CHESMAYNE

 impossible dream                                                                                    “don’t cry daddy”

 

Forum Messages

Below: print chess boards & pieces

8 x 8 traditional board

Western pieces

GU-ards

Checker pieces

Burmese 8 x 8

Burmese pieces

Chinese 9 x 10

Chinese pieces

Shogi/Cambodian 9 x 9

Shogi pieces

Tori 7 x 7 +pieces

Korean pieces

Shatranj pieces

Thai pieces

Mongolian pieces

Cambodian pieces

Thai pieces

Berolina pieces

BLANK GHOST chess set

Graphic set for BLANKS

8 x 8 +2 XK blockers

8 x 8 +2 XN blockers

8 x 8 +2 XG blockers

8 x 8 +2 XB blockers

8 x 8 +2 XA blockers

8 x 8 +4 XO blockers

8 x 8 +4 XR blockers

8 x 8 +8 XR blockers

8 x 8 +4 XW blockers

8 x 8 +2 XW blockers-01

8 x 8 +2 XW blockers-02

8 x 8 +XP 2nd/7th

6x6  6x7  6x8  6x9  6x10 

7x6  7x7  7x8  7x9  7x10

8x6  8x7  8x8  8x9  8x10

9x6  9x7  9x8  9x9  9x10

10x6 10x7 10x8

10x9   10 x 10 board

Blocked cells - How to use

 

                                                                                                                                                              

Level-01: Orthodox Chess

Traditional occidental chess - western 

The MPs/mps are set-up on the board as follows: $A01 should be placed at :A’s left-hand corner. Each Chesmayne MP/mp is given a number for identification purposes. The PAs are numbered PA1 to PA8.   The MPs are numbered 1 or 2.

Example: e2-e4 is the same as PA5-$E02/E04 in the acentric notation.

 Example: d2-d4 is the same as PA4-$D02/D04.

 Example: Nb2-a3 is the same as KT1-$B02/A03.

 Example: Bf1-h3 is the same as BS2-$F01/H03.

 Example: Ra1-a6 is the same as RO1-$A01/A06.

 

     The :A MPs/mps are numbered left-to-right.  The :B MPs/mps are numbered right-to-left. 

 

RO2

KT2

BS2

QU1

  KI

BS1

KT1

RO1

8

PA8

PA7

PA6

PA5

PA4

PA3

PA2

PA1

7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3

PA1

PA2

PA3

PA4

PA5

PA6

PA7

PA8

2

RO1

KT1

BS1

QU1

  KI

BS2

KT2

RO2

1

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

 

Level-01

On :L01, :A has 20 possible moves that can be made.   Moving each mp either one or two cells/squares forward or, moving KT1 or KT2.   In practice you will find that there are only seven realistic moves from the ‘Initial Starting Position’ - ISP…….

01 PA2-B02/B03

02 PA3-C02/C04

03 PA4-D02/D04

04 PA5-E02/E04

05 PA7-G02/G03

06 KT1-B01/C03

07 KT2-G01/F03

                 Level-01…                                              Level-02…

                  

        The above graphic was produced using the ‘Zillions’ program – http://www.zillions-of-games.com/index.html

 

On Level-1 players begin the game with two BSs, one on an XL coloured cell and the other on a XD-coloured cell.   Because they move diagonally, BSs are restricted to the colour of the cell they start on and are therefore weaker MPs than ROs or QU1, which may move horizontal and vertically.   The BS and KT are roughly equal in strength, but there are times when one is more useful than the other.   In ‘open positions’, with clear diagonals that offer the BS freedom of movement, the BS is the stronger of the two.   But in ‘closed positions’, when there are chains of MPs/mps along the diagonals, the BSs have difficulty moving around the board quickly because they cannot travel past an occupied cell/square.   In these cases the KTs are more useful, because they can jump over the other MPs/mps.   Remember the analogy of the KT as a horse leaping obstacles. 

