Bringing back decorous behaviour

I'm ill in bed so I've been watching a fair bit of chess the last couple of days. One thing I've noticed is how incredibly unsporting some players are.

In two matches I've just watched with 2000+ ranked players playing 1+0 tournaments:

1) Someone offered a draw SEVEN times from a losing position, in an obvious attempt to disrupt his/her opponent

2) A 2300 player LEFT A GAME after blundering

I think we could improve things by actively discouraging this sort of behaviour. Perhaps the draw offer could stay "on the table" until it has been accepted or rejected, rather than being automatically rejected upon a move being made?

In addition, players who leave games in the middle could be prohibited from playing in tournaments. This would nip it in the bud immediately. Perhaps the developers would consider that, as leaving games is so common, and seems almost acceptable in some parts of the world, a player who leaves a game automatically resigns and brings the game to its conclusion.

Finally, I suggest that it should be made easier to see what one's opponent is like as a character. By having enhanced profiles where people have the option of a photo, and bits and pieces about them, plus their stats on the profile page, it would be easier to tell whether one is about to embark on an evening of fun or one of frustration.

Thank you for considering my argument.

You have some interesting points.

I agree with the suggestion to "leave" the draw offer "on the table" up until it's either accepted or declined. The way it is now can distract an opponent in sometimes critical moments of a game.

I'm not sure how many people would actually make use of your second suggestion. I also think that most "problematic" people would not bother publicly declaring on their profile that they're not the people you'd want to play against. You already have some sort of stats on their page and their game completion rate should be visible on their profile. I think that's enough for you to "judge" their character.

Another suggestion would be to give players flair for having a high completion rate / demonstrating "decorous behavior" however it may be defined.

With maybe an additional flair for people who are new to the site or played less than X number of games so as to separate out those who've had a chance to be good versus those who have not.

why shouldn't you be allowed to leave a game after you blundered? the game is over

#4 It's unsportsmanlike. You should resign first, and then leave.

#MakeDrawOffersGreatAgain
Leave the draw offer on the table after the move, would mean you hand out a DRAW JOKER CARD to your opponent. Sad.

#2 You got my first point, which I'm pleased about. Point 2: I didn't mean that a player would advertise, effectively, whether they are or are not a person you'd like to play against; it's more that one would be able to deduce what they're like as a character by having the stats to hand, a picture, a little profile...

#3 I like this

#4 It's rude. If you're done with the game, resign like a man, don't run away like a baby.

#5 Quite so.

#6 It's easy to say it's "sad". I hear myself saying in my work all the time, "People who are simply negative get fired. People who have alternative positive solutions get bonuses." So give me your alternative positive solution...?

I just told you "Boss your idea is imprudent."
If you fire your employees if they are honest, that is your decision of course.

Yeah you can't leave the draw offer available, else one can just start blundering, knowing they can always accept the offer.

I'd rather use other methods, like:

- putting a time interval between draw offers (one every 30s or 3 moves)
- adding an extra button to slow down the requests
- make it so that you can't offer a draw again until the opponent offers one himself.

In particular I think the third option could work very well. If it is clearly a draw, then also the opponent will ask for it, else you cannot offer a draw again.

#8 I just tell them, "give me a better idea then"...

#9 I like your ideas in principle, but is it within the standard rules of chess?