David Welch
BCF Chief Arbiter
There have been some minor
changes of wording, which had no effect on the meaning of the Laws. I have not
drawn attention to these. My views of the effects of the changes are given
below. The bold notes deserve serious consideration.
1.2 The objectives have been
expanded to include what you cannot do to the kings. Taking your opponent’s
king is now contrary to the objectives of the game.
3.1 A sentence has been added
(moved from 3.8(b)). I think this was designed to tighten up the definition of
checkmate, which is still flawed.
3.9 This is both expansion and
duplication of what is already written.
4.4 (d) In promotion,
a piece is considered chosen as soon as it has touched the promotion square. This is a helpful clarification.
4.6 This has been expanded,
without change of meaning.
6.12 has been
clarified, but does not give guidance to the situation where both players have
run out of time, but the mechanism of the clock indicates which clock ran out
of time first. I would give a loss, guided by the clock indication.
7.4 (a) A strange clause has
been added to the first sentence. At least it tells us what to do if a king is
captured.
8.1 If a player is
unable to keep score, he may provide an assistant. It is now accepted practice
not to adjust the clocks in case of handicap, but to reduce the time of a
player who may not score for ethical reasons.
8.4 (a) Once a player
has been relieved of the need to score, he remains relieved of this duty until
after a flag has fallen.
10.2 (b) The right of
the arbiter to step in, after saying ‘play on’ and before a flag falls, has
been re-instated.
10.2 (b) has been expanded to
confirm the final grounds on which a draw may be given. I would stress
that, to award a draw, you must be convinced that the result of the game would
have been a draw.
12.2 (b) Mobile phones
and other electronic means of communication are now banned, unless authorised
by the arbiter. This will cause trouble, except in small high-level events.
Unless we have a security box system, I think we must authorize players to
continue to carry switched-off mobile phones.
12.3 An awkward phrase has
been added at the end. The only relevant data I would accept would relate to
the number of moves to be made. Coaches
should be instructed not to teach pupils to disobey 12.3 or 8.1.
13.7 (b) gives us grounds
to eject a spectator who uses a mobile phone (including letting it ring).
B 1 Now defines
rapidplay with increments.
B 6 This is a
re-wording of the old B 5 (b), but then it wanders off, giving the arbiter some
more duties (as if he hasn’t got enough to do). I have recently realized that the omission of the old
B5(b) restores 7.2, 7.3 and 7.5. This leaves the loophole that a player may
request, for instance, the re-location of a displaced piece many moves after
the irregularity occurred. This is not in the spirit of Rapidplay and if, for
instance, a bishop changed the colour of its squares, this could have been
caused by an illegal move (no right to claim this several moves later) or by a
displacement of the bishop (definite right to claim). I would suggest that in
such cases, we never go back several moves. I haven’t got a clue what advice to
give you if you find both kings in check.
B8 This hasn’t
changed, but, if both players have zero time, a win on time cannot be claimed,
even when the clock indicates who ran out first.
C 1 Now defines blitz
with increments.
C2 10.2 and B6 do not apply to
Blitz
D 1 now allows a
player to claim a draw on two grounds. Twice as much work for the Arbiter. We now expect both players to co-operate in giving as much
accurate information as possible to the arbiter.
E 1 It is sad that ‘piece’ now
has two meanings.It is unfortunate that this ancient distinction has been
revived.
E13 The sample game finishes
(=) Surely you can’t leave it there. Was the draw accepted?
F2 1 has one sentence which
doesn’t really make sense.
David Welch
BCF Chief Arbiter
N.B. If you read an earlier
version of these notes, I have now been able to remove comments about Article
4.7 and Appendices E13 and F2.1. Last minute changes have been made to these
Laws to bring them back in to line with previous versions
I cannot guarantee that there have not been any other last minute changes which
I have missed.
THE
FIDE LAWS OF CHESS [1 July 2005]
The FIDE Laws of Chess cover over-the-board
play.
The English text is the authentic version of the Laws of Chess, which was
adopted at the 75th FIDE Congress at Calvia (Mallorca), October 2004, coming
into force on 1 July 2005.
In these Laws the words 'he', 'him' and 'his' include 'she' and 'her'.
PREFACE
The Laws of Chess cannot cover all possible
situations that may arise during a game, nor can they regulate all
administrative questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article
of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by studying
analogous situations, which are discussed in the Laws. The Laws assume that
arbiters have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute
objectivity. Too detailed a rule might deprive the arbiter of his freedom of
judgement and thus prevent him from finding the solution to a problem dictated
by fairness, logic and special factors.
FIDE appeals to all chess players and
federations to accept this view.
A member federation is free to introduce more detailed rules provided they:
a. do not conflict in any way with the
official FIDE Laws of Chess
b. are
limited to the territory of the federation in question; and
c.
are not valid for
any FIDE match, championship or qualifying event, or for a FIDE title or rating
tournament.
