It is rude to continue a game which is completely hopeless.
Won by resignation

Being gracious in defeat, to me, means acknowledging when you're beaten and resigning. If we both know what the result will be, there's no point in prolonging the game.

Resigning, in my opinion, is being "gracious in defeat". You admit that your opponent has outplayed you and you decide to finish a lost game that could otherwise take a long time before the player who is loosing gets checkmated.
I prefer to resign than to hold 20-30 moves in a lost position with no hopes for a draw.

Yeah, when you are losing badly, you're probably going to lose, so resign.
That can happen by playing loosely.

Although I understand your point of view, I would rather play till the end. But still in some cases I can see there's a chance for the oponent to win and he/she resigns only because something went wrong, or... (that was the best one)...the guy resigned as soon as he lost the Queen...

And...when you're in any other competition or game...do the players resign or do they try and play till the last minute? I think it is just the easiest way out...

Take resignation as a sign of respect, it's much worse the other way around when a sole king insists on making moves towards the corner of the board...

And...when you're in any other competition or game...do the players resign or do they try and play till the last minute? I think it is just the easiest way out...
There are few comparable games or competitions, where the result is inevitable but the game not over yet. The only one I can think of is snooker, where a frame is indeed resigned even though it is always theoretically possible that someone will get snookered ten times in a row...
Anyway, when in Rome, do as the Romans. In chess, resigning is the respectful way, not resigning is saying "I don't think you know how to win this."

Yes, in many sorts of games when one side recognizes the impossibility of winning in their current position, there is a possibility of conceding the victory and it is usually customary to do so at high levels of competition. Take, for instance, skat, when people recognize that making or missing the bid is inevitable. Most physical sports do not have this custom because there is always a chance of winning even against best play.
Playing on till the bitter end is the right thing to do when you're a beginner.
Once you've got some experience, and are playing better players, resigning in lost positions will be the right thing to do.
Carry on.
When you are in hopeless positions, you can always go for the lucky shot. :) like set up a trap where you will lose material if it fails, but hey! they work quite often.

if you look at historical famous games, even GM's resign!! this should close the issue! when my opponent left with a king alone, and I have much more material, doesn't resign, it's very irritating and boring! Thanks folks, for resigning!!!!

I didn't even consider it, I understand most of it and it make sense to me, but still don't think that this applies to people who decide to resign only cause they lost their favourite piece...
I see I still have a lot to learn...I will carry on playing then...
Thanks for your replies
if you look at historical famous games, even GM's resign!! this should close the issue! when my opponent left with a king alone, and I have much more material, doesn't resign, it's very irritating and boring! Thanks folks, for resigning!!!!
Please, your answer is very non-logical...use simple logic to prove your answer is ridiculous.
you stated "Weaker players should resign because grandmasters do it"
First of all, a grandmaster is more likely to win a winning position, while a weaker player may not know everything and may mess up, so it makes much less sense to resign.
And I find your "it's boring and irritating" comment very irritating itself. People have the choice of when to resign or not to, as long as they are not doing something idiotic like letting the time run.

I didn't even consider it, I understand most of it and it make sense to me, but still don't think that this applies to people who decide to resign only cause they lost their favourite piece...
I see I still have a lot to learn...I will carry on playing then...
Thanks for your replies
At your level you should play on. But as you improve youll learn to know when to resign. As you get better, the mentality of "I might get a stalemate" doesnt work.
If you continue to play on no matter what youre not improving at chess.
Thanks for the advice... .
~I do not understand people who resign just before the end of the game? Can anyone please explain this to me? Even if I loose (I loose very often) I do not run away! I don't get it, honestly. It is cowardice.
"Be gracious in defeat, and humble in victory!"