Abandoning instead of resigning

I've noticed that many of my opponents abandon the game when they suddenly get into a losing position (e.g. they blundered their queen). My question is what do players gain from abandoning the game instead of resigning? For me it seems that the only difference is that I have to wait a few seconds before playing the next game. If there's no benefit to abandoning the game, why not just resign? I'm going to assume that this happens less among higher rated players...

They don't gain anything by "rage quitting", but it is common among those with low self esteem or other psychological problems.  Be glad you aren't them...

@kayetech: You don't suppose your opponent might have been pushing pawns because he thought you were being rude by refusing to resign in a lost position?

It is clearly you with the unsportsmanlike behaviour in this case. If you think, you are just hopelessly lost, just resign. Letting your time run out is always poor sportsmanship. If your opponent has several easy wins and decides for the most amusing one, e.g. checkmating you with 8 knights, you can go along with the joke and let him checkmate you or you are not in the mood- then just press the resign button

So far, it's a 2% ratio where I find opponents refusing to resign in lost positions. And I must say, I am learning something from even that too! 

I agree with you, Idcn, that if one is indeed in a losing position (especially with just a lone king on the board), there's no point to let the clock run out instead of just resigning. BUT, at the same time I don't see why my opponent is not allowed to do so. 

Because, whenever a player's clock is running, the chess game is still alive. I am alive, and so is my opponent even with his lone king.

If it happens, I'll still understand my opponent if they're trying to improve their chess rating here in Chess.com. I totally don't mind having my patience tested on this matter. After all, if I selected a 10 min blitz time and he gets into a losing position when he has 7 minutes left, I'll have to hang on and abide by the time rules. 

I imagine an opponent "stalling" or "abandoning" a game as a hidden unseen move that goes out of chess moves in general. That can be their last card to play. And the more my opponents try to stall, the more I will find the best in them, and thanking them for teaching me patience. 

Positive outlook, there!

I was mostly wondering if there was any practical benefit from abandoning a game rather than resigning. My assumptions seem to be correct though, they both count as a loss and there's no difference in rating gain or loss. As for reasons why people abandon games in losing positions, I suppose it boils down to bad sportsmanship and the fact that there is minimal to no punishment for doing so when playing online. Imagine people simply walking away in an over-the-board game, they would probably no longer be welcome in any chess clubs or on tournaments. I have to disagree with you there sean893 about being patient when people are stalling. I wouldn't wish for you to have to stay put if someone you played OTB suddenly stood up from their chair and walked away. But then again, if you find it educational, you do you.

It doesn't really bother me that much if a game is abandoned and the auto-resign timer starts. It's mildly annoying at most. However, my opinion is that people who repeatedly stall games (by purposefully losing on time when in a losing position, i.e. keeping the tab open but not making a move) should be punished a bit harsher than just "restricting them to playing other bad sports". A temporary ban would be appropriate. Seems like other online chess sites implement this.

People who keep playing rather than resigning in losing positions would be a different matter entirely. In lower levels (below 1200 or so, where I also belong), one should never resign in my opinion. A winning position doesn't mean anything for us because oftentimes we might blunder into a losing one, even if the material difference is several pieces. It's also good endgame practice.

maybe it's a kind of strategy. they waiting to the opponent losing the internet connection in which is the only chance to won. I think this is not the big deal. The game has set in the given time so its good to them to spent it. That is a part of the game.

I hate when that happen!! but I just open facebook and look things until he runs out of time

That could also mean the guy jumped out of the window! No way to know in online chess.

I believe Von Bardeleben did jump out of a window

Those were the times, really.

[Removed: Bigotry] ~W

at least two people pointed this out 

at least we now know what goes on in some of these people who let the time run out heads crazy people 

 yeah keep doing that let us all know how it works for you when chess.com restricts your account and bans you or makes your matchings very slow as you will be restricted to playing only other poor sports such as yourself also when you start to wonder if your the only one on the site as people one by one block you till there is no one left to play 

in the chat section where it tells you new game so on who won and rating chages in the live game section it will have a question with a thumbs up or thumbs down was this person a good sport or not  i will often if not always hit the no the were not if they abandon the game or if they act like a child and troll or be rude in chat in a game  it will also bring up the option to report them when you mark it sometimes i will but not always but more often than not and chess.com will start restricting their account much in the same way if someone is a good sport in the game or chat i will mark it as a thumbs up here is a picture where its located will look different for you since we prolly dont have the same theme

As petmalu01 pointed out, maybe they are hoping for your internet connection to be lost or similar: you have a heart attack, you step away to get a snack and forget to come back, you choke on said snack, you check your Facebook and get distracted, you check your lottery tickets and find you won the Powerball...

That said, I still don't understand it.

I wish there was a way to reset a game. I recently played a very good game when my opponent left their queen hanging. I captured it and they quickly resigned. It would have been nice if I could have gotten the win points, but then we could have also taken back that move and continue in a "new" game.

Some Weirdos think if they abandoned the game, it's less dishonorable than resignation and checkmate. Wishful thinking. I mean Weirdful thinking 😎

they do it because they are mad and want to get back at you for winning so its there way of punishing you and wasting your time because they feel their time was wasted playing chess

I do this sometimes in loosing position, and i play in last second of game so maybe my opponent is checking facebook or something else....chess is a war and that's part of it. It happened i won a lost game.

funny how these poor sport losers are showing themselves here