"Winning by resignation" versus "losing by resignation"

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causalset

Does anyone else finds it strange when it says "such and such won by resignation"? It almost sounds like I can win (as opposed to lose) by simply resigning! Of course we all know that in actuality its the opponent of the winner who resigned, but still why do they have to make such a twist? Is it because they are too politically correct to call out the person who lost? Well as for me, it only makes it fascinating to call out a loser for the simple fact that it was never been done. I am not a bully, I am just a mathematician, and I am fascinated with negative numbers in situations when they aren't used. So in America where basements are denoted by B, I came up with the idea of calling ground floor 0, and basement below ground floor -1, and the basement below that basement (if there is one) -2 and so forth. Several years later I discovered thats exactly what they do in Europe; but up until then I was kind of wondering why no one does it. In any case, just like I find it fascinating to label floors with negative numbers, I also find it fascinating to call out the loser rather than calling out the winner. I guess I won't go out of the way to do it, but in the context of resigning it only makes sense. I think it would sound a lot better if you were to say "such and such LOST by resignation" as opposed to "such and such won by resignation", don't you think? 

notmtwain
causalset wrote:

Does anyone else finds it strange when it says "such and such won by resignation"? It almost sounds like I can win (as opposed to lose) by simply resigning! Of course we all know that in actuality its the opponent of the winner who resigned, but still why do they have to make such a twist? Is it because they are too politically correct to call out the person who lost? Well as for me, it only makes it fascinating to call out a loser for the simple fact that it was never been done. I am not a bully, I am just a mathematician, and I am fascinated with negative numbers in situations when they aren't used. So in America where basements are denoted by B, I came up with the idea of calling ground floor 0, and basement below ground floor -1, and the basement below that basement (if there is one) -2 and so forth. Several years later I discovered thats exactly what they do in Europe; but up until then I was kind of wondering why no one does it. In any case, just like I find it fascinating to label floors with negative numbers, I also find it fascinating to call out the loser rather than calling out the winner. I guess I won't go out of the way to do it, but in the context of resigning it only makes sense. I think it would sound a lot better if you were to say "such and such LOST by resignation" as opposed to "such and such won by resignation", don't you think? 

The usage accomplishes two things. It tells you who won. People are more interested in knowing who won. It also tells you how the game ended.That might be interesting to you if you were looking for an unusual grandmaster game.

It is efficient. It conveys meaning. What more could you want?

causalset

See, you say people are more interested in who won. Thats exactly why I would prefer if there were people interested in who LOST. That would be kinda fascinating: "hey guys, you played chess? Tell us who lost" But this isn't even the main reason. The main reason is that "winning by resignation" makes it sound like the winner is the one who resigned which is simply not true. So the usage I propose with "losing by resignation" accomplishes two things: first, its more logical, and, second, its fascinating. 

IndocronJr
No such thing as winning by resigning it's impossible😕😥😓
causalset

100% agreed, which is precisely my point: the message after the game says someone won by resignation (I am not making it up: it actually says this very thing -- read it next time you play and either you or your opponent resigns) and I think they should change that message to make it more reflective of actual situation.

Omega60

You are working too hard at finding something to complain about.  Technically you are correct.  From a practical standpoint, the message as is gets the point across efficiently.  Since I am the main target audience of the message, it tells me *I* won, and it says *I* won due to a resignation.  The unwritten, and obvious, assumption is that it was my opponent that resigned.

causalset

Well, if you are so concerned about efficiency, it would be more "efficient" not to play chess at all, since you aren't "accomplishing" anything in your career by playing chess. So obviously the point isn't efficiency but fun. Well, from my perspective, it would be a lot more fun if it were to use "lose by resignation" phrase. 

Hedgehog1963

What a waste of time...

Thee_Ghostess_Lola

In 98.4% of all chess games ?....the winning players moves last.

And that's how u can win Grobnus Borglsen....or whatever his name is.

Arisktotle

You cannot win by resigning but you can win by resignation. The first expression suggest you resigned, the second one is neutral with regard to the perpetrator of the resignation. Compare to this one:

 I lost my house by climate change vs I lost my house by changing the climate.

evert823

I actually won a game by resignation.

I played Qxa7# and then resigned, not spotting that my Bishop was pinning his Rook. causalset has a very valid point.

Arisktotle
evert823 wrote:

I actually won a game by resignation.

1e Prize for optimism. Did you actually continue a game to the diagram position?

evert823

Yes. If you'd call it winning by refusing to resign I'd be OK with that too.