Belconnen Chess Club

What should I do if I have a problem during a game, for instance my opponent makes an illegal move?

Stop the clocks and call the arbiter. You are always entitled to stop the clock for a legitimate complaint, so that you don't lose time. (If you have some problem of your own making, for instance you want to enquire what the time limit is, then you can still ask the arbiter but can't stop the clocks for it.) The arbiter is there to fix problems and players should not engage in shouting matches which achieve nothing and disturb the rest of the room.

I've noticed that players don't always call the arbiter for every incident but just fix the problem between themselves. Why doesn't the above advice apply?

Common sense dictates that reasonable people with some experience can often sort out trivial matters where there is no real dispute or attempt to gain unfair advantage. However the above advice applies in general.

Is it correct that if I touch a piece I have to move it?

Players often don't bother with this rule in social games so it can come as a shock to beginners to find it really does exist in tournament play. The rule does not apply if you accidentally brush a piece while picking up another, and if the pieces are off-centre you can adjust them if you say "I adjust" or "J'adoube" first.

Otherwise: if you touch a piece you must move it, if you legally can; if you touch an opponent's piece you must capture it, if you legally can; if you release a piece that you have moved, you cannot take the move back.

A couple of consequences: if you move a piece without releasing it, you can still take the move back but have to move the same piece if legal, having touched it; and if you make an illegal move you then have to replace it with a move by the same piece if legally possible.

Is "sledging" or annoying your opponent a legitimate tactic?

No. The rules specifically provide that you may not distract your opponent. Players should not speak to each other unless there is a good reason. Sometimes players who have been coached in other sports such as cricket or football, where sledging and cheating are if not actively encouraged then at least accepted, consider it legitimate to attempt to harass or distract the opponent. Such behaviour should be reported to the arbiter.

But if my opponent is obviously lost and won't resign, isn't it helpful to inform him that he should resign and is a hopeless idiot? He might not know what a moron he is and would appreciate being told.

Absolutely not. It might be reasonable to advise members of opposing cricket teams that your grandmother can play better than them but in chess the likely consequence is that you will score zero from a winning position if the arbiter hears you. Although it is polite to resign a dead lost position there is no rule that a player has to, so if your opponent won't resign you have to checkmate him. If you want to point out that a player is wasting everyone's time you must communicate the hopelessness of their position in a non-verbal way, such as promoting five pawns to Knights.

So when should I resign? How clearly lost must a position be?

You have to judge each case, there is no hard and fast rule. Sometimes even an ending two pawns down is a theoretical draw, or is very difficult to win. Or there might be chances of perpetual check or stalemate tricks, or winning back material.

A "lost" position is in part relative to how advanced the players are. As a general principle if you are the equivalent of a Bishop or Knight down in an otherwise uneventful position, and your opponent has plenty of time on the clock and is not a beginner, you can be reasonably certain that your position is unretrievable. But you have to make the judgement. Even if you know your position is lost, if you aren't sure how you would win it yourself then it's worth playing on to see how to do it.

On the one hand the rules say that I may not speak to my opponent, but on the other hand say that I can offer a draw. Isn't this inconsistent?

Sort of. This is why you should only offer a draw while your own time is running (make your move, offer the draw, then press your clock), and should not unreasonably offer draws.

What is an "unreasonable" draw offer?

An offer that you can be sure that your opponent will not accept. One instance is where you have a clearly lost position. Another is where your opponent has recently rejected a draw offer and nothing much has changed; in such circumstances you have indicated that you are prepared to take a draw and it is now considered to be your opponent's turn to offer the draw if they change their mind. The former is merely bad manners, but in the latter case repeated frivolous draw offers may incur a penalty.

When do I have to record the moves of the game?

In a normal (not rapid) game you have to record the moves as they are played. You may reply to an opponent's move before you write it but that's as far behind as you can get. [Some books recommend that you write your move before you play it and in the past many players did so, but it has recently been outlawed by FIDE as it may be construed as making reminder notes - and you certainly may not write in advance your opponent's expected move and the move you intend to play in reply.]

But you are allowed to stop writing moves when you have less than five minutes left on your clock (that's your clock, what time your opponent has is irrelevant). The exception to this exception, which doesn't apply at Belconnen, is that if the increment per move is 30 seconds or greater then you always have to record whatever time you have.

What if neither side is recording or the scoresheets are unclear? How does anybody prove that a position has occurred three times, or make any other claim?

It's a bit like a dismissal in cricket, claims of anything can only be upheld when there is no reasonable doubt. If neither side is recording it may be possible to reconstruct the missing moves on another board, or the arbiter or an assistant may have been watching, but if not the game continues. Similarly if a scoresheet is full of scribbles and corrections giving rise to doubt as to its accuracy then the arbiter may reject it as evidence.

What happens if a player forgets to press the clock?

Often the opponent will remind someone, especially a beginner, who has not pressed the clock. However this is not required. You should get into a routine to ensure that you always press the clock after moving.

Who can point out out that my opponent or I have lost on time?

The arbiter will call a loss on time (in a normal game, not a speed game), or a player may claim a win (recalling that there are many games and the arbiter may not be present). Spectators should not say anything to the players (this is discussed further below).

What if I see something untoward in another game, for instance a player has accidentally made an illegal move and nobody has noticed, or a player has run out of time?

Advise the arbiter. On no account should players not involved in a game interfere with it.

Does that also mean I can't point out a good move for a player if I see it?

Absolutely. Any comment within the hearing of the players or assistance is strictly forbidden. Even if it relates to a chance that has now slipped by it is not permitted, as the ideas may still be relevant. Commenting on games in progress is probably the best way to get thrown out of a tournament (or out of a window).

In any case spectators should just not be talking to players about anything, whether relating to the game or not. At the very least it will disturb the opponent.

Haven't there been cases where both players thought that the other was resigning, or similar misunderstanding? What happens there?

Yes there have. If there is no agreement or evidence that a player has resigned the game just goes on. Technically players should write the result on the scoresheets and sign them so there are no disputes. At club level this is normally dispensed with and the common sense and good faith of the players is assumed, but occasionally there can be misunderstandings.

Where can I read the official rules?

Look here (external lnk).

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