BOARD

The words below may be found in this dictionary

Other:

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

 

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

XYZ

 

Syntax:

 A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

 

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

XYZ

BOARD - CYLINDER ARRAY - FAVEOLATE - FLANK - FORECOURT - GRATICULE - LIMBUS - MAZE - MISE EN SCENE - PALLIUM - PLAYABLE - PLAZA - POMONA - QUADRANGLE - RECTANGLE - RESEAU - SIXTY FOUR-CELLS - WALDGRAVE - ABSTRACT OF TITLE - ACQUIRED CHARACTERISTICS - ACTABLE - A LA MORT - ALQUERQUE - AMBIT - AMBRY - AMPHITHEATRE - ANCHOR RING-TORUS - ANISOMETRIC - ASHLAR - ATELIER - AZONIC - BACKSTAGE - BALANCE OF POWER - BROCELIANDE - CRENEL :OS - DEMONSTRATION BOARD - DEXTER-DEXTRA - DIAGRAM - DOWNSTAGE - FAMILY TREE :FT-01, 02 ETC - FOOTLOOSE - FRONTIER-LINE - GRID BOARD - KABUKI - OVER-THE-BOARD (:OTB) - QUEEN SIZED BOARD - RAND - SOLANDER - SPACE ADVANTAGE - STAGE - TEMENOS - THEATRE-IN-THE-ROUND - TOP BOARD - TRADITIONAL SIZED CHESSBOARD - WING

If you are a beginner:

Link:

Please email me with your thoughts and suggestions for this section of my page.    All suggestions are welcome.   My email address is: 

ace942@gate.net

The section below assumes that you are a beginner at chess and know how each one of the chess pieces move.   If you do not know how the pieces move, there are  some sites on the web to assist you learn.    Here they are…….

Family.com: Genesee Valley Parent - The Challenge of Chess

Exeter Chess Club : Mini chess games

General Thoughts
Tip #1 - The battle lines are drawn
Tip #2 - The importance of the center squares
Tip #3 - Early control of the center squares
Tip #4 - Chess books
Tip #5 - Computers as chess teachers
Tip #6 - Material advantage
Summary

General Thoughts

Ok you just got started at chess and you really want to improve your play as quickly as possible.  Question is what is the most effective and least time consuming way to learn how to play chess well?  That is an excellent question and one that has been debated over by different people at a lot of different playing levels for some time, especially now with so many ways to chose from.

Most people would agree that probably the best way to improve is to get a chess coach/teacher.  For one, they get to know your playing strengths and weaknesses very well and try to gear their lessons in such a way that not only are you learning something new but in addition, they can try to create lessons where they try to help remove your weaknesses and try to improve upon your strengths.  The only problem of course with having a chess coach/teacher is that having a chess teacher can get somewhat expensive and for some people, it might not be very cost effective.  Getting a chess teacher is for someone who is looking for a long-term investment.  You are talking about investing money in yourself in order to improve at chess and hopefully do well at tournaments where the money that you invest in lessons will be recovered by playing well at tournaments which offer prize money.  If the teacher you have is a good one, then the investment might be worthwhile. 

Now for those who like me would prefer to try on their own first, it is possible to improve your chess skills via studying books, getting various pieces of computer software and playing against strong players or maybe even getting a dedicated chess computer.    I will discuss these things in further detail shortly. 

Ok before I start giving some tips on how to improve at chess, I want any advanced players reading this text to remember who this section is being written for.   I am going to give out general theories behind the ideas of chess but anyone reading this has to remember that it is general.  General ideas of chess do not always apply in every situation.  For example, you normally would not trade your queen for a pawn but there are times when because of a certain position and the way the pieces are arranged, that might very well be the best move that you can make.  This is something which is called a tactic in chess and therefore you need to take the tips that I am about to impart to you with a grain of salt.  Always remember that for every rule, there is always a chance that there will be an exception to the rule.  With that in mind, let us proceed.

