Blunders in Databases

[John Clarke]

I have asked Frederic Friedel of Chessbase to include where draws have been offered. This doesn't matter much when it is agreed drawn, but when refused it is part of the history of the game. The Laws require draw offers to be recorded as (=), but people often forget (including me).

I've often thought it would be useful too to indicate when a game was lost by exceeding the time limit - perhaps by recording the result as "1-0T". In many cases it doesn't matter - the game was clearly lost anyway - but you do find the occasional one where the outcome is otherwise inexplicable.

[Christopher Kreuzer]

There was a time when the convention did not exist for placing the white king in the centre, but when it started to take hold, I can't remember. I guess with the introduction of DGT boards. But it may have exist with the Levy -O'Connell boards as well.
After all, you will seldom see it done even today in the London League. I doubt it was done at the British where DGT boards weren't used, other than probably in the actual championships.
It also provides a useful check on whether the right result has been recorded.

It is more match-play where you see this done, not tournaments. I think you see it in the 4NCL because people wandering around like to be able to see the state of a match at a glance, without looking at the match-sheet. Having said that, it may be only the 4NCL where I see this done regularly as a matter of course. Not sure why. Maybe it is a way to communicate the result to your team-mates without them having to look at the match-sheet (and sometimes, if the organisers have hit a glitch, the match-sheets won't be available next to the match boards). In other leagues, it is probably just as common to see the board re-set with no indication as to who won. And then for someone else to come along and move one or more of the kings to indicate the result! Clearly some OCD elements in play here... (those used to this convention carry it out it for those who couldn't care less)

[Daniel Young]

In other leagues, it is probably just as common to see the board re-set with no indication as to who won. And then for someone else to come along and move one or more of the kings to indicate the result! Clearly some OCD elements in play here... (those used to this convention carry it out it for those who couldn't care less)

I wouldn't be so sure they couldn't care less - once or twice I've done this for some of the boards, and seen people walking around after me putting the Kings back on their starting squares again!

[Stewart Reuben]

Indeed Daniel is correct and sometimes it happens three times and there is no arbiter present to whom to claim a draw.