Rules are important, obviously. We have rules of the road, rules for security trading, rules for international trade, and so on. Chess is no different as it encompasses many rules to ensure that the game works properly.
Everyone who has been thought the game of chess properly knows some rules. They know that a knight can hop over pieces but a bishop cannot. They know that the king is stuck to moving one square at a time while the queen can move without restraint; and if they have been thoroughly trained, they know all about en passant.
After enough chess games with your father or at chess club, the average chess player will know these rules through and through, just like they know how to speak or eat. However, what they might not know is how this translates when they are participating in tournament chess, especially at the first-class championships we organize. Playing tournament chess is much more serious than just a friendly game at chess club. It is the same game, but involves a lot more rules.
Knowing these rules thoroughly is important because otherwise you could quickly lose a game that you should be winning. As an experienced tournament director, I have seen it happen time after time where an easily-avoided mistake crushed a player’s victory. Do not let it happen to you. Although we do not have room to annotate the hundreds of pages of USCF rules (yes, they are really that long), I will briefly explain the ten most important rules, as follows:-
- Touch Move. If you intentionally touch a piece, you must move it if there is a legal move to do so. The key word here is intentionally as an accidental touching will not put you in jeopardy. If you simply need to adjust a piece, you can do that without having to move it, but you should always say “adjust” first.
- Electronic Devices. It goes without saying that you cannot use a phone or other electronic device for help during your game. However, many directors go further, such as requiring you to keep your devices on the floor or even banning them all together. You should always check with the organizer for their policy before brining any device into the Tournament Hall.
- Clock Rules. You must touch the clock with the same hand as you touched the piece. If either player runs out of time, his opponent wins the game in most cases. Finally, if you ever need a tournament director for a question or a dispute, you can and should pause the clock first.
- Notation. You must notate your moves if the organizer requires it. However, even if you are not required to notate, you cannot claim the two draws listed below if you are not notating. If you are required to notate, both you and your opponent can stop when either player has less than five minutes left.
- Castling. When you castle your king, you cannot castle into, or through, check. You cannot use a king or rook that has already moved to castle. Unless the organizer elects to adopt the 10I2 Variation, if you touch the rook first, you cannot castle and must move the rook normally.
- Nonappearance. If, at the time for the beginning of the round, your opponent has not showed up, you should immediately start the clock, and if white, make your first move. Should your opponent fail to appear before all of his time runs out (or in one hour, if sooner), you win.
- Triple Repetition of Position. If the same exact position appears on the board three times, the game is drawn. The correct procedure to claim this draw is not to make the third move creating the draw, but to stop the clock, notify your opponent of the draw and summon a tournament director.
- 50-Move Rule. If fifty moves have occurred without a pawn move or a capture, the game is drawn. If you have less than five minutes left and believe a 50-move draw could occur, stop the clock and ask a director to count up to fifty. If your request is granted, you will not need to continue notating to claim the draw.
- Appeal Rights. If you disagree with a director’s decision, you have a right to appeal the decision to his superior, if any.
- Result Reporting. Never leave the Tournament Hall until the result is reported to the satisfaction of the organizer. How this is done and under what penalties vary director from director. At our in-person tournaments, neither you nor your opponent are supposed to leave until you have filled out the result slip, summoned a director and been dismissed by him. If both players fail to report the result, both of them will be marked as a forfeit loss and may be removed from the tournament. Other directors are more lenient and will accept the result if written on the pairings sheet. However, whatever the director’s policy is, follow it to the letter!
That finishes the ten most important rules. While there are still many moves that could impact your game, it is my hope that your now expanded-knowledge of tournament chess rules will be of much use to you in your chess career ahead.