TIP #1 - The battle lines are drawn

First I want you to remove all the pieces from the chessboard and start out with a completely empty board.    In your mind’s eye, I want to divide the board in half.  The first 4 rows for the bottom of the board belong to white.   The next 4 rows belong to black.   Now imagine a rule was created where white could not advance it’s pieces beyond the first 4 bottom rows and black could not advance it’s pieces beyond the 4 rows from the top of the board.    If that were the case, then neither side would be able to win a game because the pawns would get in each other’s way and there would be no way to attack through enemy lines.    So obviously since no such rule exists in chess, it becomes clear that in order to win a game you must at some point advance your pieces onto the other side of the board.    This is done usually by trying to control the center of the board early on in the opening of the game by either occupying it with pawns or attacking the center squares from a distance.   Now I am sure you are asking “Why is the center so important?” - and that leads us to tip #2……. 

TIP #2 - The importance of the center squares

The reason why the 4 squares in the center of the board are so important is that they act somewhat like a launching pad for your pieces.    Before I can begin to explain what I mean, I will need to explain what algebraic notation for chess is.   This will make it easier for you to follow when I mention a particular square, you will be able to reference it immediately.    In addition, most chess computers programs now use algebraic notation to describe the board.  

Ok here we go.  Starting from the left side of the board, the first column is called “A”.    The column next to A is called B.    I think you can figure out the rest since the columns go in alphabetical order.    Since the normal chessboard has 8 columns, the columns are labeled from A to H.    The next classification is for the row number.

The row numbers are always classified form the bottom of the board and use a number instead of a letter.    Therefore from the bottom of the chess board, the first row number is row number 1.    The second row number is 2 and so on until you reach the last row which is 8.    When you combine the letter reference and the row reference, this indicates a particular square on the board.    Therefore, there are 64 individual squares that begin with A1 and go through H8.    So let me begin with A1.

This square would be the first column on the left hand side of the chessboard and the bottom most row.    If I were to move a piece one square to the immediate right of A1, that square would be B1.    Therefore the bottom row goes from A1 to H1.   Now lets go back to the A1 square.   If I were to move one square up the board, that square would be A2.   It is called A2 because while it is still in the first column of the chess board,  it is no longer on the first row but instead it is on the second row. 

With that in mind, let’s go back to the square A1.  Let’s put a knight on that square.  Starting from that square, how many squares can the knight move to?  Remember that the knight moves in a 3 square L-Shaped pattern.  So have you figured it out yet?   For those of you who said it could move 2 squares, pat yourselves on the back because you are correct.  Starting from A1, a knight could move to the squares B3 and C2.  Now let’s move the knight to a different starting square.  Let’s move it to the square known as B2.   This square can be reached by starting at A1 and then moving to the right one square and up one square.    If you had a knight at B2, how many squares can it be moved to?    Look at it very closely.    Have you figured it out yet?    It is 4 squares.    Can you name the 4 squares?    They are: A4, C4, D3, D1.  

Hopefully by now you have algebraic chess notation down.  Let’s put the knight at square C3.   How many squares can it move to now?  If you guessed 4, try again.  If you guessed 8 squares, you are correct.  The 8 squares are B5, D5, E4, E2,  D1, B1, A2, A4.  Are you beginning to see a pattern here?  As we move closer and closer to the center squares, the knight has more squares that it could move to.  Since the knight captures the same way that it moves, this means that from this square, the knight could be capable of capturing 1 out of a possible 8 pieces if there are pieces on each one of those squares.

Let’s try the same exercise with the bishop.  The bishop is the piece that can only move on a diagonal.  Since it begins on one color square and can only move diagonally, it will always wind up on the same color square that it started from.  So if a bishop were to start on a white colored square, it must always land on a white colored square.  It could never move and land on a black square.  This fact sometimes makes the bishop of limited use in some positions and awesome in others.  It all depends on the arrangement of the pieces.  But back to the exercise.

Starting from A1, how many squares can the bishop move to?  Those of you who guessed 7 squares are correct.   Let’s move the bishop slightly and place it at B2.  How many squares could it move to now?    If you guessed 7, look again.    The correct answer is 9.    Move the bishop to C3.    How many squares can it move to from here?  If you guessed 11 squares, you are correct!    Now one last move.    Move the bishop to d4 and count the number of squares.   Now it can move 13 squares from here.   Again as you move your pieces closer and closer to the center, they begin to gain a better scope.