BASIC RULES OF PLAY
Article 1: The nature and objectives of the
game of chess
1.1 The game of chess is played between two
opponents who move their pieces alternately on a square board called a
'chessboard'. The player with the white pieces commences the game. A player is
said to 'have the move', when his opponent's move has been ’made’.
1.2
The objective of
each player is to place the opponent's king 'under attack' in such a way that
the opponent has no legal move. The player who achieves this goal is said to
have 'checkmated' the opponent's king and to have won the game. Leaving one’s
own king under attack, exposing one’s own king to attack and also ’capturing’
the opponent’s king are not allowed. The opponent whose king has been
checkmated has lost the game.
1.3 If the position is such that neither
player can possibly checkmate, the game is drawn.
Article 2: The initial position of the pieces
on the chessboard
2.1 The chessboard is composed of an 8x8 grid
of 64 equal squares alternately light (the 'white' squares) and dark (the
'black' squares).
The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near corner
square to the right of the player is white.
2.2 At the beginning of the game one player has
16 light-coloured pieces (the 'white' pieces); the other has 16 dark-coloured
pieces (the 'black' pieces):
These pieces are as follows:
A white king, usually indicated by the symbol
A white queen,
usually indicated by the symbol
Two white
rooks, usually indicated by the symbol
Two white
bishops, usually indicated by the symbol
Two white
knights, usually indicated by the symbol
Eight white
pawns, usually indicated by the symbol
A black king, usually indicated by the symbol
A black queen,
usually indicated by the symbol
Two black
rooks, usually indicated by the symbol
Two black
bishops, usually indicated by the symbol
Two black
knights, usually indicated by the symbol
Eight black
pawns, usually indicated by the symbol
2.3 The
initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as follows:
2.4 The eight vertical columns of squares are
called 'files'. The eight horizontal rows of squares are called ranks'. A
straight line of squares of the same colour, touching corner to corner, is
called a 'diagonal'.
Article 3: The moves of the pieces
3.1 It is not permitted to move a piece to a
square occupied by a piece of the same colour. If a piece moves to a square
occupied by an opponent's piece the latter is captured and removed from the
chessboard as part of the same move. A piece is said to attack an opponent's
piece if the piece could make a capture on that square according to Articles
3.2 to 3.8.
A piece is considered
to attack a square, even if such a piece is constrained from moving to that
square because it would then leave or place the king of its own colour under
attack.
3.2 The bishop may move to any square along a
diagonal on which it stands.
3.3 The
rook may move to any square along the file or the rank on which it stands.
3.4 The queen may move to any square along the
file, the rank or a diagonal on which it stands.
3.5 When making these moves the bishop, rook
or queen may not move over any intervening pieces.
3.6 The knight may move to one of the squares
nearest to that on which it stands but not on the same rank, file or diagonal.
3.7 a. The
pawn may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on
the same file, or
b. on its first move the
pawn may move as in (a); alternatively it may advance two squares along the
same file provided both squares are unoccupied, or
c. the pawn may move to a
square occupied by an opponent's piece, which is diagonally in front of it on
an adjacent file, capturing that piece.
d.
A pawn attacking a square crossed by an
opponent's pawn which has advanced two squares in one move from its original
square may capture this opponent's pawn as though the latter had been moved
only one square. This capture is only legal on the move following this advance
and is called an 'en passant' capture.
e. When a pawn reaches the
rank furthest from its starting position it must be exchanged as part of the
same move for a new queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. The player's
choice is not restricted to pieces that have been captured previously. This
exchange of a pawn for another piece is called 'promotion' and the effect of
the new piece is immediate.
3.8 a. There are two different ways of moving the
king, by:
i.
moving to any
adjoining square not attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces.
or
ii. ‘castling'.
This is a move of the king and either rook of the same colour on the same rank,
counting as a single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is
transferred from its original square two squares towards the rook, then that
rook is transferred to the square the king has just crossed.
(1) The
right to castle has been lost:
a. if
the king has already moved, or
b. with
a rook that has already moved
(2) Castling
is prevented temporarily
a. if
the square on which the king stands, or the square which it must cross, or the
square which it is to occupy, is attacked by one or more of the opponent's
pieces.
b.
if there is any
piece between the king and the rook with which castling is to be effected.
3.9 The
king is said to be 'in check' if it is attacked by one or more of the
opponent's pieces, even if such pieces are constrained from moving to that
square because they would then leave or place their own king in check. No piece can be moved that will either expose
the king of the same colour to check or leave that king in check.
Article 4: The act of moving the pieces
4.1 Each move must be made with one hand only.
4.2 Provided that he first expresses his
intention (for example by saying "j'adoube" or "I adjust"),
the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces on their squares.
4.3 Except as provided in Article 4.2, if the
player having the move deliberately touches on the chessboard
a. one or more of his own
pieces, he must move the first piece touched that can be moved , or
b. one or more of his opponent's pieces,
he must capture the first piece touched, which can be captured, or
c. one piece of each
colour, he must capture the opponent's piece with his piece or, if this is
illegal, move or capture the first piece touched which can be moved or
captured. If it is unclear, whether the player’s own piece or his opponent’s
was touched first, the player's own piece shall be considered to have been
touched before his opponent's.
