Just the Rules: What Rule Would You Change?

In this month's, "Just The Rules" column, I asked organizers, TDs and fans of this column which rule they would change if they could. Please add your own in the comments! Matt Phelps: All US Chess rules should be replaced with: "See the FIDE Laws of Chess." TJ Comments: Actually David Kuhns—former long-time Rules Committee chair—did create a document based on US Chess rules from chapters 1 and 2 in the 6^th edition of the rulebook mixed in with the FIDE Laws of Chess. JJ Lang: I understand why the rule is that neither side has to take notation when either side is under five minutes. I wish the rule was that you can only stop taking notation when “you” are under five minutes. That way if you're low on time but your opponent isn't, you can still get the moves from them after the game. Sam Copeland: Stalemate should be a win. TJ Comments: There are those that would ask why the player with the better position should be rewarded with a win for not being able to checkmate their opponent. Jarrod Tavares: Touch Move should always have to be called by the opponent. You should be allowed to touch your opponent’s pieces all you like if he isn’t seated at the board. TJ Comments: Unless there is a capture involved I don’t understand why would you need to touch your opponent’s pieces at all? By the way, your idea needs a bit of wording work to avoid complications with the “Coffeehouse Rules Benders Association;” i.e., if my opponent stands up at the board, could I then touch his chess pieces? We all know what you mean, but be careful with that wording. Greg Maness: I have a question, not a rules change. Has the mis-print in Rule 14F (The 50-Move Rule) been corrected? For those who do not know what I am talking about, Rule 14F1 states "The game is drawn when the player on (the) move claims a draw and demonstrates that the last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each side without any capture OR(!!) pawn move." Meanwhile, the FIDE law states: "9.3 The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, if: 9.3.2 the last 50 moves by each player have been completed without the movement of any pawn AND(!!) without any capture. TJ Comments: Yep the US Chess rules and the FIDE Laws are different sometimes. Nope that alleged misprint in the US Chess Rules has not been addressed yet by the Delegates. Enrique Huerta: I would like the removal of the half-point bye requests. Mark A Reyes: Parents and coaches should be out of the tournament room(s) at all times, even if it is a non-rated section of a rated event. TJ Comments: I believe that at this year’s US Chess National Scholastics that rule will apply. Adam Saul Rubinberg: I'd allow a TD to call a game a draw if the same position happens five times on the board, regardless of how it reached that position each time. TJ Comments: Currently the TD can call a draw if the same position repeats five times in a row. Maybe the Delegates will consider your idea at their next meeting. Scott Hunt: Get rid of Rules 14B2 Draw Offer With Opponent On Move, and 14B3 Draw Offer Before Moving and combining them as FIDE does. Rule 14B1 should simply state "Players must offer a draw by first determining a move, offer the draw, then press the clock completing the move. Draw offers offered in any other manner will result in either a warning or time penalty…" The TDCC and Rules Committee agreed with me that the wording of this US Chess rule is badly written, but they sadly did nothing to correct it. TJ Comments: Once again US Chess and FIDE disagree on the wording of a rule(s). By the way, the TDCC and Rules committees can only suggest to the Delegates new wording for rules—perhaps if you remind those committees about your suggested new wording for this rule? Or get your Delegate to make a motion to change the wording of 14B1. Aakaash Meduri: Give a time penalty if an illegal move is made but don't force someone to move a piece just because it was touched. TJ Comments: Not requiring a touched piece to be moved, if it is legally possible, would be the star dish at the “Coffeehouse Rules Benders Association” annual banquet. IMHO, allowing any wiggle room to the “touch move” rule is opening up the door for a lot of phony arguments. Terry Winchester: That Variation 14H—Claim of insufficient losing chances in sudden death—is still applicable regardless of the clock being a delay or non-delay timer. From what I've gathered so far, it appears that the Delegates did not approve the 5th edition change to 41C from that of the 4th edition (“One convenient test is that the square formed by the bases of four pawns should be about the same size as any square on their board.”), and consequently, the new 41C has been added to the 6th edition as well—editor’s note: and to the 7^th edition. I would like to see that rule revert back to what it was in the 4^th edition. I really don't know how the rules can be changed willy-nilly like that without Delegate approval. It has been my understanding that they are the ones who approve such things. Please correct me if I'm wrong. TJ Comments: The Delegates approved an enormous amount of rules changes from the 4^th edition to the 5^th edition in mass, not individually—the editors and a rulebook committee made countless needed changes and updates. In between editions the Delegates typically do consider the rules one at a time. Any wording changes to 41C have not been considered since the publication of the 5^th edition. While there are some hoops to jump through, individual US Chess members do have some options to get rules changed. Perhaps I will address that down the road in another column. Lawrence Cohen: Add a rule to penalize a player $30 for withdrawing from a tournament without notification. $20 of that fine goes to the organizer and $10 to US Chess. There should be a 6 month ban from rated play until the fine is paid. The player should be able to appeal such a fine. There will be cases where being called away for an emergency and not being able to come back or call back to the TD can occur This act (withdrawal without notification) usually effects another player, and is a constant problem that TDs have to deal with. Currently US Chess allows an organizer to fine an individual up to the cost of the tournament entry fee for doing this, but that only affects that organizer's events. And until the player pays the fine issued by the organizer; the individual can only be banned from that organizer's events. Hal Bogner: At the amateur level, and certainly at the scholastic level, allow writing down your move before playing it on the board. It adds some self-discipline for the impulsive, and helps reduce one-move blunders by bringing the player back to the "here and now" of the position on the board before playing the intended move. TJ Comments: You’re in luck. Check out rule Rule 15A (Variation I) that allows writing the move first—and organizers can also announce that the variation is going to be used at their events. Erik Czerwin: Prize distribution: I'm super familiar with everything else, but properly distributing cash prizes is daunting. So much that it prevents me from wading into cash tournaments without mentors TJ Comments: Both SwisSys and WinTD (tournament management and pairings software) have procedures to split up cash prizes. And having a mentor is a great idea. Sometime in the next year I plan a column or two that will step into the big muddy of prize fund distributions—both the math and terminology. The US Chess Rules (Chapters 1-2-11 from the 7^th rulebook edition) are now downloadable and available online. Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim recently revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. Tim is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee. His new column, exclusive to US Chess, “Just the Rules” will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.