for some trick to save the position. But it became obvious that they were taking over ten minutes per move when there was only one possible move. The final evidence for this was that after the last move I played (which gave check) my opponent had only one legal move, and it then would have been mate next move. But rather than play the one legal move or resign, they just let their clock run down for more than 10 minutes to lose on time. Even more annoying, they then rushed off declining to reset their pieces on the board, as had been requested. Fortunately, I still had 40 minutes left on my clock at the end, so did manage to get home before midnight.

As it's every player's prerogative to use their time as they see fit, I guess there is nothing that can be done when encountering this sort of play. As I had plenty of thinking time while my opponent's clock was running, I could usually play instantly once they moved. In between my moves, I started to walk about the playing area waiting for their response.

What would others do in this situation? Am I being unreasonable to consider my opponent's behaviour to be not very sporting?

Not much if anything you can do during the game but make the arbiter / organiser aware afterwards. Also possibly decline / refuse to play the same individual in future although part of me feels this is falling into the individual’s trap so perhaps play them but make it clear to arbiter / organiser in advance what your previous experience of the individual was in case the individual repeats their behaviour.

[Kevin Thurlow]

Not much you can do, maybe mention to the organiser. I had a similar win on time in a county match about 50 years ago (about ten moves short). The opposing captain approached and asked the result,
"I lost on time", said my opponent.
"Hard luck", quoth the captain
"Yes, but you were completely busted...", mildly pointed out the victor.
Captain looked at the final position and his facial expression revealed what he thought.

[Reg Clucas]

This sort of thing often happens online, but I've never known it in an OTB game. Abysmal behaviour.

[James Toon]

I come across this timewasting behaviour a lot in correspondence chess. It's so common that the rules provide a sanction against the "Dead Man's Defence" although the bar for activating this is quite high and I have only once succeeded in persuading the tournament director to implement it.

It's much less common in OTB chess and I do sympathise with Nigel who has suffered on this occasion. One reaction is to name and shame the timewasting opponent. Publish the name online, for example in these forums, and locally if possible. It might have a deterrent effect in future.

[Roger de Coverly]

It's much less common in OTB chess

Did it not used to be commonplace in leagues where there was a near-compulsory adjudication? That's where a player thinks they have a win or a draw and sits out time to get the adjudicator to work it out for them.

[IM Jack Rudd]

That one's somewhat different, though, because there's an actual chess advantage to doing that. (And, in practice, you could probably just say to your opponent "I'm going to sit on this position till adjudication time" and both head off to the bar or whatever.)

[Roger Lancaster]

It's much less common in OTB chess

Did it not used to be commonplace in leagues where there was a near-compulsory adjudication? That's where a player thinks they have a win or a draw and sits out time to get the adjudicator to work it out for them.

Memory correct although then the player stands to benefit through not moving as opposed to the first example where it's a loss no matter what. Under those (near-compulsory adjudication) conditions, if I emerged from complications with say K, B and N against lone K but with just 10 minutes of the session remaining before adjudication, and imperfect recollection of the mating process, I rather think I'd be mightily tempted to sit out time. (But harder to know what I'd do if I had 60 minutes rather than 10).

[Ian Jamieson]

I read a paper once which suggested the increment in seconds should be the same as the bank in minutes e.g. 60 + 60 instead of 90 + 30. The original poster’s situation is actually a situation where this would be a benefit because to get more time you have to move and if you don’t move you run out of time sooner.

[Joey Stewart]

That one's somewhat different, though, because there's an actual chess advantage to doing that. (And, in practice, you could probably just say to your opponent "I'm going to sit on this position till adjudication time" and both head off to the bar or whatever.)

I actually had this exact thing happen to me years ago when we had adjudications in Gloucester League but since it left me with about 40 minutes on the clock and I had to make a sealed move I kept him and his whole team waiting until after 11pm "thinking" of the aforementioned move.... they never asked for adjournments against me again.

[Jon Mahony]

I will echo, very little you can do; the player is entitled to use his allotted time any way he sees fit – maybe he was reminding himself of the rules of chess during the ten-minute wait on the one legal move. I agree terrible etiquette and nothing short of gamesmanship on his part (probably hoping he could bore you into offering a draw) but sadly, not against the rules.

