Lightning Chess

[IM Jack Rudd]

It's unclear. The FIDE Laws of Chess do not specifically cover Lightning (they have special rules for Blitz, though). I'd say moving after the buzzer is normally pretty clear grounds for game-claiming, though.

[Ray Sayers]

I'd say it was a clear case of touch and move. Even if he touched it before the buzzer, that's his look out.

If it was going to be an illegal move then fair dos.

[Andrew Collins]

If it was going to be an illegal move then fair dos.

Because he wasn't legally entitled to move that piece, would that make it in effect an illegal move?

I.e. He has done something illegal - in moving the wrong piece.

Could I have therefore claimed the game?

In a blitz game, you can only claim the illegal move once they have moved and pressed their clock. Touch move applies, but if they touch a piece that they legally can't move, they are entitled to move another piece before pressing the clock. I have never played chess with a buzzer so don't know quite how that works

[Dan O'Dowd]

In a lightning tournament, my opponent touched a piece, realised it was a blunder, and finally moved another piece!

Could I have claimed the game? because

(1) It was an illegal move
or
(2) Because of the change of mind, he didn't move on the buzzer

At least up here, traditional lightning championship rules dictate that since you must move within the buzzer, touch move applies as usual. I will usually allow someone to touch a piece, unmoved, let it go, and make their move so long as they're swift and it's a particularly compelling case. I had one opponent last year (when I was running the damned thing even!) make his move, LET GO of the piece, then retract it and move another. That I found unforgivable, and yet I didn't make a claim because I knew he'd probably get priss about it. If you had wished to claim the game on the basis of traditional touch-move (forgetting the buzzer for now), any resistance would probably best have been met with final warning. If however he moved after the buzzer that is clear grounds for claiming on any instance.