If you do the same exercise with the rook and the queen, you will see that the same rule applies.    The closer you are to the center, the more options you create for your pieces.    Which leads to tip #3.

TIP #3 - Early control of the center squares

Since you can see that the center is important from the previous tip, you might wonder what is the best way to control the center.    This is done by trying to either occupy the center with pawns in the early stages of a match or trying to have pieces attacking the center from a distance.    If one player is allowed to control and dominate the center for any entire match, that advantage of greater scope for his/her pieces might prove crushing.    Therefore a lot of the openings that are played in chess are done to try to control the center as much as possible and as soon as possible.   The player that has better control of the center in the early going needs to use that advantage as soon as possible since at the later stages of the game when there are fewer and fewer pieces, controlling the center might not be so pivotal.   Therefore controlling the center is a temporary advantage that the player must use at some point to gain a much more permanent advantage.    If you ever watch two chess masters play each other, pay particular attention to the opening of the match.   If someone plays the opening of the match poorly, the match could be over before it even has a chance to begin.    So this leads to the next tip.  

TIP #4 - Chess books

Get a good book on openings geared towards the beginner.   Now this point is really, really important.    There are lots and lots of chess books out there.    Most of them deal with different aspects of chess.   The topics tend to be about the opening phases of a match, basic chess strategies that can be applied if conditions are right, chess tactics and some even deal with the other aspects of chess like psychology and how to deal with adversity.    The problem is that some of these books are best read by intermediate or stronger players and because of that fact,  they tend to lose the reader if that reader is just learning about chess.    You have to remember that most of these books are written by chess masters.    While they may be very good players, they sometimes have difficulty in explaining why certain moves are chosen over others because they are able to see several moves ahead of the current position that a beginner will most likely not be able to.    Therefore you need to be sure that any book that you buy or perhaps borrow from a library is geared towards the beginner.

Myself I happen to think that the series of books written by Yasser Seirawan are not only excellent books for beginners but his writing style puts everyone at ease and makes things enjoyable to read.    I have 2 of his books (Winning Chess Tactics and Winning Chess Strategies) and both are excellent.    You can get them just about any large book chain or of course since you are on the net, you could get it from Amazon.com if you prefer.    Not only do each of the books teach you a specific concept, it has quizzes at the end of each section to see if you have grasped the material.    So you can test yourself to see if you really understood what the section was about and if not, you can read it again and try the puzzles again once you have reread the section.    In any case, the books are an excellent source of information and will be enjoyed by all levels of players.    

If you should ever happen to go beyond the beginner’s level and reach intermediate level, I would suggest the following book “The Ideas behind the Chess Openings” by Reuben Fine.    It discusses most of the common openings and their variations and why certain moves are played in a particular opening.    In addition, it will show some moves that can be played in a particular opening that can be taken advantage of if the other player is aware of what that particular opening is trying to accomplish.    So not only are you learning a opening and the variations associated with that opening, you are learning the possible pitfalls that await you if you do not understand the concepts behinds the moves.    In that sense, it is excellent reading for an intermediate player.    Please note however that given the volume of information presented, it can seem like you are reading a technical manual at times but believe me it will be worth the trouble.   And now that you have read a few books, it is time to find someone to practice with to see what you have learned.    So you need someone who is always willing to play and will always play at the same strength time and time again.  And that leads to the next tip.  

TIP #5 - Computers as chess teachers

The best opponent to play against and learn against is a computer.  WHAT! You must think that maybe I am nuts or something.  But I tell you that in all seriousness, a computer makes the most excellent opponent.   Think about it for a second.    A computer will not get bored, it will not play bad moves because it is tired and will never tell you that it does not want to play now.    A computer will always play consistently over and over.    In fact, one of my favorite things to do when I play my computer is to play as black and set the skill level to a rating slightly higher than myself.    Since I know that the computer will play the strongest moves most of the time, this forces me to concentrate and not allow distractions to get to me.    This could be very important when you are playing in tournaments.    Tournaments tend to have lots of people playing at once.    There are lots of distractions going on and you will need to concentrate in order to do well.    That fact applies not only to chess but just about all endeavors.    There are times when you need to really stop whatever you are doing and concentrate on the task at hand.   And chess can be used as a reminder to that fact.  

