Road to Arbiterhood for Chess Goddess Caissa!

(I think) this post may be of some use for:

• newer chess players (or returning players) who do not know the current FIDE laws of chess very well;
• experienced players who think they know the current FIDE laws of chess well (but may be surprised or even embarrassed to realise what they thought was correct, or have been doing in tournaments, is actually wrong) -- not blaming anyone, as some of the laws or the execution may not seem intuitive at first;
• chess players or enthusiasts like myself who are interested in trivial things in chess (such as interpretation and application of the laws of chess, especially for unusual instances);
• anyone who may find my article entertaining (even if it's laughable to you, I'm glad it served an entertainment purpose!)

Some Qualifiers Before We Begin

• Some of the contents are not the final word on the matter -- if I am that good, I won't be needing to sign up for the upcoming FIDE Arbiter's Seminar organised by the Singapore Chess Federation ^o^ 
• I will try to minimise my subjective opinion and focus on "what is correct based on the Laws of Chess" rather than "what I feel is a gentlemanly way to play a chess game". I have written on the latter before and have decided to remove my post. Will consider revising the topic on proper chess etiquette in chess should I feel comfortable / knowledgeable enough to share my views one day.

Why the Interest

Because I can see the value in contributing to the local chess community as an arbiter (or equipped with adequate knowledge to offer concrete tips and advice whenever the situation calls for it -- e.g. when a new player is playing his/her maiden tournament, when there are actual disputes in a game, even in a casual setting). 

I don't think I will ever get the norms required to become an arbiter (to do so means I have to sacrifice playing in the few local standard tournaments available, which I have no intention to stop playing at present), but if there are tournaments which I can volunteer in to gain practical experience, I won't mind. Also, if my own chess club @ Siglap South CC wants to organise any mini tournaments, I guess I can help.

My Reference Documents

I take feedback very seriously. One of the very beneficial feedback I received was the need for credible source. Currently, this is the best I found: FIDE Laws of Chess 2018 with comments by British Chess Arbiters’ Association. I feel that I gained a lot of insights from it, even thought there are minor comments which I personally do not fully agree with. Anyway, it is good to have a different view, if we simply accept everything we see, there's not much learning value / critical thinking I feel.

Laws Which I Feel Newbies in Chess Need to Know... and Why

• 4.2.1 Only the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces on their squares, provided that he first expresses his intention (for example by saying “j’adoube” or “I adjust”).
  
  6.2.5 Only the player whose clock is running is allowed to adjust the pieces.
  
  This is important to know that you only need to say adjust once, because too many kids (and even a few adults) say "adjust, adjust..." for each adjustment they make on the same move, which can be quite irritating -- and disturbing the opponent is not allowed!
  
  Also worth noting is that you can only adjust pieces when you are having the move. 2 articles point this out! You are not supposed to adjust when it is your opponent's move. But based on my 3-year local tournament experience so far, "everyone" violates this requirement. Although it is debatable how serious this infringement actually is.
  
  The one situation which I feel in need of clarification (how players should react, how arbiters should facilitate) is, what happens when a player puts a piece cutting across 2 squares and pressed the clock? At present, I think the player who put the piece cutting across 2 squares ought to be penalised, but it would be a bit disruptive to do the corrective measures when time increment is concerned. This is 1 of the queries I intend to raise at the Arbiter's Seminar!

• 6.11.2  A player may stop the chess clock only in order to seek the arbiter’s assistance, for example when promotion has taken place and the piece required is not available.
  
  6.11.4  If a player stops the chessclock in order to seek the arbiter’s assistance, the arbiter shall determine whether the player had any valid reason for doing so. If the player had no valid reason for stopping the chessclock, the player shall be penalised in accordance with Article 12.9.It is important to know that you can always seek the arbiter's assistance (by pausing the clock). Don't need to argue with your opponent and create a scene! Just note that if you do not have valid reason to do so, you can be penalised for disrupting the normal flow of the game.

