Answers.Body: <p>There is an <a href="https://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=124&amp;view=article" rel="nofollow">official Fide rule</a> to prevent this kind of behavior ("flagging"). This rule however only holds in quickplay finishes of normal tournament games. In blitz managing the time better than your opponent is an integral part of the game. In online games (which mostly are blitz anyway) I have never seen this rule implemented (it's kind of tough without an arbiter).</p>
  
  <p>Also note that this rule only allows you to claim a draw, to win you'll have to checkmate with the time still left to you. </p>
  
  <p>Article 10: Quickplay Finish</p>
  
  <p>10.1
  A ‘quickplay finish’ is the phase of a game when all the (remaining) moves must be made in a limited time.
  10.2
  If the player, having the move, has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall summon the arbiter and may stop the clocks. (See Article 6.12.b)</p>
  
  <p>a.
  <strong>If the arbiter agrees the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn.</strong> Otherwise he shall postpone his decision or reject the claim.</p>
  
  <p>(bold by me)</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T09:49:27.017Z
Answers.Text: Also, arguably increments were invented in part to prevent this kind of situation.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T15:38:12.050Z
Answers.Text: Changed accepted answer to this because it talks about time management in Blitz but also gives more details on rules related to my question. Thank you.
Answers.UserDisplayName: frostbite
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Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T08:53:37.580Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-01-08T08:53:37.580Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: BlindKungFuMaster
Answers.Body: <p>That's how it goes. Time management is an important part of tournament chess play.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T09:46:21.823Z
Answers.Text: That's not the right answer, BlindKungFuMaster quotes the actual rule that exists to combat this.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T09:58:39.580Z
Answers.Text: Actually, i did describe the full rule, before blindkungfu, but strangely, im getting downvoted while kungfu gets upvoted.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T10:07:44.673Z
Answers.Text: @Sailbot: the rule you quoted is entirely unrelated.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T10:11:37.843Z
Answers.Text: How? It describes the rule to prevent winning by flag in dead draw positions.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T10:14:16.167Z
Answers.Text: And the question isn't about dead draw positions.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T10:18:43.123Z
Answers.Text: If question isnt about dead draw positions then tonys answer is correct, and the question is pointless. Because if one side has material with winning capability, game continues, its pointless to complain about clock.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T10:34:57.137Z
Answers.Text: @Sailbot: NO, because of rule 10.1.a in the other answer, which is explicitly about "the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means". But these comments don't belong here, so this is my last.
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-07T23:50:17.017Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-01-07T23:50:17.017Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.Body: <p>There is a rule called <a href="http://www.e4ec.org/immr.html" rel="nofollow"><em>draw by insufficient material</em></a> in FIDE, which prevents the situations you described.</p>
  
  <p>It's draw automatically if any following situation happens:</p>
  
  <ol>
  <li>King vs king</li>
  <li>King vs king + knight</li>
  <li>King + zero or more bishops vs king + zero or more bishops, where all bishops stands on same colored squares</li>
  <li>Any combination of pieces in a position where stalemate is unavoidable.</li>
  <li>Any combination of pieces in a position where checkmate is impossible.</li>
  <li>Any combination of pieces in a position where it's inevitable to transpose to a position described above.</li>
  </ol>
  
  <p>So you can't lose on time, in these kinds of positions.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T03:16:22.577Z
Answers.Text: How does this prevent someone from "flagging" their opponent? I can't understand how insufficient material could be relevant.
Answers.UserDisplayName: limits
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T03:39:02.893Z
Answers.Text: "What if one player makes some 'pointless' defensive moves ... " In my answer, I explained the rules for preventing some very obvious pointless defensive moves, for flagging opponent.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T03:51:40.127Z
Answers.Text: These rules avoid losing on time, when the position is obviously a dead draw.
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T09:55:49.067Z
Answers.Text: Downvote? Really? :)
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T10:09:15.563Z
Answers.Text: This is about a different situation, where they player who would win on time doesn't have pieces anymore. The question is about a situation where that player does have pieces, but simply isn't trying to win (and so does win on time if that flag falls).
Answers.UserDisplayName: RemcoGerlich
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2017-09-20T07:54:10.997Z
Answers.Text: Draw by insufficient material has been abolished by FIDE. I assume the rationale is that it's superfluous (a game with insufficient material will eventually end by other means, often with the players simply agreeing to a draw) and also there are positions like king and two knights vs. king that are theoretically drawn, but the opponent might blunder into checkmate. This answer is also rather peripheral to the question; certainly you can stall a game to run down the opponent's clock even when one or both players have sufficient material.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kef Schecter
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-08-10T15:13:01.097Z
Answers.Text: @KefSchecter what makes you say that draw by insufficient material was abolished? see 5.2.2.
  this rule does however not cover KvsKNN, and it never did, so your example is beside the point.
Answers.UserDisplayName: peter
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2018-08-10T20:34:28.647Z
Answers.Text: I stand corrected.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Kef Schecter
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T03:04:15.440Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-01-08T05:11:47.203Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2016-01-08T05:11:47.203Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: ferit
Body: <p>Running out of time is a loss. Two players are both very low on time and quite far from a checkmate. What if one player makes some 'pointless' defensive moves to keep his clock running so that the other player, still trying to win, runs out of time.</p>
  
  <p>I am new and I am asking because I have had opponents moving their king back around while I was there trying to do something and had no time left.</p>
  