Another advantage to having a computer playing as white is imagine you are playing as white and the player you are playing makes a mistake as black that you made once before when you played the very same move as black.    Hopefully you will remember how the computer punishes a bad move and use it against your opponent.    I remember that happened to me once where I had the white pieces and the person that I was playing over the board made a move that I played against my computer.  When I saw the move, I immediately recognized it as something that I did wrong and I happened to remember what the computer did to punish me for the bad play.    I played the very same move that my computer did to me and I was able to win the match.  

So my suggestion is to start with a program or a chess computer and start at it's lowest setting.   Keep playing higher and higher settings until you start to have difficulty in winning a match.    Once you know what that setting is, keep playing at that setting until you improve and then go on to the next highest setting.   It will be frustrating at first.    It will seem that no matter what you might try, the computer will have a better response but as time goes by, you will notice that you begin to make less and less mistakes because you learn from your mistakes and then stop repeating them.  That is one advantage that humans have over computers.    We can always improve upon ourselves.    Computers can not improve unless someone re-writes the code for the program or unless you run the software on a faster machine.

As for which program I would suggest, I would recommend Fritz 5.32.   You can find out all about this program at http://www.chessbase.com/ or their American affiliate http://www.chessbaseusa.com/   One of the things that make it great for a beginner is that it has a coach built in that warns you when you make a mistake and can give you both subtle and broad hints as to why a move is bad.    It can color the squares that are threatened in different colors so that you can see which pieces are well defended and how well they are defended and which pieces are not.   It can display all  the moves and give a slight hint as to what that move might be trying to accomplish.   Fritz 5.32 also comes with a spy function that shows you what the computer is planning.    In addition, it comes with 2 interesting modes of play called sparring and friend mode.  

Normally a chess program tries to evaluate the best move from a current position and plays it.   Sparring mode is a bit different. Instead of looking for the best move, the computer looks for a move that it can play for itself which will allow the player by playing a clever move to gain something, either a strong attack or a piece.  Please note that it does not give pieces away.   It plays a move that will allow the player to gain some sort of advantage.   In essence, it is trying to mimic human weakness.    If the player does not make the move that wins a piece through a clever set of moves, it will display a message “you missed something” and create a training session for you so that the next time that you review the match, it will pause the match and give you about 5 minutes to see the strongest move.   By using this technique, a player is able to learn the concept of tactics.   Sparring mode has 3 different levels of strength so that once you get good at spotting errors at one strength level, you can always set it to the next level.    You can have it set that that a light goes off to let you know that a good move can be played or you can set it to be more realistic and tell the program not to tell you.   I prefer not to have the program tell me because if I were playing someone over the board, they would not tell me “Hey guess what, I just made a mistake”.    So by not having it tell me when a bad move has been played, it is more like when a player makes a tactical error and forces me to have to think to see if it works.  

The friend mode is also interesting.    In this case, the program tries to evaluate your playing strength and match it exactly as much as possible.    In essence, you are playing against yourself and this forces you to try to improve in order to win.    In friend mode, the computer will make just enough mistakes so that you will be able to win from time to time.  

If you are thinking about a dedicated chess computer, I would suggest to try to find one with lots and lots of playing levels.    100 or more would be best so that you can try a lot of settings and just keep playing higher levels as you go along.

Ok one last tip.