4.4 a If a player deliberately touches his king
and rook he must castle on that side if it is legal to do so.
b.
If a player
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(a).
c.
If a player,
intending to castle, touches the king or king and rook at the same time, but
castling on that side is illegal, the player must make another legal move with
his king which may include castling on the other side. If the king has no legal
move, the player is free to make any legal move.
d.
If a player
promotes a pawn, the choice of the piece is finalised, when the piece has
touched the square of promotion.
4.5 If none of the pieces touched can be moved
or captured, the player may make any legal move.
4.6
When, as a legal
move or part of a legal move, a piece has been released on a square, it cannot
then be moved to another square. The move is considered to have been made when
all the relevant requirements of Article 3 have been fulfilled
a. in the case of a capture, when the captured piece has been removed from the chessboard and the player, having placed his own piece on its new square, has released this capturing piece from his hand;
b. in the case of castling, when the player's hand has released the rook on the square previously crossed by the king. When the player has released the king from his hand, the move is not yet made, but the player no longer has the right to make any move other than castling on that side, if this is legal;
c. in the case of the promotion of a pawn,
when the pawn has been removed from the chessboard and the player's hand has
released the new piece after placing it on the promotion square. If the player
has released from his hand the pawn that has reached the promotion square, the
move is not yet made, but the player no longer has the right to play the pawn
to another square.
4.7 A player forfeits his right to a claim
against his opponent's violation of Article 4.3 or 4.4 once he deliberately touches a piece.
Article 5: The completion of the game
5.1 a. The
game is won by the player who has checkmated his opponent's king. This
immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the checkmate
position was a legal move.
b. The game is won by the player whose
opponent declares he resigns. This immediately ends the game.
5.2 a. The
game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in
check. The game is said to end in 'stalemate'. This immediately ends the game,
provided that the move producing the stalemate position was legal.
b.
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 legal.
c. The game is drawn upon agreement
between the two players during the game. This immediately ends the game. (See
Article 9.1)
d. The game may be drawn if
any identical position is about to appear or has appeared on the chessboard at
least three times. (See Article 9.2)
e. The game may be drawn if each player
has made at least the last 50 consecutive moves without the movement of any pawn
and without any capture. (See Article 9.3)
COMPETITION
RULES
Article 6: The chess clock
6.1 'Chess clock' means a clock with two time
displays, connected to each other in such a way that only one of them can run
at one time.
'Clock' in the Laws of Chess means one of the two time displays.
'Flag fall' means the expiration of the allotted time for a player.
6.2 a. When
using a chess clock, each player must make a minimum number of moves or all
moves in an allotted period of time and/or may be allocated an additional
amount of time with each move. All these must be specified in advance.
b. The time saved by a
player during one period is added to his time available for the next period,
except in the 'time delay' mode.
In the time delay mode both players receive an allotted 'main thinking time'.
Each player also receives a 'fixed extra time' with every move. The countdown
of the main time only commences after the fixed time has expired. Provided the
player stops his clock before the expiration of the fixed time, the main
thinking time does not change, irrespective of the proportion of the fixed time
used.
6.3 Each time display has a 'flag'.
Immediately after a flag falls, the requirements of Article 6.2(a) must be
checked.
6.4 Before the start of the game the arbiter
decides where the chess clock is placed.
6.5 At the time determined for the start of
the game the clock of the player who has the white pieces is started.
6.6 If neither player is present initially,
the player who has the white pieces shall lose all the time that elapses until
he arrives; unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides
otherwise.
6.7 Any player who arrives at the chessboard
more than one hour after the scheduled start of the session shall lose the game
unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides otherwise.
6.8 a. During
the game each player, having made his move on the chessboard, shall stop his
own clock and start his opponent's clock. A player must always be allowed to
stop his clock. His move is not considered to have been completed until he has
done so, unless the move that was made ends the game. (See Articles 5.1, and
5.2)
The time between making
the move on the chessboard and stopping his own clock and starting his
opponent's clock is regarded as part of the time allotted to the player.
b.
A player must
stop his clock with the same hand as that with which he made his move. It is
forbidden for a player to keep his finger on the button or to 'hover' over it.
c. The players must handle the chess clock
properly. It is forbidden to punch it forcibly, to pick it up or to knock it
over. Improper clock handling shall be penalised in accordance with Article
13.4.
d. If a player is unable to use the clock,
an assistant, who is acceptable to the arbiter, may be provided by the player
to perform this operation. His clock shall be adjusted by the arbiter in an
equitable way.
6.9 A flag is considered to have fallen when
the arbiter observes the fact or when either player has made a valid claim to
that effect.
6.10 Except where Articles 5.1 or one of the
Articles 5.2 (a), (b) and (c) apply, if a player does not complete the
prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, the game is lost by the
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, even with the most unskilled counterplay.
