Loss

A loss is the final result assigned to the losing player. It occurs directly through checkmate, when the king is attacked and no legal reply exists, or when the player declares a resignation.

A player may also lose by running out of time, committing an infringement that carries loss of the game, or failing a competition requirement. A loss caused by an infringement or administrative competition rule may be recorded as a forfeit loss. An inferior position, even with a large material disadvantage, is not itself a loss while the game continues.

The result 1-0 means Black lost; 0-1 means White lost. A loss normally scores zero points. If the opponent could not checkmate through any legal sequence, some situations that would normally cause a loss, such as time expiration or even resignation, instead end as a draw. This happens, for example, with insufficient material, when the remaining pieces cannot produce any legal checkmate.