We used to have an old gent at Rose Forgorve, who has now sadly passed so I won’t name him. He used to come to club matches, but like to be done no later than 9pm to get home. He would routinely offer draws when the clock started edging towards that fateful hour, and the game was still in progress. He once did this with me at the club championship and I refused (I had a very nice Colle-Zukertort middle game on the board as white, with lots of potential for the win) He proceeded to tut after every move that passed, and look at his watch every 10 seconds, even going so far as to start tapping the face of it eventually. Anyway, the upshot was he eventually fell for a Greek gift style mate in 3 and knocked his king over in a tizz before exiting.

I did try and chat to him about it the next week, and explain the game can go on until 10 so you really need to be prepared to play until then (I kept to myself I didn’t really fancy a draw in a better position against an ECF 97 graded player) but he didn’t seem to grasp it.

Just don’t ever take up postal chess, I once had an opponent make me play out his king and knight vs my king, Bishop and 3 pawns – he made me Queen and then mate him, all of which took an additional 5 or so months with second class stamps. The other game had concluded some time previously and so he didn’t even have that as an excuse.

[Ian Jamieson]

I will echo, very little you can do; the player is entitled to use his allotted time any way he sees fit – maybe he was reminding himself of the rules of chess during the ten-minute wait on the one legal move. I agree terrible etiquette and nothing short of gamesmanship on his part (probably hoping he could bore you into offering a draw) but sadly, not against the rules.

We used to have an old gent at Rose Forgorve, who has now sadly passed so I won’t name him. He used to come to club matches, but like to be done no later than 9pm no get home. He would routinely offer draws when the clock started edging towards that fateful hour, and the game was still in progress. He once did this with me at the club championship and I refused (I had a very nice Colle-Zukertort middle game on the board as white, with lots of potential for the win) He proceeded to tut after every move that passed, and look at his watch every 10 seconds, even going so far as to start tapping the face of it eventually. Anyway, the upshot was he eventually fell for a Greek gift style mate in 3 and knocked his king over in a tizz before exiting.

I did try and chat to him about it the next week, and explain the game can go on until 10 so you really need to be prepared to play until then (I kept to myself I didn’t really fancy a draw in a better position against an ECF 97 graded player) but he didn’t seem to grasp it.

Just don’t ever take up postal chess, I once had an opponent make me play out his king and knight vs my king, Bishop and 3 pawns – he made me Queen and then mate him, all of which took an additional 5 or so months with second class stamps. The other game had concluded some time previously and so he didn’t even have that as an excuse.

Yes, I had to go to adjudication once in a position where I had something like R+6 pawns vs 4 pawns with the 4 pawns under lock and key and the rook cutting the king off from the pawns on a square protected by a pawn - one of those positions where if we had played on I could have queened all 6 pawns for fun. Under the tournament rules I even had to submit a plan saying how I planned to win the position although I don’t know if the adjudicator bothered to look at it or not.

[MJMcCready]

I've had that sort of thing happen to me before. My opponent was a soreloser and wanted to annoy me as a form of revenge. Very rare but has happened. Slamming the pieces down has been slightly more common.

[Geoff Chandler]

But rather than play the one legal move or resign, they just let their clock run down for more than 10 minutes to lose on time...What would others do in this situation? Am I being unreasonable to consider my opponent's behaviour to be not very sporting?

Not at all unreasonable to consider your opponent's behavior unsporting. I would have named them adding the date, times and final position.

I can understand players in a lost position letting their clock run down to get into time trouble hoping the player winning will trip up if they try to blitz them. But letting the clock run down when facing a forced mate in one or two. These players must really suffer when they lose. I wonder why they play.

[Jon Mahony]

I've had that sort of thing happen to me before. My opponent was a soreloser and wanted to annoy me as a form of revenge. Very rare but has happened. Slamming the pieces down has been slightly more common.

I once had a guy in the YCA league (not a strong player ECF 140 or so in old money) refuse to sit in the same room as me he would move, immediately stand up and go into the other room to watch the top board games - all in an effort to intimidate of course. Anyway, he didn't know the French defence very well and quickly got into trouble, when he felt his game crumbling he decided to actually sit and play... to late for him of course.

Afterward he grumbled that I was clearly under graded, to which I responded "Funny that, you seemed over graded to me" and headed for the bar.