6.11 Every indication given by the clocks is
considered to be conclusive in the absence of any evident defect. A chess clock
with an evident defect shall be replaced. The arbiter shall replace the clock
and
use his best judgement when determining the times to be shown on the
replacement chess clock.
6.12 If both flags have fallen and it is
impossible to establish which flag fell first then
a.
the game shall continue if it happens in any period of the game except the last
period.
b. the game is drawn if it happens in the
period of a game, in which all the remaining moves must be completed.
6.13 a. If
the game needs to be interrupted, the arbiter shall stop the clocks.
b. A
player may stop the clocks only in order to seek the arbiter's assistance, for
instance when promotion has taken place and the piece required is not
available.
c. The arbiter shall decide when the game
is to be restarted in either case.
d. If a player stops the
clocks in order to seek the arbiter's assistance, the arbiter shall determine
if the player had any valid reason for doing so. If it is obvious that the
player has no valid reason for stopping the clocks, the player shall be
penalised according to article 13.4.
6.14 If an irregularity occurs and/or the pieces
have to be restored to a previous position, the arbiter shall use his best
judgement to determine the times to be shown on the clocks. He shall also, if
necessary, adjust the clock's move counter.
6.15 Screens, monitors, or demonstration boards
showing the current position on the chessboard, the moves and the number of
moves made, and clocks which also show the number of moves, are allowed in the
playing hall. However, the player may not make a claim relying solely on
information shown in this manner.
Article 7: Irregularities
7.1 a. .If during a game it is found that
the initial position of the pieces was incorrect, the game shall be
cancelled
and a new game played.
b. If during a game it is
found that the only error is that the chessboard has been placed contrary to
Article 2.1, the game continues but the position reached must be transferred to
a correctly placed chessboard.
7.2 If a game has begun with
colours reversed, then it shall continue, unless the arbiter rules otherwise.
7.3 If a player displaces one
or more pieces, he shall re-establish the correct position on his own time. If
necessary, either the player or his opponent shall stop the clocks and ask for
the arbiter's assistance. The arbiter may penalise the player who displaced the
pieces
7.4 a. If during a game it is found that
an illegal move, including failing to
meet the requirements of the
promotion of a pawn or capturing the opponent’s king, 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. The clocks shall be adjusted according to Article 6.14. Article
4.3 applies to the move replacing the illegal move. The game shall then
continue from this reinstated position.
b. After the action taken under Article 7.4(a), for the first two illegal moves by a player the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to his opponent in each instance; for a third illegal move by the same player, the arbiter shall declare the game lost by this player.
7.5 If during a game it is
found that pieces have been displaced from their squares, the position 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. The clocks shall be adjusted
according to Article 6.14. The game shall then continue from this re-instated
position.
Article 8: The recording of the moves
8.1 In the course of play each player is
required to record his own moves and those of his opponent in the correct
manner, move after move, as clearly and legibly as possible, in the algebraic
notation (Appendix E), on the ‘scoresheet’ prescribed for the competition. It
is forbidden to write the moves in advance, unless the player is claiming a draw according to Article 9.2
or 9.3.
A player may reply to his opponent's move before recording it, if he so wishes.
He must record his previous move before making another. Both players must
record the offer of a draw on the scoresheet. (Appendix E.12)
If a player is unable to keep score, an assistant, who is acceptable to the arbiter,
may be provided by the player to write the moves. His clock shall be adjusted
by the arbiter in an equitable way.
8.2 The scoresheet shall be
visible to the arbiter throughout the game.
8.3 The scoresheets are the
property of the organisers of the event.
8.4 If a player has less than five minutes left on his clock at some stage in a period and does not have additional time of 30 seconds or more added with each move, then he is not obliged to meet the requirements of Article 8.1. Immediately after one flag has fallen the player must update his scoresheet completely before moving a piece on the chessboard
8.5 a. If
neither player is required to keep score under Article 8.4, the arbiter or an
assistant should try to be
present and keep score. In this case, immediately
after one flag has fallen, the arbiter shall stop the clocks. Then both players
shall update their scoresheets, using the arbiter's or the opponent's
scoresheet.
b. If only one player is
not required to keep score under Article 8.4 he must, as soon as either flag
has fallen, update his scoresheet completely before moving a piece on the
chessboard. Provided it is the player's move, he may use his opponent's
scoresheet, but must return it before making a move
c. If no complete scoresheet
is available, the players must reconstruct the game on a second chessboard
under the control of the arbiter or an assistant. He shall first record the
actual game position, clock times and the number of moves made, if this
information is available, before reconstruction takes place.
8.6 If the scoresheets cannot
be brought up to date showing that a player has overstepped the allotted time,
the next move made shall be considered as the first of the following time
period, unless there is evidence that more moves have been made.
8.7 At the conclusion of the
game both players shall sign both scoresheets, indicating the result of the
game. Even if incorrect, this result shall stand, unless the arbiter decides
otherwise.
