English Chess Forum

Draw offers should be recorded on scoresheets by (=) but I cannot find any reference to draw offers in the pgn specification. Can anyone tell me if there is a formal method of representation of a draw offer within the current spec or, alternatively, if there is a generally accepted approach (eg a custom NAG)?

[Note: this is for programming purposes so interoperability with other automated systems is necessary. Obviously I could just use {(=)} but this loses the possibility of machine interpretation]

There's no formal method, no. If needed, they're put in as comments.

Thanks Jack. Rather what I feared. Seems a bit of an omission as it's now a formal part of the notation, but I suppose pgn predates that.

I don't think they're regularly used in published games either, which is probably also due more to tradition than conscious decision.

It raises the interesting question of whether the rule is also ignored in play as well! I must admit that I do not record the majority of draw offers and my impression is that my opponents don't record them either. It came to a head because I reformed myself and did actually do so at the Leyland Congress. This thread arose because when entering the game into my own (self-written) database I realised it couldn't handle the draw offer.

How meticulous are others in recording draw offers?

I always record draw offers, though to me this is to show that I've heard the offer as much as to have it noted for future reference.

Michael Farthing wrote:Draw offers should be recorded on scoresheets by (=) but I cannot find any reference to draw offers in the pgn specification. Can anyone tell me if there is a formal method of representation of a draw offer within the current spec or, alternatively, if there is a generally accepted approach (eg a custom NAG)?

[Note: this is for programming purposes so interoperability with other automated systems is necessary. Obviously I could just use {(=)} but this loses the possibility of machine interpretation]

some draw offers are indicated by "1/2". Look for the Unicode

Michael Farthing wrote:It raises the interesting question of whether the rule is also ignored in play as well! I must admit that I do not record the majority of draw offers and my impression is that my opponents don't record them either. It came to a head because I reformed myself and did actually do so at the Leyland Congress. This thread arose because when entering the game into my own (self-written) database I realised it couldn't handle the draw offer.

How meticulous are others in recording draw offers?

I don't record them too.I guess I record a draw offer once in my some 15-year career