TIP #6 - Material advantage

When you are ahead in a match, it is better to force even exchanges of pieces.    You might be wondering as to why.    Let us say for argument sake that you are ahead a rook for example.    At the beginning of the match, each side has the same number of pieces.    If someone were to lose a piece like a rook without having a way to get it back, you have the advantage of having one more attacker than the other side.    When someone is down a piece, they have to hope that someone they can draw the match or counterattack to negate the advantage.    When you begin to trade pieces, the chances of the other player counter-attacking are reduced.   Therefore when you are losing, the last thing that you can do is to keep trading equal value pieces.    You are just making things easier for your opponent because your opponent will have less to deal with.  

Of course, some advantages are stronger than others.  For example, you might be ahead a bishop and yet not be able to win because let’s say you have the same number of pawns as the other sides does and you have just an extra bishop.   Since the bishop can only move from one color square to the same color square, if the other player places his/her pieces on the color square not covered by the bishop, the advantage of the bishop could in essence be negated.    In such a case, a knight might be better even though it is a shorter range piece.   The knight is not limited to any one color so in such a scenario, it would have a greater value than a bishop.  

Summary

Well these are very general tips and while they are not the best chess tips in the world, I hope that they start you thinking and seeing the game of chess in a whole new light.    Chess can be a lot of different things.    It can be a wonderful game and a great source of entertainment but it can also be frustrating when it seems that you never improve and when you make a mistake to lose a game that you could have won.    Just remember that you only get as much out of it as you put in.   It takes time to learn this wonderful game and you have to be willing to accept a few setbacks as you go along.    Just remember to try to learn from your mistakes and play better the next time.

I hope you enjoyed my section for beginners and best of luck with your matches.  Just remember “To error is human, to checkmate divine”.  Good knight...err.....night!

 

Laws of Chess

fide.gif (2882 bytes)

FIDE Laws of Chess

FIDE Laws of Chess cover over the board play.

 


PREFACE

The Laws of Chess (:L01) 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. 

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 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 h/er opponent’s move has been completed.  

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 which would avoid the ‘capture’ of the king on the following move.  The player who achieves this is said to have ‘checkmated’ the opponent and to have won the game.   The opponent who 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 8 x 8 grid of 64 equal squares alternately light (the ‘white’ squares) and dark (the ‘blacksquares). 

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:


2.3


The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as follows: 

                              board3.jpg (14288 bytes)

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

No piece can be moved 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 a square if the piece could make a capture on that square according to Articles 3.2 to 3.5. 

3.2

a.    The Queen moves to any square along the file, the rank or a diagonal on which she stands:

                  queen_move.jpg (12414 bytes)

b.   
The Rook moves to any square along the file or the rank on which it stands:

                 
rook_move.jpg (10975 bytes)

c.    
The Bishop moves to any square along a diagonal on which it stands:

                  
bishop_move.jpg (10737 bytes)

When making these moves the Queen, Rook or Bishop cannot move over any intervening pieces.

3.3

The Knight moves to one of the squares nearest to that on which it stands but not on the same rank, file or diagonal.   He does not pass directly over any intervening square. 

                           knight_move.jpg (10405 bytes)

3.4

a.     The Pawn moves forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on the same file, or

b.     on its first move the Pawn may advance two squares along the same file provided both squares are unoccupied, or

c.     the Pawn moves to a square occupied by an opponent’s piece which is diagonally in front of it on an adjacent file, capturing that piece.

                    pawn_move.jpg (9861 bytes)

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 can be made only on the move following this advance and is called an ‘en passant’ capture.  


                    
passant_move.jpg (9602 bytes)

e.     When a Pawn reaches the rank furthest from its starting position it must be exchanged as part of the same move for a 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. 

3.5

(a) The King can move in two different ways, by:

a.    moving to any adjoining square that is not attacked by one or more of the opponent’s pieces,

                     king_move.jpg (10265 bytes)

or

b.      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 over the King to the square the King has just crossed. 

castling.gif (89342 bytes)


(1)
Castling is illegal:

a.    if the King has already been moved, or

b.    with a Rook that has already been moved 


(2) Castling is prevented for the time being:

c.     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.

d.    if there is any piece between the King and the Rook with which castling is to be effected.  

(b) The King is said to be ‘in check’, if he is under attack by one or more of the opponent’s pieces, even if such pieces cannot themselves move.  