Article 9: The drawn game
9.1 a. A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a
move on the chessboard and before stopping his clock and starting the
opponent's clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid, but
Article 12.5 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.
b. The offer of a draw shall be noted by
each player on his scoresheet with a symbol (See Appendix E13).
c. A claim of a draw under 9.2, 9.3 or
10.2 shall be considered to be an offer of a draw.
9.2 The game is drawn, upon a
correct claim by the player having the move, when the same position, for at
least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of moves)
a. is about to appear, if
he first writes his move on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his
intention to make this move, or
b. has just appeared, and the player
claiming the draw has the move.
Positions as in (a) and (b) are considered the same, if the same player has the
move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares, and the
possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same.
Positions are not the same if a pawn that could have been captured en passant
can no longer in this manner be captured or if the right to castle has been
changed temporarily or permanently.
9.3 The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the
player having the move, if
a. he writes his move on
his scoresheet, and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move
which shall result in the last 50 moves having been made by each player without
the movement of any pawn and without any capture, or
b. the last 50 consecutive
moves have been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and
without any capture.
9.4 If the player makes a move
without having claimed the draw he loses the right to claim, as in Article 9.2
or 9.3, on that move.
9.5 If a player claims a draw as in Article
9.2 or 9.3, he shall immediately stop both clocks. He is not allowed to
withdraw his claim.
a. If the claim is found to be correct the
game is immediately drawn.
b. If the claim is found to
be incorrect, the arbiter shall add three minutes to the opponent's remaining
time. Additionally, if the claimant has more than two minutes on his clock the
arbiter shall deduct half of the claimant's remaining time up to a maximum of
three minutes. If the claimant has more than one minute, but less than two
minutes, his remaining time shall be one minute. If the claimant has less than
one minute, the arbiter shall make no adjustment to the claimant's clock. Then
the game shall continue and the intended move must be made.
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, provided that the move producing this position
was legal.
Article 10: Quickplay Finish
10.1 A 'quickplay finish' is the phase of a game,
when all the (remaining) moves must be made in a limited time.
10.2 If the player, having the move, has less than
two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He
shall stop the clocks and summon the arbiter.
a. If the arbiter agrees the opponent is
making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to
win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall
postpone his decision or reject the claim.
b.
If the arbiter
postpones his decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra minutes and the
game shall continue in the presence of an arbiter, if possible. The
arbiter shall declare the final result later in the game or after a flag has
fallen. He shall declare the game drawn if he agrees
that the final position cannot be won by normal means, or that the opponent was
not making sufficient attempts to win by normal means.
c.
If the arbiter
has rejected the claim, the opponent shall be awarded two extra minutes time.
d.
The decision of
the arbiter shall be final relating to 10.2 a, b, c.
Article 11: Scoring
11.1 Unless announced otherwise in advance, a
player who wins his game, or wins by forfeit, scores one point (1), a player
who loses his game, or forfeits scores no points (0) and a player who draws his
game scores a half point (˝).
Article 12: The conduct of the players
12.1 The players shall take no action that will
bring the game of chess into disrepute.
12.2 a During
play the players are forbidden to make use of any notes, sources of
information, advice, or
analyse on another chessboard.
b. It is strictly forbidden to bring
mobile phones or other electronic means of communication, not authorised by the
arbiter, into the playing venue. If a player’s mobile phone rings in the
playing venue during play, that player shall lose the game. The score of the
opponent shall be determined by the arbiter.
12.3
The scoresheet
shall be used only for recording the moves, the times of the clocks, the offers
of a draw, matters relating to a claim and other relevant data.
12.4 Players who have finished their games shall
be considered to be spectators.
12.5 Players are not allowed to leave the 'playing
venue' without permission from the arbiter. The playing venue is defined as the
playing area, rest rooms, refreshment area, area set aside for smoking and
other places as designated by the arbiter.
The player having the move is not allowed to leave the playing area without
permission of the arbiter.
12.6 It is forbidden to distract or annoy the
opponent in any manner whatsoever. This includes unreasonable claims or
unreasonable offers of a draw.
12.7 Infraction of any part of the Articles 12.1 to
12.6 shall lead to penalties in accordance with Article 13.4.
12.8 Persistent refusal by a player to comply with
the Laws of Chess shall be penalised by loss of the game. The arbiter shall
decide the score of the opponent.
12.9 If both players are found guilty according to
Article 12.8, the game shall be declared lost by both players.
Article 13: The role of the arbiter (see
Preface)
13.1 The arbiter shall see that the Laws of Chess
are strictly observed.
13.2 The arbiter shall act in the best interest of
the competition. He should ensure that a good playing environment is maintained
and that the players are not disturbed. He shall supervise the progress of the
competition.
13.3 The arbiter shall observe the games,
especially when the players are short of time, enforce decisions he has made
and impose penalties on players where appropriate.
13.4 The arbiter can apply one or more of the
following penalties:
a. warning,
b. increasing
the remaining time of the opponent,
c. reducing
the remaining time of the offending player,
d. declaring
the game to be lost,
e. reducing
the points scored in a game by the offending party,
f. increasing
the points scored in a game by the opponent to the maximum available for that
game,
g. expulsion
from the event.
