First the reference:
http://arbiters.fide.com/images/stories/downloads/2018/Arbiters-Manual-2018-v1.pdf
It contains explanatory comments by the FIDE Arbiter's Commission, which is useful to understand laws and certain situations. Although for purely chess players, the FIDE Laws of Chess would be sufficient I think.
Learning Points, Opinion and Remaining Queries [feel free to correct if I am wrong]
- General sentiment: It may seem too harsh at times, especially for "kids events" to fully enforce the laws of chess.
- General sentiment: The laws of chess has changed quite a bit over the years. Don't assume you know the correct things. Don't need to feel embarrassed if you don't know everything. Even a certain (former) world champion does not know how to make certain draw claims!
- [With reference to Article 4.2.1] You are not allowed to say "I adjust" for each and every move to circumvent the obligation of "touch move". Players doing that should be warned / punished accordingly for repeated offences. Also, the purpose may only be used to correct displaced pieces. *Recalls his own tournament experience whereby players really make major adjustments of all pieces when they were not displaced in the first place (probably as a form of de-stress). This is actually an abuse of the allowed adjusting feature.*
- [Practical advice for players] If an opponent makes a move such that a piece is placed cutting across more than 1 square, the best course of action is to pause the clock and seek assistance from the arbiter. It is actually not best for the player to pause the clock and request the opponent adjust the badly placed piece, because there is a risk of turning around and accuse the opponent that he/she was trying to adjust a piece not during his own move. So better let the arbiter address the situation. The player who placed the piece badly ought to be penalised.
Follow-up question to ask: What if a player on his move, released a piece cutting across squares and then there is a dispute on whether the piece was placed on a square over the other? Should the player on the move be allowed to adjust (during his own turn) to make clear his intended move? I think the player should still be allowed to adjust, since it is still his move (move not completed), but will see what the course facilitator says.
- [Practical advice for players] With reference to Articles 5.1.1, 5.2.1, 5.2.2 (as well as 6.2.1.1., 9.6.1 and 9.6.2)] While it is not necessary to press the clock when the move you make lands a checkmate, stalemate or a "dead position" (no legal moves to win for either side), as these are deemed to be completed moves, to avoid dispute, it is still better to press the clock, in case the clock falls to 0.00 and dispute arise over whether the move was made within time control.
- (Opinion, in response to a good chess friends complain over an incident, whereby an opponent hesitates over which piece to use to complete a capture) -- A player with the move has quite a bit of rights -- it is his right to take his time to complete the move, including the action of making a capture. You can try to complain about distraction (he took away your piece but never complete the move / decide which piece to capture with), but an arbiter is most likely to disagree with the claim.
- Simply by virtue of chronological order, if a player declares checkmate wrongly and then the opponent resigns (wrongly) when the position was actually a stalemate, the game result should stand as 1/2 - 1/2. This is because the stalemate position must have arrived before the wrong resignation. Personally, if I am ever serving as the arbiter, I probably would have also considered issuing a warning to the player who declared checkmate wrongly. But I also learn that this is probably not appropriate in a "kids event". I guess my etiquette as an arbiter may not be that desirable either ^o^
- [General] A player should not ask, and an arbiter should not answer questions such as the number of moves made.
- [Raised by course mate, with reference to Article 6.11.2, for discussion]
Situation described as follows: "My opponent paused the clock and walked to get recording sheets."
While the course facilitator agreed that the correct course of action was to pause the clock to ask for recording sheets from the arbiter, I personally really don't think it is that big a deal. I've seen events whereby the arbiter was there to provide the recording sheets for both players. So even though this might be a "wrong action", I really don't see anything particularly wrong about the opponent's act of pausing the clock to get the recording sheets. (Although so far, I would personally spend/waste that bit of time on my own if no arbiter is near sight). - [General, Opinion] Time controls with neither increment nor delay really "sucks". Hopefully, all such tournaments will be phased out over time. Just think of any instance dragging the game out to win on time in drawn positions such as Rook v.s. Rook. Is that playing chess or engaging in a piece moving exercise? LOL
- [With reference to Article 7.5.1] If multiple illegal moves had been completed and realised, we will restore game position to the last move whereby the position was still legal. The player who made the first illegal move in the series shall be deemed to have made 1 illegal move (2 illegal move forfeits the game), and touch move still applies. The arbiter has discretion over how the time situation over the clock shall be adjusted.
- [Practical tips for players, with reference to Article 7.5.5] Since the punishment for making the first illegal move is that the arbiter shall give 2 minutes extra time to the opponent, the best way to address a completed illegal move, is to seek arbiter's assistance.
- [Practical tips for players, with reference to Article 8.3] If you realise you recorded the moves wrongly, you can try to request to borrow the recording sheet of your opponent. You should do it only when your own clock is ticking, and return the borrowed recording sheet to your opponent before you complete your move (i.e. before pressing the clock). If you meet a situation whereby your opponent declines your request, you can still make this request to the arbiter. This is possible because "The scoresheets are the property of the organiser of the competition.", and most reasonable arbiters should grant such request. I guess if the arbiter refuses the player who requested, the requestor should really self-reflect on why the arbiter hates him/her, LOL
- [This is an extremely hypothetical situation, whereby I'm still not fully clear after Day 1] Article 9.1.2.1 states "A playing wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before pressing his clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid but Article 11.5 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In both cases the offer cannot be written and remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other way."
If you offer a draw without making a move, the opponent may request that you make a more while retaining the right to accept or decline the draw offer. The hypothetical situation I have is, what if, after the opponent offered a draw, I touched a piece which I cannot move? Should I be deemed to have lost the right to accept the draw, since I rejected it? Or since that move cannot be made, it should not be "registered"? Personally, I still go with my initial understanding, that this should indeed be deemed as rejecting the draw offer (this article is only concerned with whether the act of touching a piece was made with the intention of moving or capturing it, and not whether the move can or cannot be legally made), but there is still some uncertainty.
Because no conditions can be attached to any draw offer, we cannot fix draws in team events (e.g. if you offer us a draw on board 1, we will offer you a draw on board 2). - A technicality which I observed correctly:
Article 9.1.2.2 states that "The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on his scoresheet with the symbol (=)."
Article 9.1.2.3 states that "A claim of a draw under Article 9.2 (claiming draw whereby the same position arise for at least the 3rd time) or 9.3 (50 moves completed by each player without moving any pawn and without any capture) will be considered to be an offer of a draw.".
My question: So if a player is making the "threefold repetition" claim or the "50-move" claim, both players should also indicate the symbol (=) on the scoresheet?
Facilitator's reply: That is correct. But nobody actually does this.
*Actually, I do! Great job for someone who likes to observe the trivial, unimportant details, LOL*
To be continued...
Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner
Siglap South CC Chess Quartet
Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner
Siglap South CC Chess Quartet
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