Just the Rules: What's the Deal with Rules Variations?

Our rulebook is filled with variations on the main rules. I once counted slightly less than 50 of them in chapters 1 plus 2 alone. Some of those variations require an announcement, or publicity—others, not so much. This hodgepodge is baffling to the typical wood-pusher.

Why even have variations at all? Simply put, the answer is that there are times the main rule just does not get the job done for everybody. So, variations take care of those times. Sometimes variations are simply another way to do the same task. For the most part, those variations need to be noted in advanced publicity—or at least announced at the playing site (Rules 1B1, 26A and 26B). A huge handful of variations can be found in the pairing rules in Chapter 2. They generally are not announcements that are meaningful to the non-TD crowd.

Let’s take a look at some peculiar variations:

Variation 14H takes the prize for weirdness

When sudden death (single time control games – ed.) was all the rage, the lawgivers realized that something had to be done about the glut of games that ended with wood pushers in overwhelming winning positions that lost on time. Rule 14H (Claim of insufficient losing in sudden death) came to the rescue.

However, the rescue proved to be complicated in its step-by-step procedures. It did not have a lot of fans. The followers it did have were legendary in their support of 14H. Eventually the Delegates jettisoned the whole 14H claim procedure, and its wording ceased to exist. At the same time that 14H was gutted, Variation 14H came to life: Variation 14H (Claim of insufficient losing chances in sudden death). Yep, the entire variation is worded exactly the same as the old (now-extinct) main rule 14H. Talk about having your cake and eating too?!

Castle me this, castle me that: The 10I2 Rook touched first variation

For a few years, the debate raged on and on regarding castling. FIDE was first when it insisted that, if the rook was touched first in that procedure, then the rook had to be moved (plus castling in that direction was then not allowed). US Chess eventually followed suit. That follow-up caused a lot of headaches for the wood-pushing crowd that had — for years — always castled by touching the rook first. TDs did not look forward to enforcing this unpopular rule of forcing a rook move. Players had to swallow the penalty by moving their rook instead of castling, and it was a harsh punishment. For some time, the debate continued with the wording and meaning of rule 10I. Then the dust settled on the current version—with one odd variation; rule 10I2 (Variation I) Rook touched first.

First off there is only one variation, so why the “Variation I” designation? The wording of this variation is almost the same as rule 10I2 (Rook touched first) except with some added verbiage. The variation allows the rook to be touched first — without penalty — while castling legally. This variation only needs to be announced at the start of the event. Typically, the main rule issues a warning to the offender before the gavel of justice (making them move the rook instead of castling) descends upon them.

Rule 15A Variation I: A scorekeeping disagreement?

Another long-debated topic involved the simple act of keeping score. Scribbling the move first, before executing it over the board, is considered notetaking by many. Using notes is illegal (20E). GM Alexander Kotov, in one of his books, recommended writing down your move, surveying the board, and then essaying your move on the board when, and only when, you were satisfied. This procedure gave the players a chance to look around and check out their thinking. This advice proved invaluable to many scholastic coaches when they tried to have their students slow down before generating a move over-the-board. Those students grew up and continued to essay games in adult tournaments, still writing down their move before making it. It was a lifetime habit, and a hard one to break.

Enter those nifty electronic game recording devices. Any wood-pusher noting their move on them instantly had the new game position displayed on their device’s screen. As a result, they got to peek at the position before making the move on the board. That seemed unfair. In the 6th edition, Rule 15A got a makeover: everyone must make the OTB move first! That applied to every method of scorekeeping. Kotov’s followers were not happy campers.

After rule 15A kicked in for a bit, the lawgivers came up with some wiggle room wording when creating 15A (Variation I)—a nod to Kotov’s fans? Sidebar: Why “Variation I” when it is the only variation available? This variation does not need to be advertised in advance. The 15A Variation once again gives thousands upon thousands of wood-pushers the option of either making the move first or scribbling it on their score sheet first. By the way, some of the important wording for Variation 15A has roots in the 3^rd edition of our rulebook, from Rule I.13, The Recording of Games, which states that, "The player may first make his move, then write it on his score sheet, or vice versa…”

Just remember the basic wordsmithing of 15A is still the main rule. So, when there is no announcement about score keeping, ask if the 15A variation (I) is being used or not at your event.

Want more? Past columns can be found here or by searching the Chess Life Online archives. 
 

Plus, listen to Tim when he was a guest on the podcasts “One Move at a Time” and “The Chess Angle.”

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, the latter of which is also available from US Chess Sales. Additionally, Tim 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. US Chess awarded the 2022 Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award to Tim. He is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee plus the Tournament Director Certification Committee (TDCC). His new column, exclusive to US Chess, “Just the Rules” will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.