English Chess Forum

Yesterday, something happened which has not happened to me in a chess game before.

My opponent played Re5, I quickly wrote it down on the scoresheet as I was a little short of time. I then glanced at the clock and noticed my clock wasn't going.

Still without looking at the board, I reminded my opponent that he hadn't pressed my clock. I didn't want to win on time that way. He then informed me he hadn't finished his move and moved his rook somewhere else.

To be honest, I don't know if my opponent took his hand off the piece or not. I don't think he did, but I've never had to write down one of my opponent's moves before and then find that he had made a different move.

I would think that if the opponent hadn't taken his hand off the piece, he could move it somewhere else. If he had let go of the piece, then the move would have to stand.

Barry Sandercock wrote:I would think that if the opponent hadn't taken his hand off the piece, he could move it somewhere else. If he had let go of the piece, then the move would have to stand.

I agree.

But I was so convinced he had made the move Re5, that I wrote it down on the scoresheet, and was baffled by the fact that my clock was not going.

Still, at least it flagged up to me that moving his Rook from its current spot was a juicy mistake for me to exploit

The mind plays strange tricks in time trouble. In a desperate time scramble, a club mate played his white queen to h3 to give check to the black king on h6. He was shocked by the reply ...Kxh3. When in time trouble, what passes for my mind seems to lose any understanding of negatives. I try not to have thoughts such as "Whatever I do, I mustn't put my king on g2" because, shortly afterwards, there's a real danger that my king will appear on g2.