When to resign

[S2W]

Recently I've been thinking about go etiquette - specifically when to resign. I try to draw the line at speculative invasions if I know they'll only work if my opponent makes a mistake, but I'll usually play to the end even if I'm well behind (up to say ~30 points - but with my bad counting the difference might be even greater).

I guess I'm wondering what everyone else thinks. Do you fight to the bitter end or do you go gently into that good night? What about your opponents - do you ever resign in disgust if an opponent plays too long/slow?

[DrStraw]

Resign when you are convinced there is no chance at all to win, by fair means or foul. Otherwise play on.

[RobertJasiek]

Premature resignation is a sign of a missing desire to win. Resignation is appropriate when it is less probable to win than that one of the players dies during the game, although I sometimes am less strict especially if the opponent has shown a clearly superior understanding of the game. I respect my opponent's possibly different interpretation of appropriate resignation, except that I sometimes demonstrate clearly on the board if my opponent wants to be tougher than in sentence 2.

[Uberdude]

It depends a lot on the game. If I am playing some mindless blitz online and screw up the first corner and die then I might resign. Sure I could carry on and fight hard and still win, but as I've invested so little in the game I consider it a waste of my time and will just start a new game (unless of course my opponent annoyed me and I want revenge! ). On the opposite end of the spectrum would be the first game of my British Championship title match. I screwed up in the first fight and was pretty demoralised and felt like resigning before lunch. But seeing as there were hundreds of people watching, we'd paid Alexander Dinerstein 3p to commentate, and this was the title match I kept on playing (but still lost as my heart wasn't in it, I need to get mentally stronger).

[Bonobo]

I have won so many “lost” games and lost so many “won” games … so I also recommend only to resign when you are absolutely, totally, 101% sure that you have lost the game. And perhaps to play on even then … since endgame play is important to learn.

Greetings, Tom

[Bantari]

My rule is simple: resign when the game is no longer fun.
This can happen for many reasons: i can't win anymore, i can't lose anymore, something more important comes along, or whatever. Life is too short to grind on if all you do is grinding on, or put aside more important things when "later" never comes...

[Bonobo]

My rule is simple: resign when the game is no longer fun. [..] Life is too short to grind on if all you do is grinding on [..]

I like that.

BUT … fun and terror often take turns when I play, and sometimes I think it’s no fun anymore, and then “something” happens, and I see the light again. In my recent games I’ve had this quite often. I was JUST about to resign, and then either my opponent made some mistake or I found that I could try something complicated “over there” … and then I won the lost game. That’s why I think it may be a good idea not to give up too early, out of emotional pain.

[hyperpape]

I resign when my opponent's path to victory seems simple and obvious (excepting endgame positions which I usually play out). Early on, a big lead isn't worth resigning, because you still have to fight to turn it in to a victory. On the other hand, there are times when your opponent could almost sleep their way to a win, and there's no point in playing then.

[oca]

Hi,

put simply, when I do a big mistake, I try to give me a second chance...

Example 1 :
Here I just "cannot help to play that ladder that is not working..."
by 47, I really considered resignation... but I gave me a second chance and won that one... mainly because my opponenent did mistake too like I just did...

http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/download/file.php?id=4975

Example 2 :
Here I did an hazardous fighting sequence that lead me to lose two L groups...
once again, at 99, I was really close to resign... but again I gave me a second chance and also won that one.

http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/download/file.php?id=4976

Example 3:
Here I losed the first corner fight... gave me a second chance, and... losed the second corner fight too.
+ = move 116 : Thanks for the game, I will resign now...

http://www.lifein19x19.com/forum/download/file.php?id=4977

[Bonobo]

I guess it’s just courtesy to not begrudge my opponent those opportunities for blunder that I allowed myself to grasp

[EdLee]

Hi S2W,

Good question — you may have noticed there are as many
different answers as there are posts.^(*)

One reason: you ask a general question,
seeking a general answer when there are many exceptions.

• the Golden Rule applies ;
• when to resign is one of the first things an insei learns ;
• don't be a <insert your favorite expletive> ;
• ^(*) too many cooks spoil the broth.

See also Post 15 of this thread.

[Knotwilg]

Let me answer a different question then:

Question: should I in general rather resign or not resign?
Answer: rather not.

Question: why?
Answer: because not resigning will allow you to emotionally recover after a setback, allow your opponent to make an even bigger blunder, allow you in general to win games which may have seem lost but in effect were not.

Question: won't my opponents be offended then?
Answer: maybe. But they should only feel offended if your continuation was against all odds and wasted their time entirely. Even then they can see it as a test to their stamina.

The point is, you will learn about when to resign by not resigning as a default. If you resign by habit, you will never know if you gave up a game that might have been won. You will only experience this as you continue. Then later you can still resign the portion of games you have learnt are desperate indeed.

There's a parallel with "play sharp or play safe?" Play sharp as a default, you'll learn through immediate punishment. If you play safe as a default, you'll lose slowly and won't get any feedback on the slow moves themselves.

[S2W]

Thanks to everyone for replying and reenforcing my own internal biases!

(Seriously, thanks. I was 90% sure that I was ok, but playing online with no visible feedback from my opponent there was always that 10% heckling me from the back of my brain, calling out: _{you're being a dooooooche}. I'm genuinely surprised at how relieved I am to quiet that voice [/neurosis])

[Abyssinica]

After you lose 5 stones in the fuseki due to a dumb mistake.

[Marcus]

After you lose 5 stones in the fuseki due to a dumb mistake.

Only 5 stones? Should still be winnable at my level. Just becomes a bit of a handicap game.