Can one side force a loss in regular chess? Chess is unsolved, so there is no known optimal strategy for one side to force a win or a draw.

However, is there an optimal strategy to lose? Consider a variant where checkmate results in a loss, but all other rules are the same as regular chess. Is there a known optimal strategy to win or force a draw?

For example, can one side force the opponent to checkmate (assuming the opponent tries to avoid checkmate)? If not, can one side force a draw by rules like stalemate, threefold repetition, or the fifty-move rule? Or is this as hard to solve as regular chess?
There is likely not a way to force a loss. Selfmates are relatively rare, and one can probably not be forced from the opening position.

The best plan, paradoxically, is likely to try to capture as many of the opponent's pieces (but not pawns) as possible, while keeping your own pieces to be better able to force your opponent. The opponent's pawns are kept because they have very little choice as to where they can move, and can also be easily blocked to avoid the opponent moving them before you want them to. For example, in the following position, the f-pawn is blocked and the king cannot move, so Black has no choice but to advance the g-pawn and will have to checkmate White in two moves:

[FEN "3Q4/8/8/4N3/6p1/7k/5p2/5N1K b - - 0 1"]



  If not, can one side force a draw


Well, if checkmate indeed cannot be forced, then almost by definition a draw could be forced. The game can't go on forever, after all. If nothing else, the players will eventually run out of pawns to move or pieces to capture, and the 50 move rule will come into play.