Should a resignation always be a loss?

If you resign and then expect a draw, it's stupid to say the least. Search the meaning of 'resign' in a dictionary. But you have a point in your second scenario. There needs to be a way to draw a completely closed and hopeless game against the computer. That's something the technical team needs to look into. Perhaps, if Stockfish evaluates a position arising after say, 25 moves into the game, as '0' for all variations and there is no inaccuracy left to be made, and if the human offers a draw, I think it needs to accept it.

I wonder in an OTB tournament game, is it possible to resign a drawn game?
I mean if you are left with a king and a bishop and your opponent only has a king, can you actually resign and lose before a draw is called?

Actually you can discuss this issue for ages... the game ends with a draw when there's no legal way to mate. If you continue to play after mate, stalemate, draw or even resign and no player or referee claims - everything can happen. So that's why every game should be played under appropriate observance.

@Sarg0n
What if I have a king and queen and he only has a king. Can this game still end in a loss for me if I 'resign'?

#14 jimj12 According to FIDE OTB rules. only 2 king left is automatically draw. That preceeds resignation.
Such a position is called a Dead position. If you have Q against K it's not a dead position and if you resign you lose.

See this FIDE Handbook for details if you are interested in FIDE OTB rules.

http://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=171&view=article

This is like suggesting that you won a duel after shooting yourself in the head. What a bizarre idea.

Not exactly DunnoItAll...

It's like that scene from that old Monty Python and the Holy Grail movie.

Arthur has cut off both arms and both legs of the black knight.

Arthur then says enough of this fight and leaves.

Did Arthur lose that one? It's clear the black knight has lost, Arthur could have simply slit his throat at the end... Then Arthur left, should it not be called a draw as the black knight suggested?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKhEw7nD9C4

No. It's more like instead of saying enough and leaving, he shot himself in the head.

So yes, he loses.

Resignation is an instant loss. Period. It's not a "I'm clearly winning so I'm leaving" button.

And honestly, if you think it is really a draw, prove it is a draw, the computer will play perfect and most of the time will wait for you to make a mistake! If it is really a draw, you have to prove to it that it is drawn.

#15 Agreed, FIDE rules set the standard on this point.

Perhaps what #1 is asking is: in K+anything versus K, can I claim a draw using the Draw button in case I'm bored? The FIDE Laws of Chess says in article 9.6:
"The game is drawn when a position is reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal moves, even with the most unskilled play. This immediately ends the game."
http://www.e4ec.org/immr.html

However, properly implementing that rule for all the examples shown on that website is challenging; so again perhaps what #1 is asking is, "If my opponent has only a king can I claim a draw by clicking the draw button?"

But even then, such a draw claim process would not apply in variants where the player with only a king can win! "Only a king" draw claim could apply to:
* standard
* chess960
* three-check
* atomic