13.5 The arbiter may award either or both players
additional time in the event of external disturbance of the game.
13.6 The arbiter must not intervene in a game
except in cases described by the Laws of Chess. He shall not indicate the number
of moves made, except in applying Article 8.5 when at least one flag has
fallen. The arbiter shall refrain from informing a player that his opponent has
completed a move or that the player has not pressed his clock.
13.7 a. Spectators and players in other
games are not to speak about or otherwise interfere in a game. If
necessary,
the arbiter may expel offenders from the playing venue.
b. It is forbidden for anybody to use a
mobile phone in the playing venue and any area designated by the arbiter
Article 14: FIDE
14. Member federations may ask FIDE to give
an official decision about problems relating to the Laws of Chess.
APPENDICES.
A. Adjourned games
A1. a. If a
game is not finished at the end of the time prescribed for play, the arbiter
shall require the player having the move to 'seal' that move. The player must
write his move in unambiguous notation on his scoresheet, put his scoresheet
and that of his opponent in an envelope, seal the envelope and only then stop
his clock without starting the opponent's clock. Until he has stopped the
clocks, the player retains the right to change his sealed move. If, after being
told by the arbiter to seal his move, the player makes a move on the
chessboard, he must write that same move on his scoresheet as his sealed move.
b. A player having the move, who adjourns
the game before the end of the playing session, shall be considered to have
sealed at the nominal time for the end of the session , and his remaining time
shall so be recorded.
A2. The following shall be indicated upon the
envelope:
a. the
names of the players
b. the
position immediately before the sealed move
c. the
time used by each player
d. the
name of the player who has sealed the move
e. the
number of the sealed move
f. the offer
of a draw, if the proposal is current.
g. the
date, time and venue of resumption of play.
A3. The arbiter shall check the accuracy of the
information on the envelope and is responsible for the safe-keeping of it.
A4. If a player proposes a draw after his
opponent has sealed his move, the offer is valid until the opponent has
accepted it or rejected it as in Article 9.1.
A5. Before the game is to be resumed, the
position immediately before the sealed move shall be set up on the chessboard,
and the times used by each player when the game was adjourned shall be
indicated on the clocks.
A6. If prior to the resumption the game is
agreed drawn, or if one of the players notifies the arbiter that he resigns,
the game is concluded.
A7. The envelope shall be opened only when the
player who must reply to the sealed move is present.
A8. Except in the cases mentioned in Article
6.10 and 9.6, the game is lost by a player whose recording of his sealed move
a. is
ambiguous, or
b. is
recorded such that its true significance is impossible to establish, or
c. is
illegal.
A9. If, at the agreed resumption time
a. the player having to reply to the
sealed move is present, the envelope is opened, the sealed move made on the
chessboard and his clock started.
b. the player having to reply to the
sealed move is not present, his clock shall be started. On his arrival, he may
stop his clock and summon the arbiter. The envelope is then opened and the
sealed move made on the chessboard. His clock is then restarted.
c. the player who sealed the move is not
present, his opponent has the right to record his reply on the scoresheet, seal
his scoresheet in a fresh envelope, stop his clock and start the absent
player's clock instead of making his reply in the normal manner. If so, the
envelope shall be handed to the arbiter for safe-keeping and opened on the
absent player's arrival.
A10. The player shall lose the game if he arrives
at the chessboard more than one hour late for the resumption of an adjourned
game (unless the rules of the competition or the arbiter decides otherwise).
However, if the player who made the sealed move is the late player, the game is
decided otherwise, if:
a. the
absent player has won the game by virtue of the fact that the sealed move is
checkmate, or
b. the absent player has produced a drawn
game by virtue of the fact that the sealed move is stalemate, or a position as
described in Article 9.6 has arisen on the chessboard, or
c. the
player present at the chessboard has lost the game according to Article 6.10.
A11. a. If
the envelope containing the sealed move is missing, the game shall continue
from the position, with
the clock times recorded at the time of adjournment. If the time used by
each player cannot be re-established the arbiter shall set the clocks. The
player who sealed the move makes the move he states he sealed on the
chessboard.
b. If it is impossible to re-establish the
position, the game is annulled and a new game must be played.
A12. If, upon resumption of the game, either
player points out before making his first move that the time used has been
incorrectly indicated on either clock, the error must be corrected. If the
error is not then established the game continues without correction unless the
arbiter feels that the consequences will be too severe.
A13. The duration of each resumption session shall
be controlled by the arbiter's timepiece. The starting time and finishing time
shall be announced in advance.
B.
Rapidplay
.
B1. A ‘Rapidplay’
game is one where either all the moves must be made in a fixed time from 15 to
60 minutes; or the time allotted + 60 times any increment is from 15 to 60
minutes.
B2. Play shall be governed by the FIDE Laws of
Chess, except where they are overridden by the following Laws of Rapidplay.
B3. Players do not need to record the moves.
B4. Once each player has completed three moves,
no claim can be made regarding incorrect piece placement, orientation of the
chessboard or clock setting.
