If your opponent times out and you don't have enough material left to force mate then it is a draw. For example if your opponent runs out of time with a queen and two rooks on the board and you were down to your bare king the game is drawn. However, if you have one pawn left you will win, since technically it is still possible for that pawn to promote and give mate.
Blitz: Insufficient Material Despite Plenty?
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Hi all,
First off - apologies for my ignorance in this! I'm trying to understand why a couple of blitz games recently (on the website) ended in a draw with a message of 'insufficient material' despite the one of the players having plenty of material.
In the most recent example, my opponent ran out of time - they had two pawns and a bishop so plenty of scope for a checkmate. When the time ran out, it was classed as a draw rather than a win.
The same thing happened last week when I was playing on my phone via the app.
I'm guessing this is one of the many gaps in my knowledge of the rules - if someone could please enlighten me it would be much appreciated!
Regards
Bob