  <p>Is there some sort of rule that prevents my opponent from making useless moves while I try to win and run out of time?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-01-07T23:51:23.053Z
Comments.Text: I understand the situation, but what exactly is the question?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-01-07T23:54:18.493Z
Comments.Text: Basically If there is some sort of rule that prevents this. Like if both players are under a certain percentage of the total time then it's a draw.
Comments.UserDisplayName: frostbite
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T00:00:42.053Z
Comments.Text: Nope.  If you need more time at the end, you'll have to take it from the beginning. Or, put the opponent away before it matters.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T00:04:44.343Z
Comments.Text: To avoid this situation, use time controls with increment.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Dag Oskar Madsen
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T03:08:08.277Z
Comments.Text: @frostbite There are rules for preventing this. Please see my answer.
Comments.UserDisplayName: ferit
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2016-01-08T03:14:57.860Z
Comments.Text: You can make useless moves too. If you opponent does not want a draw by repetition then he won't be able do this. Then he will start to think, and you can think on his time to make a plan.
Comments.UserDisplayName: limits
Tags: <beginner><time-control>
Title: Running down the opponent's clock on purpose
ThreadText: # Running down the opponent's clock on purpose
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2016-01-07)
  
  Running out of time is a loss. Two players are both very low on time and quite far from a checkmate. What if one player makes some 'pointless' defensive moves to keep his clock running so that the other player, still trying to win, runs out of time.
  
  I am new and I am asking because I have had opponents moving their king back around while I was there trying to do something and had no time left.
  
  Is there some sort of rule that prevents my opponent from making useless moves while I try to win and run out of time?
  
  **Tags:** beginner, time-control
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I understand the situation, but what exactly is the question?  
  > **username_0**: Basically If there is some sort of rule that prevents this. Like if both players are under a certain percentage of the total time then it's a draw.  
  > **username_1**: Nope.  If you need more time at the end, you'll have to take it from the beginning. Or, put the opponent away before it matters.  
  > **username_2**: To avoid this situation, use time controls with increment.  
  > **username_3**: @username_0 There are rules for preventing this. Please see my answer.  
  > **username_4**: You can make useless moves too. If you opponent does not want a draw by repetition then he won't be able do this. Then he will start to think, and you can think on his time to make a plan.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2016-01-08. Score: 3 | Accepted answer
  
  There is an [official Fide rule](https://www.fide.com/component/handbook/?id=124&view=article) to prevent this kind of behavior ("flagging"). This rule however only holds in quickplay finishes of normal tournament games. In blitz managing the time better than your opponent is an integral part of the game. In online games (which mostly are blitz anyway) I have never seen this rule implemented (it's kind of tough without an arbiter).
  
  Also note that this rule only allows you to claim a draw, to win you'll have to checkmate with the time still left to you.
  
  Article 10: Quickplay Finish
  
  10.1
  A ‘quickplay finish’ is the phase of a game when all the (remaining) moves must be made in a limited time.
  10.2
  If the player, having the move, has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall summon the arbiter and may stop the clocks. (See Article 6.12.b)
  
  a.
  **If the arbiter agrees the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn.** Otherwise he shall postpone his decision or reject the claim.
  
  (bold by me)
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: Also, arguably increments were invented in part to prevent this kind of situation.  
  > **username_0**: Changed accepted answer to this because it talks about time management in Blitz but also gives more details on rules related to my question. Thank you.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2016-01-07. Score: 3
  
  That's how it goes. Time management is an important part of tournament chess play.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_6**: That's not the right answer, username_5 quotes the actual rule that exists to combat this.  
  > **username_3**: Actually, i did describe the full rule, before blindkungfu, but strangely, im getting downvoted while kungfu gets upvoted.  
  > **username_6**: @Sailbot: the rule you quoted is entirely unrelated.  
  > **username_3**: How? It describes the rule to prevent winning by flag in dead draw positions.  
  > **username_6**: And the question isn't about dead draw positions.  
  > **username_3**: If question isnt about dead draw positions then tonys answer is correct, and the question is pointless. Because if one side has material with winning capability, game continues, its pointless to complain about clock.  
  > **username_6**: @Sailbot: NO, because of rule 10.1.a in the other answer, which is explicitly about "the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means". But these comments don't belong here, so this is my last.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2016-01-08. Score: -3
  
  There is a rule called [*draw by insufficient material*](http://www.e4ec.org/immr.html) in FIDE, which prevents the situations you described.
  
  It's draw automatically if any following situation happens:
  
  1. King vs king
  2. King vs king + knight
  3. King + zero or more bishops vs king + zero or more bishops, where all bishops stands on same colored squares
  4. Any combination of pieces in a position where stalemate is unavoidable.
  5. Any combination of pieces in a position where checkmate is impossible.
  6. Any combination of pieces in a position where it's inevitable to transpose to a position described above.
  
  So you can't lose on time, in these kinds of positions.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: How does this prevent someone from "flagging" their opponent? I can't understand how insufficient material could be relevant.  
  > **username_3**: "What if one player makes some 'pointless' defensive moves ... " In my answer, I explained the rules for preventing some very obvious pointless defensive moves, for flagging opponent.  
  > **username_3**: These rules avoid losing on time, when the position is obviously a dead draw.  
  > **username_3**: Downvote? Really? :)  
  > **username_6**: This is about a different situation, where they player who would win on time doesn't have pieces anymore. The question is about a situation where that player does have pieces, but simply isn't trying to win (and so does win on time if that flag falls).  
  > **username_7**: Draw by insufficient material has been abolished by FIDE. I assume the rationale is that it's superfluous (a game with insufficient material will eventually end by other means, often with the players simply agreeing to a draw) and also there are positions like king and two knights vs. king that are theoretically drawn, but the opponent might blunder into checkmate. This answer is also rather peripheral to the question; certainly you can stall a game to run down the opponent's clock even when one or both players have sufficient material.  
  > **username_8**: @KefSchecter what makes you say that draw by insufficient material was abolished? see 5.2.2. this rule does however not cover KvsKNN, and it never did, so your example is beside the point.  
  > **username_7**: I stand corrected.  
  
  ---
  
  