Etiquette of running down clock in a winning position (Mate in 1) when opponent refuses to resign

Obviously running down your clock/disconnecting in a dead lost position is terrible etiquette and a reportable abuse offense. 

But what about running down your clock in a complete won position with mate in 1 or 2 moves? A lot of people refuse to resign in blitz and especially bullet chess even when you have an obvious mate in 1. Basically in this situation I'll often wait until I have like .3 or .4 seconds left on my clock before delivering the mate because I'm not happy my opponent won't resign even though I have, say 10+ sec left on my clock and an obvious mate in one. I won't do this in a blitz game, say if I have 1.5 minutes on my clock because thats just too long too wait, but if I have 15 seconds left in a bullet 1 0 game I'll happily waste his time as well by mating him with under a second left.

I got berated by an opponent for doing this the other day saying I was showboating but I'd argue he can just resign if he doesn't want to waste both of our times. 

I personally don't like it when people resign when I have obvious mate in 1 that even I can spot. I like to see the game resolved. I guess that shows there are different mentalities and perhaps your opponents don't mean it in disrespect.

I think there's a certain loss of perspective to suggest that spending 15 seconds on a chess move is a waste of time. The other point is people may get annoyed by others who refuse to resign, but you still have to earn your win.

I can understand that anger at the opponent not resigning, but I feel if I start wasting time, too, I'm descending to the jerk's level.  Try not to be a jerk under any circumstances, even if it means putting up with within-the-rules abuse from others.

I had an opponent do what OP suggested.  We were playing, and I was much better the whole game.  The guy was a jerk, making nasty comments in chat.  Then, I dropped what looked like mate in 2.  We both had about a minute on the clock (in a blitz game) and he made the 1st move (putting me in check) of the two move forced mate, and told me in chat to resign.  I was pissed, so I decided to run out the clock which I'd never done before.  Then I realized that he didn't have mate next move; I would have a useless block.  So I moved my king into what looked like mate in 1 and premoved the useless block.  My opponent then proceeded to gloat and showboat in chat, and let his own clock wind down so he could mate with a second left, like OP suggested.  He played his move, which he thought was mate, my premove kicked in, and he lost on time.  It was hysterical.  

To answer OP's question, it's pointless.  Just mate them and block them.  Showboating or showing them up doesn't really accomplish anything.  Some people never resign; it's just a fact you have to accept.  For most people, you're never going to change their mind on the "resign or play it out" question.  Block them and move on  

Nigel Short was a move or two from mating his opponent once when he stopped moving and acted like he was really studying the board deeply. People came over to watch the game, and he just hunched over farther. In the end, his embarrassed opponent resigned without Short having made a move!

Is it proper etiquette? Well, not really. But when someone who knows better refuses to resign, it's understandable. 

In blitz and bullet though, etiquette changes. There's so little time that it doesn't make much difference.

paté de foie gras

Hey, If they refuse to resign, you win anyway. What's the problem? You can always start another game even while still playing that one.

I was playing in a big tournament several years ago when my opponent, who was down about a queen and a rook, used about 40 of his remaining 45 minutes on one move. It was exceedingly frustrating, as I had much less of a break before the next game, but there's nothing you can really do about it. I asked the TD but he couldn't do anything. All that matters is that you keep a good attitude about it . its bad etiquette but it IS their time, and they can do what they want with it.

For better or worse, the victorian age of proper etiquette and propriety has past long ago. No one really expects to hold themselves to those high standards of morality. Why is it people still miss it when they see it lacking in others?  

Morality was never more than society's construct to protect itself. 

There is nothing innately "good" about any morality/etiquette, etc. 

On topic, I think the NM is fully free to do what's described. Since the opponent has the full ability to terminate the game, that should be the end of the argument. 

Nightmaretime:  It is difficult to fathom how a player with a rating as high as yours can think that another player owes you a resignation, especially in a blitz game.  Why don't you simply checkmate him and enjoy your victory?

^The correct answer might be that it may send a message to the player who refuses to resign, prompting him/her to resign in the future, saving time overall.

The true answer is probably because the NM feels happy toying with the opponent this way. There's every right to do so, I should add, since the opponent may always give up.

I rarely see a mate that is certain over the board. Just yesterday I was playing a game and my oponent was taking a long time in a 10 min. game in a position that was clearly lost. He then made a really bad move and I made a really good move (for me). So good that While he was wasting another minute trying to find a reply, I studied it like a problem and for the first time chatted that I thought it was mate in two. He took another minute and found a refutation I had missed. I was so embarrassed. I finally won because my position was very strong, but it was not mate in two by any means once he found that good move that took him almost 3 minutes of the 10 min game. If someone wants to take longer, I say let them, maybe they will teach me something. And if they leave, I want to give them time to check back in. Maybe there was a lightning strike near their computer. 

While i have no problem whatsoever with what the OP described, i also felt my cold heart warm a tiny bit upon reading knighttour2's story (#7). 

"Never resign. There's always a chance your opponent may drop dead before he mates you." — Horowitz

^I agree with that. Actually, here it's more like "maybe he/she will have an internet problem" but basically anything can happen. 

"I am going to waste 10 seconds of his life, that will show him !"

LOL