Lichess computer system error

I agree, but I doubt Lichess will change the rules such that a possible mate (rather than a forced mate) will be enough to win on time. (In fact, the rules used to be that way, but then someone lost a bullet game and complained...)

I'm just hoping that at least in those cases where one side does have a forced mate, the opponent can't draw by not moving since that is a particularly absurd rule.

Aside from that, I think it's most important to make the rules more transparent as #33 suggested.

The FIDE rules are consistent at least. It is very difficult to draw a line specifying when a win is "reasonable", this would also depend on the level of the players.

With the FIDE rules there is no doubt, the player wins if there exists a legal series of moves leading to mate.

The posts of FM lovlas and LM Assios explain this quite clearly.

To put some weight behind my input on the interpretation of the FIDE rules I want to mention I was an arbiter at last year's Norway Chess and Norway Chess Blitz with most of the world elite playing.

Do you think that the way Lichess did it before would put master etc. players off from coming here? Or that it's out of line with other online chess servers?

#53 Maybe, for two reasons:
1. These rules encourage bullet time controls, which I think generally masters find uninteresting.
2. These rules might work in the opponent's favor by allowing a "reasonable" draw where with more time, the master would have won.

#53 No, most masters (all I have talked to) would like to play with the consistent rules, which is the FIDE rules that Lichess had before.

On what planet does masters find bullet uninteresting? Noone enjoys a good 1 0 game more than me. I can also confidently claim that the reigning world champion also loves bullet. I would claim that it is the other way around. Most masters find bullet extremely fun.

A game and a puzzle:

http://en.lichess.org/y3zkowa8/black#81

http://en.lichess.org/training/16177

The same trick - loser's side used a hole in lichess rules to avoid defeat.

There really should be exceptions, at least for positions with h-pawn (a-pawn).

Sorry for bringing this up again, but would it be possible to turn off the "insufficient mating material" rule when the +15s button is pressed for a certain amount of times?

So, if you get into one of those rare positions as in lichess.org/UGPawo3K/black#150 and your opponent tries to draw by letting their time run out, you could give them like 2 extra minutes but in return ensure that you win if your opponent runs out of time.

In the majority of positions, where the side with the minor piece can only hope for a help mate but doesn't have a "real" chance to win, this wouldn't make any difference. If we for example look at the game lichess.org/nG1jNyky#118 that persuaded Lichess into adopting the current rules, I'm sure Kingscrusher would have been able to convert his material advantage even with only 15 extra seconds. (So, his opponent would most likely not have given him any extra time anyway.) But at the same time, an abuse of the draw-on-time rule as happened in the first game would be impossible.

#58 That seems over-elaborate.

I think the least lichess can do is give the win if there's forced mate in less than X moves (10 maybe?), but the FIDE rules would probably be best, because at least they're consistent.