Declaring a check is not obligatory.

A player must not make a move which places or leaves his own 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 s/he first expresses h/er intention (e.g. by saying “j’adoube”), 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 pieces of the same colour, s/he must move or capture the first piece touched that can be moved or captured, or

b.     one piece of each colour, s/he must capture the opponent’s piece with h/er piece or, if this is illegal, move or capture the first piece touched which can be moved or captured.   If it is unclear the player’s own piece shall be considered to have been touched before his opponent’s.

4.4

a.     If a player deliberately touches h/er King and Rook s/he must castle on that side if it is legal. 

b.     If a player deliberately touches a Rook and then h/er King s/he is not allowed to castle on that side on that move and the situation shall be governed by Article 4.3. 

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 choose either to castle on the other side, provided that castling on that side is legal, or to move h/er king.   If the King has no legal move, the player is free to make any legal move.

4.5

If none of the pieces touched can be moved or captured, the player may make any legal move. 

4.6

If the opponent violates Article 4.3 or 4.4, the player cannot claim this after s/he him/her-self deliberately touches a piece. 

4.7

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 be made when all the relevant requirements of Article 3 have been fulfilled. 


Article 5: The completed game

5.1

a.     The game is won by the player who has checkmated h/er opponent’s king with a legal move.   This immediately ends the game.

b.     The game is won by the player whose opponent declares s/he resigns. This immediately ends the game.  

5.2

The game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and h/er king is not in check.   The game is said to end in ‘stalemate’.  This immediately ends the game.  

5.3

The game is drawn upon agreement between the two players during the game.  This immediately ends the game.   (See Article 9.1). 

5.4

The game may be drawn if the identical position is about to appear or has appeared on the chessboard three times.   (See Article 9.2).  

5.5

The game may be drawn if the last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without the capture of any piece.   (See Article 9.3). 

 

TOURNAMENT RULES

Article 6: The chess clock

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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 expiry of the allotted time for a player.  

6.2

When using a chess clock, each player must make a certain number or all moves in an allotted period of time and/or may be allocated an additional amount of time after each move.   All this must be specified in advance.   The time saved by a player during one period is added to h/er 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’.   They also receive a ‘fixed extra time’ for every move.   The count down of the main time only commences after the fixed time has expired.   Provided the player stops h/er clock before the expiry 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 must be checked. 

6.4

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

The player shall lose the game if s/he arrives at the chessboard more than one hour after the scheduled start of the session (unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides otherwise). 

6.7

a.     During the game each player, having made h/er move on the chessboard, shall stop h/er own clock and start h/er opponent’s clock.   A player must always be allowed to stop h/er clock.   H/er move is not considered to have been completed until s/he has done so, unless the made move ends the game. (See Articles 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3)


  1. The time between making the move on the chessboard and stopping h/er own clock and starting h/er opponent’s clock is regarded as part of the time allotted to the player.
  2. A player must stop h/er clock with the same hand as that with which s/he made h/er move.   It is forbidden to keep the finger on the button or to ‘hover’ over it. 
  3. 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 penalized in accordance with Article 13.4.  

6.8

A flag is considered to have fallen when the arbiter observes the fact or when a valid claim to that effect has been made by either player.

6.9

Except where Articles 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 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 by any possible series of legal moves, even with the most unskilled counterplay).

6.10

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 use h/er best judgement when determining the times to be shown on the replacement chess clock. 

6.11

If both flags have fallen and it is impossible to establish which flag fell first, the game shall continue. 

6.12

a.     If the game needs to be interrupted, the arbiter shall stop the clocks.

b.     A player may stop the clocks in order to seek the arbiter’s assistance.

c.     The arbiter shall decide when the game is to be restarted.

6.13

If an irregularity occurs and/or the pieces have to be restored to a previous position, the arbiter shall use h/er best judgement to determine the times to be shown on the clocks.  

6.14

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 based on anything shown in this manner.  