• 4.3 Except as provided in Article 4.2, if the player having the move touches on the chessboard, with the intention of moving or capturing:
  4.3.1 one or more of his own pieces, he must move the first piece touched that can be moved
  
  4.4  If a player having the move:
  4.4.1  touches his king and a rook he must castle on that side if it is legal to do so
  4.4.2  deliberately touches a rook and then his king he is not allowed to castle on that side on that move and the situation shall be governed by Article 4.3.1
  
  In layman's language, to perform a castling move, you need to touch your King first. If you touch your Rook first, it will be treated as if you intend to move the Rook rather than you intend to castle.  

• 9.1.2.1  A player 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 withdrawn 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.
  
  9.1.2.2  The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on his scoresheet with the symbol (=).
  
  11.5  It is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner whatsoever. This includes unreasonable claims, unreasonable offers of a draw or the introduction of a source of noise into the playing area.
  
  What is important is how 9.1.2.1 is interpreted. If your opponent offers a draw without moving, you are entitled to request to see the move to decide whether to accept the draw offer or not. The draw offer stands.
  
  I still remember this incident a couple of years ago, when my opponent offered a draw without moving, I asked her to "show me your move", which she interpreted it as me rejecting her draw offer orally. Even though the arbiters ruled it in my favour (that I can still accept the draw offer), I learned the importance of making your intention clear. I have explained my request very clearly these days. "I am considering your (draw) offer, and would like to see your move to decide." I don't think anyone wants to always be surrounded by controversy, do they? =)
  
  It is not allowed to make unreasonable offers of a draw to distract or annoy the opponent. Since it comes with the plural "s", I would take it that it is permissible under the laws of chess to make 1 single insincere / annoying draw offer. Whether to do it or not (etiquette consideration beyond the coverage under laws of chess) is up to the player's own choice.
  
  Last but not least, it is good to record each and every draw offer (=) in case of a claim/dispute.
  
  
  
  
  
• 6.2.3  A player must press his clock with the same hand with which he made his move. It is forbidden for a player to keep his finger on the clock or to ‘hover’ over it.
  
  7.5.1  An illegal move is completed once the player has pressed his clock. If during a game it is found that an illegal move has been completed, the position immediately before the irregularity shall be reinstated. If the position immediately before the irregularity cannot be determined. the game shall continue from the last identifiable position prior to the irregularity. Articles 4.3 and 4.7 apply to the move replacing the illegal move. The game shall then continue from this reinstated position
  
  7.5.2  If the player has moved a pawn to the furthest distant rank, pressed the clock, but not replaced the pawn with a new piece, the move is illegal. The pawn shall be replaced by a queen of the same colour as the pawn.
  
  7.5.3  If the player presses the clock without making a move, it shall be considered and penalized as if an illegal move.
  
  7.5.4  If a player uses two hands to make a single move (for example in case of castling, capturing or promotion) and pressed the clock, it shall be considered and penalized as if an illegal move.
  
  7.5.5  After the action taken under Article 7.5.1, 7.5.2, 7.5.3 or 7.5.4 for the first completed illegal move by a player, the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to his opponent; for the second completed illegal move by the same player the arbiter shall declare the game lost by this player. However, the game is drawn if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player’s king by any possible series of legal moves.
  
  In layman's language, an illegal move (often involving but not limited to not addressing a King in check, or capturing opponent's King, not replacing the promoted pawn with a new piece) now includes pressing the clock without making a move, as well as using 2 hands to make a single move.
  
  If you made an illegal move but you have not pressed the clock, you are allowed to undo it while observing "touch move" (in article 4). This includes the realisation that you were using 2 hands to make a single move. You can undo the move made using 2 hands and now use 1 hand to handle the single move without incurring any penalty (other than spending the additional time taken to make this correction).
  
  Something of interest (more to the arbiters rather than the players) is that moving and pressing the clock with different hands is not an illegal move, but an illegal action.

• 9.2.1  The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, when the same position for at least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of moves):
  
  9.2.1.1  is about to appear, if he first writes his move, which cannot be changed, on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move
  
  9.3  The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, if:
  
  9.3.1  he writes his move, which cannot be changed, on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move which will result in the last 50 moves by each player having been made without the movement of any pawn and without any capture
  
  Under normal circumstances, we always make a move before we record our moves on the scoresheet. However, if we are claiming a draw whereby our move to be made will result in the same position arising for at least the 3rd time, or the 50th move by both players with neither any pawn movement or any capture, the correct way to claim it is to write the move you intend to make on the scoresheet (without making the move on the board), and declaring the intention to the arbiter.
  
