Quickplay finishes
Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 4:09 pm
No change in the draft new FIDE Rules. Currently we have
Appendix G. Quickplay Finishes
G.1 A ‘quickplay finish’ is the phase of a game when all the remaining moves must be completed in a finite time.
G.2 Before the start of an event it shall be announced whether this Appendix shall apply or not.
G.3 This Appendix shall only apply to standard play and rapidplay games without increment and not to blitz games.
G.4 If the player having the move has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may request that a time delay or cumulative time of an extra five seconds be introduced for both players, if possible. This constitutes the offer of a draw. If refused, and the arbiter agrees to the request, the clocks shall then be set with the extra time; the opponent shall be awarded two extra minutes and the game shall continue.
G.5 If Article G.4 does not apply and the player having the move has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall summon the arbiter and may stop the chessclock (see Article 6.12 b). He may claim on the basis that his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means
If the arbiter agrees that the opponent cannot win by normal means, or that the opponent has been making no effort to win the game by normal means, he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall postpone his decision or reject the claim.
If the arbiter postpones his decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra minutes and the game shall continue, if possible, in the presence of an arbiter. The arbiter shall declare the final result later in the game or as soon as possible after the flag of either player has fallen. He shall declare the game drawn if he agrees that the opponent of the player whose flag has fallen cannot win by normal means, or that he was not making sufficient attempts to win by normal means.
If the arbiter has rejected the claim, the opponent shall be awarded two extra minutes.
G.6 The following shall apply when the competition is not supervised by an arbiter:
A player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his clock and before his flag falls. This concludes the game.
He may claim on the basis:
that his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or
that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means.
In (1) the player must write down the final position and his opponent must verify it.
In (2) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date scoresheet. The opponent shall verify both the scoresheet and the final position.
The claim shall be referred to the designated arbiter.
So, I'm the team captain in my local league, and an opposition player asks for an increment under G.4. I respond "Sorry it's not possible - at least not without me going and finding the instructions for the clocks, and I'm too busy playing my own game." "So it is possible, you'd better get on with it." says he. "Well," I say "with no arbiter present G.4 doesn't apply. Look at G.6." "No," he says, "there's nothing to suggest that G.6 is anything other than the alternative to G.5, which definitely needs an arbiter present. It's only clarifying the old 10.2." "Ah", I say, "but G.4 does say that you only get the increment if the arbiter agrees, so by implication it only applies with an arbiter present." "That's clutching at straws," he responds "and in any case you're acting as an arbiter here to a limited extent. I can't see what grounds an arbiter could have for refusing a request other than because it was not possible, and we've just agreed that isn't the case here."
At this point time runs out and we are ejected from the premises. Later, over a pint, we do find one point on which we can agree, which is that G.5 can never apply to a game played with digital clocks. The only reasons that G.4 might not apply are because of G.2 or G.3, or (depending on your viewpoint) because of the lack of an arbiter, and all of these reasons make G.5 inapplicable as well.
I've had an opinion from two distinguished contributors to this forum, one of whom believes G.4 does apply with no arbiter present, and one who believes it doesn't. Personally I think it would be a whole lot simpler if G.4 specifically stated that it did not apply with no arbiter present, rather than leaving it to be deduced from subtleties of the wording.
Appendix G. Quickplay Finishes
G.1 A ‘quickplay finish’ is the phase of a game when all the remaining moves must be completed in a finite time.
G.2 Before the start of an event it shall be announced whether this Appendix shall apply or not.
G.3 This Appendix shall only apply to standard play and rapidplay games without increment and not to blitz games.
G.4 If the player having the move has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may request that a time delay or cumulative time of an extra five seconds be introduced for both players, if possible. This constitutes the offer of a draw. If refused, and the arbiter agrees to the request, the clocks shall then be set with the extra time; the opponent shall be awarded two extra minutes and the game shall continue.
G.5 If Article G.4 does not apply and the player having the move has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall summon the arbiter and may stop the chessclock (see Article 6.12 b). He may claim on the basis that his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means
If the arbiter agrees that the opponent cannot win by normal means, or that the opponent has been making no effort to win the game by normal means, he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall postpone his decision or reject the claim.
If the arbiter postpones his decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra minutes and the game shall continue, if possible, in the presence of an arbiter. The arbiter shall declare the final result later in the game or as soon as possible after the flag of either player has fallen. He shall declare the game drawn if he agrees that the opponent of the player whose flag has fallen cannot win by normal means, or that he was not making sufficient attempts to win by normal means.
If the arbiter has rejected the claim, the opponent shall be awarded two extra minutes.
G.6 The following shall apply when the competition is not supervised by an arbiter:
A player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his clock and before his flag falls. This concludes the game.
He may claim on the basis:
that his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or
that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means.
In (1) the player must write down the final position and his opponent must verify it.
In (2) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date scoresheet. The opponent shall verify both the scoresheet and the final position.
The claim shall be referred to the designated arbiter.
So, I'm the team captain in my local league, and an opposition player asks for an increment under G.4. I respond "Sorry it's not possible - at least not without me going and finding the instructions for the clocks, and I'm too busy playing my own game." "So it is possible, you'd better get on with it." says he. "Well," I say "with no arbiter present G.4 doesn't apply. Look at G.6." "No," he says, "there's nothing to suggest that G.6 is anything other than the alternative to G.5, which definitely needs an arbiter present. It's only clarifying the old 10.2." "Ah", I say, "but G.4 does say that you only get the increment if the arbiter agrees, so by implication it only applies with an arbiter present." "That's clutching at straws," he responds "and in any case you're acting as an arbiter here to a limited extent. I can't see what grounds an arbiter could have for refusing a request other than because it was not possible, and we've just agreed that isn't the case here."
At this point time runs out and we are ejected from the premises. Later, over a pint, we do find one point on which we can agree, which is that G.5 can never apply to a game played with digital clocks. The only reasons that G.4 might not apply are because of G.2 or G.3, or (depending on your viewpoint) because of the lack of an arbiter, and all of these reasons make G.5 inapplicable as well.
I've had an opinion from two distinguished contributors to this forum, one of whom believes G.4 does apply with no arbiter present, and one who believes it doesn't. Personally I think it would be a whole lot simpler if G.4 specifically stated that it did not apply with no arbiter present, rather than leaving it to be deduced from subtleties of the wording.