50 move rule?

What is the 50 move rule in chess?

If no pieces are captured nor pawns are moved for 50 consecutive moves, the game is a draw.

https://www.chess.com/terms/draw-chess#fifty-move-rule

So um if both players make 50 moves without captures or pawn moves then the game just automatically ends with a draw. This is called 50 move rule in chess.

A little additional information, in OTB it has to be claimed, same for Daily chess here. In live it's automatic..

Nice to know...

50 moves have to be claimed, 75 moves is an automatic draw
9.3
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, if:
9.3.2
the last 50 moves by each player have been completed without the movement of any pawn and without any capture.
9.6
If one or both of the following occur(s) then the game is drawn:

9.6.2
any series of at least 75 moves have been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. If the last move resulted in checkmate, that shall take precedence.

https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012018

None of this matters in practical chess. The chances of ever getting an endgame where this is relevant are astronomically low, you can play chess for decades without it.

#17
Sometimes it matters

The 50 moves rule often comes into effect in KBN vs. K when the player does not know how to win and fails to win.
The 50 moves rule also comes into effect in KNN vs. KP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_knights_endgame 

Tell that to (former) Women's World Chess Champion GM Anna Ushinina. 

She only drew a theoretically won K+B+N vs K endgame because she failed to mate within the 50 move limit.

You'll show her how to mate with Bishop and Knight?

I know that it happens occasionally, but the chance that it ever happens to you is low, even if you play thousands of games.

On the other hand, the story about a grandmaster not winning with B+N is shocking. ( I knew it already, but it is still shocking).

#13
It happens in about every large tournament:
KBN vs. K, KNN vs. KP, KQ vs. KR, KR vs. KB, KR vs. KN, KRB vs. KR, KRN vs. KR

just out of curiosity, if it needs to be claimed in otb, why is it automatic in live on-line?

Keep it PG dude.

It used to require claims in live. I don't know all the reasons for the change, but part of it likely had to do with how hard it was to do in time scrambles in conjunction with premoves and appropriate timings. Also, I think a lot of other online sites did it that way and a lot of requests were made to do it here too