Allow players to cancel a game if their opponent is disconnected for a long time

Open

GracefulBeauty16 messagesstarted Sep 22, 2026, 10:35 AM

other

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago(edited)

Currently if a player is disconnected for a while, they automatically forfeit. Usually disconnects like this are not intentional, and are caused by internet / power outages or other unexpected events. It would be nice to allow the other player to voluntarily cancel the game if they wish instead (not a draw, not a forfeit, but like the game never happened).

162

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago

Allow players to cancel a game if their opponent is disconnected for >60s at the start of the game

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago

Allow players to cancel a game if their opponent is disconnected for a long time

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago

i'm not sure on specifics, though. i wouldn't want this to allow players who are losing to cancel the game when their opponent who dced would have been able to return to the game and continue to play and win

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago(edited)

maybe whatever condition currently triggers the auto-ff can instead enable the voluntary cancel option

beniibobs4 weeks ago(edited)

I think people might push back on this in the sense that it would force the other player to finish the board by themselves if they want to win (though personally I don’t think this is too unfair on that person). Chess for example has two countdowns if your opponent disconnected — one aborts the game if it was their first move, the other has them forfeit.

Pieter4 weeks ago

On Lichess the second countdown doesn't automatically forfeit. It gives the opponent the option to claim either a win or a draw

beniibobs4 weeks ago

huh i never knew that

Shock594 weeks ago

While it wouldn’t cover every disconnect scenario one way could be to only present the option if the opponent dced at the start of the game (time when the score is still 0-0)

pinkpuff4 weeks ago

I think draws should just actually count for 0 elo and then we wouldnt need this really? It feels so strange to me that people are disincentivized from drawing because its more like a mini ff for the higher elo player. But maybe that should be a separate thread.,

Artnauta4 weeks ago

That's not the suggestion, the suggestion is to add a second option (claim victory or cancel match)

Artnauta4 weeks ago

And since you mention chess, that's what lichess does when disconnects happen

Artnauta4 weeks ago(edited)

Or actually, lichess does draws, not cancelling matches

beniibobs4 weeks ago

Oh I thought graceful meant cancel the game or finish the game, not cancel the game or take the free win

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago

either way honestly

GracefulBeautyOP4 weeks ago(edited)

cancel the game or take the free win would be the smaller change compared to the status quo