In case of reverse king and queen placement castling with this king is not
allowed.
B5. The arbiter shall make a
ruling according to Article 4 (The act of moving pieces), only if requested to
do so by one or both players.
B6. An illegal move is completed once the
opponent's clock has been started. The opponent is then entitled to claim that
the player completed an illegal move before the claimant has made his move.
Only after such a claim, shall the arbiter make a ruling. However, if both
Kings are in check or the promotion of a pawn is not completed, the arbiter
shall intervene, if possible.
B7. The flag is considered to
have fallen when a player has made a valid claim to that effect. The arbiter
shall refrain from signalling a flag fall.
B8. To claim a win on time,
the claimant must stop both clocks and notify the arbiter. For the claim to be
successful the claimant's flag must remain up and his opponent's flag down
after the clocks have been stopped.
B9. If both flags have fallen, the game is
drawn.
C. Blitz
C1. A ‘blitz’ game is one where all the moves
must be made in a fixed time of less than 15 minutes for each player; or the
allotted time + 60 times any increment is less than 15 minutes.
C2. Play shall be governed by the Rapidplay
Laws as in Appendix B except where they are overridden by the following Laws of
Blitz. The Articles 10.2 and B6 do not apply.
C3. An illegal move is completed once the
opponent's clock has been started. The opponent is entitled to claim a win
before he has made his own move. However, if the opponent cannot checkmate the
player’s king by any possible series of legal moves with the most unskilled
counterplay, then the claimant is entitled to claim a draw before he has made
his own move. Once the opponent has made his own move, an illegal move cannot
be corrected
D. Quickplay finishes where no arbiter is
present in the venue.
D1. Where games are played as in Article 10, a
player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his clock and
before his flag falls. This concludes the game.
He may claim on the basis
a. that
his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or
b. that his opponent has been making no
effort to win by normal means.
In (a) the player must write down the final
position and his opponent verify it.
In (b) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date
scoresheet. The opponent shall verify both the scoresheet and the final
position.
The claim shall be referred to an arbiter whose decision shall be the final
one.
E. Algebraic notation
FIDE recognizes for its own tournaments and
matches only one system of notation, the Algebraic System, and recommends the
use of this uniform chess notation also for chess literature and periodicals.
Scoresheets using a notation system other than algebraic may not be used as
evidence in cases where normally the scoresheet of a player is used for that
purpose. An arbiter who observes that a player is using a notation system other
than the algebraic should warn the player about of this requirement.
Description of the Algebraic System
E1. In this description, "piece" means a piece other than a pawn.
E2. Each piece is indicated by the first
letter, a capital letter, of its name. Example: K = king, Q = queen, R = rook,
B = bishop, N = knight. (In the case of the knight, for the sake of
convenience, N is used.)
E3. For the first letter of the name of a
piece, each player is free to use the first letter of the name which is
commonly used in his country. Examples: F = fou (French for bishop), L = loper
(Dutch for bishop). In printed periodicals, the use of figurines for the pieces
is recommended.
E4 Pawns are not indicated by their first
letter, but are recognised by the absence of such a letter. Examples: e5, d4,
a5.
E5. The eight files (from left to right for
White and from right to left for Black) are indicated by the small letters, a,
b, c, d, e, f, g and h, respectively.
E6 The eight ranks (from bottom to top for
White and from top to bottom for Black) are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,
respectively. Consequently, in the initial position the white pieces and pawns
are placed on the first and second ranks; the black pieces and pawns on the
eighth and seventh ranks.
E7 As
a consequence of the previous rules, each of the sixty-four squares is
invariably indicated by a unique combination of a letter and a number.
E8 Each move of a piece is indicated by (a)
the first letter of the name of the piece in question and (b) the square of
arrival. There is no hyphen between (a) and (b). Examples: Be5, Nf3, Rd1.
In the case of pawns, only the square of arrival is indicated. Examples: e5,
d4, a5.
E9 When a piece makes a capture, an x is
inserted between (a) the first letter of the name of the piece in question and
(b) the square of arrival. Examples: Bxe5, Nxf3, Rxd1.
When a pawn makes a capture, the file of departure must be indicated, then an
x, then the square of arrival. Examples: dxe5, gxf3, axb5. In the case of an
"en passant" capture, the square of arrival is given as the square on
which the capturing pawn finally rests and "e.p." is appended to the
notation. Example: exd6 e.p..
E10 If two identical pieces can move to the same
square, the piece that is moved is indicated as follows:
1. If both pieces are on the same rank: by
(a) the first letter of the name of the piece, (b) the file of the square of
departure, and (c) the square of arrival.
2. If both pieces are on the same file: by
(a) the first letter of the name of the piece, (b) the rank of the square of
departure, and (c) the square of arrival.
3.
If the pieces are
on different ranks and files, method (1) is preferred.
In the
case of capture, an x must be inserted between (b) and (c).
Examples:
There are two knights, on the squares g1 and
e1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Ngf3 or Nef3, s the case may
be.