Article 7: Illegal positions

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, s/he shall re-establish the correct position on h/er own time. If necessary the opponent has the right to restart the player’s clock without making a move in order to make sure the player re-establishes the correct position on h/er own time. 

7.4

If during a game it is found that an illegal move has been made, or that pieces have been displaced from their squares, the position before the irregularity shall be re-instated.  If the position immediately before the irregularity cannot be identified the game shall continue from the last identifiable position prior to the irregularity.  The clocks shall be adjusted according to Article 6.13 and, in the case of an illegal move, Article 4.3 applies to the move replacing the illegal move.   The game shall then continue.  


Article 8: The recording of the moves

8.1

In the course of play each player is required to record h/er own moves and those of h/er opponent, move after move, as clearly and legibly as possible, in the algebraic notation (Appendix E), on the score sheet prescribed for the competition.  

A player may reply to h/er opponent’s move before recording it, if s/he so wishes.   S/he must record h/er previous move before making another. The offer of a draw must be recorded on the score sheet by both players.   (Appendix E.12).  

If a player due to physical or religious reasons, is unable to keep score, an amount of time, decided by the arbiter, shall be deducted from h/er allotted time at the beginning of the game.  

8.2

The score sheet shall be visible to the arbiter at all times.  

8.3

The score sheets are the property of the organisers of the event.

8.4

If a player has less than five minutes left on h/er clock and does not have additional time of 30 seconds or more added with each move, then s/he is not obliged to meet the requirements of Article 8.1.  Immediately after one flag has fallen the player must update h/er score sheet completely. 

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 score sheets, using the arbiter’s or the opponent’s score sheet. 

b.     If only one player is not required to keep score under Article 8.4, s/he must update h/er score sheet completely as soon as a flag has fallen.   Provided it is the player’s move, s/he may use h/er opponent’s score sheet.  The player is not permitted to move until after s/he has completed h/er own scoresheet and returned h/er opponent’s. 

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, who shall first record the actual game position before reconstruction takes place.  

8.6

If the score sheet 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.  


Article 9: The drawn game

9.1

A player can propose a draw after making a move on the chessboard.   S/he must do so before stopping h/er own clock and starting h/er 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 making a move, or the game is concluded in some other way.  

The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on h/er scoresheet with the symbol (=).  

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 repetition of moves):  

a.     is about to appear, if s/he first writes h/er move on h/er scoresheet and declares to the arbiter h/er intention to make this move, or

  1. has just appeared.

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 could have been captured en passant or if the right to castle immediately or in the future has been changed.

9.3

The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the player having the move, if:

a.     s/he writes on h/er scoresheet, and declares to the arbiter h/er intention to make a move which shall result in the last 50 moves having been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without the capture of any piece, or

b.     the last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and without the capture of any piece.

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 s/he shall immediately stop both clocks.   S/he is not allowed to withdraw h/er 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 deduct half of the claimant’s remaining time up to a maximum of three minutes and add three minutes to the opponent’s remaining time.   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. 


Article 10: Quickplay Finish

10.1

A ‘quickplay finish’ is the last phase of a game, when all the remaining moves must be made in a limited time.  

10.2

If the player has less than two minutes left on h/er clock, s/he may claim a draw before h/er flag falls. S/he shall stop the clocks and summon the arbiter. 

a.     If the arbiter is satisfied 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 s/he shall declare the game drawn.   Otherwise he shall postpone h/er decision.

b.     If the arbiter postpones h/er decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra minutes thinking time and the game shall continue in the presence of the arbiter.

c.     Having postponed h/er decision, the arbiter may subsequently declare the game drawn, even after a flag has fallen.  

10.3

Illegal moves do not necessarily lose.   After the action taken under Article 7.4, for a first illegal move by a player the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to h/er opponent; for a second illegal move by the same player the arbiter shall give another two minutes extra time to h/er opponent; for a third illegal move by the same player, the arbiter shall declare the game lost by the player who played incorrectly.  

10.4

If both flags have fallen and it is impossible to establish which flag fell first the game is drawn.


Article 11: Scoring