Nothingness: I have never known the 50 move rule come into play personally in practise in chess although I have played over 1000 competitive games in leagues and tournaments. I've heard of it a couple of times in grandmaster play but that's it. The fact that such a rule is a problem in espionage illustrates why the game will always appeal to a small group of enthusiastic players rather than have popular appeal.
(hide) If you want to find an opponent with similar playing skills to your own look in the Ratings page of the type of game you want and find a player with a similar BKR. (pauloaguia) (show all tips)