There are two knights, on the squares g5 and
g1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either N5f3 or N1f3, as the case
may be.
There are two knights, on the squares h2 and
d4, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Nhf3 or Ndf3, as the case
may be.
If a capture takes place on the square f3, the
previous examples are changed by the insertion of an x: (1) either Ngxf3 or
Nexf3, (2) either N5xf3 or N1xf3, (3) either Nhxf3 or Ndxf3, as the case may
be.
E11 If two pawns can capture the same piece or
pawn of the opponent, the pawn that is moved is indicated by (a) the letter of
the file of departure, (b) an x, (c) the square of arrival. Example: If there
are white pawns on squares c4 and e4 and a black pawn or piece on the square
d5, the notation for White's move is either cxd5 or exd5, as the case may be.
E12 In the case of the promotion of a pawn, the
actual pawn move is indicated, followed immediately by the first letter of the
new piece. Examples: d8Q, f8N, b1B, g1R.
E13 The offer of a draw shall be marked as (=).
Essential abbreviations:
0-0 castling
with rook h1 or rook h8 (kingside castling)
0-0-0 castling
with rook a1 or rook a8 (queenside castling)
x captures
+ check
++ or # checkmate
e.p. captures
“en passant”
Sample
game: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. e5 Ne4 5. Qxd4 d5 6. exd6 e.p. Nxd6 7.
Bg5 Nc6 8. Qe3+ Be7 9. Nbd2 0-0 10. 0-0-0 Re8 11.
Kb1(=)
F.
Rules for play with Blind and Visually Handicapped Players
F1. Tournament directors shall have the power
to adapt the following rules according to local circumstances. In competitive
chess between sighted and visually handicapped players (legally blind) either
player may demand the use of two chessboards, the sighted players using a normal
chessboard, the visually handicapped player using one specially constructed.
The specially constructed chessboard must meet the following requirements:
a. at least 20 by 20 centimetres;
b. the black squares slightly raised;
c. a securing aperture in each square;
d. every piece provided with a peg that
fits into the securing aperture;
e. pieces of Staunton design, the black
pieces being specially marked.
F2 The following regulations shall govern
play:
1.
The moves shall
be announced clearly, repeated by the opponent and executed on his chessboard.
When promoting a pawn, the player must announce which piece is chosen. To make
the announcement as clear as possible, the use of the following names is
suggested instead of the corresponding letters, algebraic
A-Anna
B-Bella
C-Cesar
D-David
E-Eva
F-Felix
G-Gustav
H-Hector
Ranks from white to black shall receive the
German numbers:
1-eins
2-zwei
3-drei
4-vier
5-fuenf
6-sechs
7-sieben
8-acht
Castling is announced “Lange Rochade” (German
for long castling) and “Kurze Rochade” (German for short castling).
The pieces bear the names: Koenig, Dame, Turm,
Laeufer, Springer, Bauer.
2. On the visually handicapped player’s
chessboard a piece shall be considered “touched” when it has been taken out of
the securing aperture.
3. A
move shall be considered “executed” when:
a. in the case of a
capture, the captured piece has been removed from the chessboard of the player
whose turn it is to move;
b. a
piece is placed into a different securing aperture;
c. the
move has been announced.
Only then the opponent’s clock shall be
started.
As far as points 2 and 3 are concerned the
normal rules are valid for the sighted player.
4. A specially constructed chess clock for
the visually handicapped shall be admissible. It shall incorporate the
following features:
a. A dial fitted with
reinforced hands, with every five minutes marked by one dot, and every 15
minutes by two raised dots.
b. A flag which can be
easily felt. Care should be taken that the flag is so arranged as to allow the
player to feel the minute hand during the last 5 minutes of the full hour.
5. The visually handicapped player must
keep score of the game in Braille or longhand or record the moves on a tape
recorder.
6. A slip of the tongue in the announcement
of a move must be corrected immediately and before the clock of the opponent is
started.
7. If during a game different positions
should arise on the two chessboards, they must be corrected with the assistance
of the controller and by consulting both players’ game scores. If the two game
scores correspond with each other, the player who has written the correct move
but executed the wrong one must adjust his position to correspond with the move
on the game scores.
8. If, when such differences occur and the
two game scores are found to differ, the moves shall be retraced to the point
where the two scores agree and the controller shall readjust the clock
accordingly.
9. The visually handicapped player shall
have the right to make use of an assistant who shall have any or all of the
following duties:
a. Make either player’s move on the chessboard of the
opponent.
b. Announce the moves
of both players.
c. Keep the game score of
the visually handicapped player and start his opponent’s clock, (keeping rule
3.c in mind).
d. Inform the visually
handicapped player only at his request of the number of moves completed and the
time used up by both players.
e. Claim the game in cases
where the time limit has been exceeded and inform the controller when the
sighted player has touched one of his pieces.
f. Carry out the necessary
formalities in case the game is adjourned. If the visually handicapped player
does not make use of an assistant, the sighted player may make use of one who
shall carry out the duties mentioned under point 9a and b.