  The reason, I believe, is that if you made the move over the board, the opponent can claim that you were actually making the move (and not intending to claim a draw). 

• 5.2.2  The game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate the opponent’s king with any series of legal moves. The game is said to end in a ‘dead position’. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the position Was in accordance with Article 3 and Articles 4.2 — 4.7.
  
  6.9  Except where one of Articles 5.1.1, 5.1.2, 5.2.1, 5.2.2, 5.2.3 applies, if a player does not complete the prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, the game is lost by that player. However, the game is drawn if the position is such that the opponent cannot checkmate the player’s king by any possible series of legal moves.This is quite an important law to know. The reason I put this as the last article to highlight is that I am going to rant on this quite a bit.
  
  First, there is NO PROVISION to claim a draw under circumstances such as a) theoretical drawn positions; b) player with superior position but lower on time claim a draw. I was genuinely surprised that some (not just 1) of my chess friends made up their own ideas (probably based on their recollections of older versions of the FIDE laws of chess), that the player with a superior position can always claim a draw before his flag falls.  (Unless we are talking about Quickplay Finishes rule apply, which is extremely rare, if not non-existent in tournaments today.) I only hope my friends will actually read the revised versions of the laws on their own, and not risk spreading wrong information to the unknowing ones (who don't bother to read the Laws of Chess on their own to verify the correctness of what they hear).
  
  To put it in layman's language, if your flag falls, you are almost certainly "screwed". As long as there is any series of legal moves (not necessarily "logical" or "reasonable") for you to be checkmated, you will be deemed to have lost the game. And no, you cannot claim a draw just because you have a superior position. If I am mistaken on this, please let me know -- show me which article in the current FIDE laws of chess allowing such a claim.
  
  Second, this is probably not a problem under formats with time increments. Since players may not wish to extend the game with unnecessary moves (moving the pieces back and forth). But this may can an issue for a) formats with no time increments, and b) blitz games. I can't express enough my dislike hatred towards formats with no time increments, where the result of some games can arise from mindless pushing of pieces to claim a win on time.
  
  
  Using the simplest example, in a Lone Rook v.s. Lone Knight endgame, the superior side (with the Rook) would be deemed to have lost the game if his flag drops, because the following checkmate position is possible through a series of legal moves:
  
  
  

Black to move, Black delivers checkmate with 1...Nc2#. 

• Of course, "sensible" players would probably agree to a draw. But as players, the point of learning the laws of chess is to protect ourselves -- opponents are not obliged to live to our expectations and accept our draw offer, and to be fair, opponent is doing everything permissible (declining a draw offer) by the laws of chess to try to win. To address this situation, I would suggest that under non-incremental formats, if the superior side (with lone Rook) sees that the inferior side shows that he/she knows how to defend the position, and we are coming down to say the last 1-2 minutes, rather than risking to lose by time forfeit and continuing the grinding, initiate Rook takes Knight, or throw a Rook check beside the opponent's King -- once the Rook is captured, a dead position arises for a draw.
  
  Draw positions like lone Rook v.s. lone Rook, lone Knight v.s. lone Knight is not "automatically" drawn based on the current FIDE Laws of Chess, and will be a real problem under formats with no increments (esp. when 1 side is severely low on time). Hence I hope that most, if not all tournaments will start adopting formats with increments and stop using formats with no increments! In the FIDE Arbiter's Seminar to come, I will clarify if my understanding is correct. Really awkward to know that 2 Knights v.s. lone King will be ruled as a win for the side with 2 Knights... you get what I mean.

Self help mate can be delivered after 1...Nc3+ 2.Ka1?? 2.Nb3#. This is how it would be ruled should White's flag falls.

There are actually a lot more interesting situations and scenarios whereby there are some important interpretations or understanding required to "rule" correctly. I will probably share more knowledge and insights gained after going through the FIDE Arbiter's Seminar (to minimise the spread of wrong knowledge). Wish me luck!

Yours sincerely
Ong Yujing (Eugene)
a.k.a. newbie_learner

Siglap South CC Chess Quartet