English Chess Forum

To John Hickmn

Both cases would be too trivial for the arbiter to consider even remembering or noticing

People often fail to record the offer of a draw.
I found it very useful in Rumania in their team championship. Suddenly a player would start speaking to somebody else. By looking at the scoresheet I realised he was asking his captain whether he should take a draw. Of course I did not recognise the captain nor did I know what they were talking about.

Despite what has been said earlier on the forum, 8.1 makes it clear that algebraic notation must be used to conform to the FIDE Laws. Good arbiters give dispensation when requested to do so. The late Bob Wade told me many years ago that he had noticed a young foreign player had recorded the game in descriptive. When Bob remonstrated with him, the player said, 'Oh, I recorded in descriptive because I thought the English preferred that.'

Stewart Reuben

Stewart Reuben wrote:To John Hickmn
Both cases would be too trivial for the arbiter to consider even remembering or noticing
Stewart Reuben

My examples may well be trivial, but what I'm trying to ask is if the sequence (move, move, record both moves) given is legal or not, not so much whether an arbiter would intervene over it.

So are you confirming it is illegal? It could be used in a time shortage situation where an arbiter is directly observing say a player with >5min vs one that is <5min. If it's legal, then my quesiton is moot, but if not, what should the arbiter do?

john hickman >My examples may well be trivial, but what I'm trying to ask is if the sequence (move, move, record both moves) given is legal or not, not so much whether an arbiter would intervene over it.<

Let me try again. What you wrote there is entirely legal. What I think you meant is 1 d4 d6 2 c4 e5 3 dxe5 dxe5 4 Qxd8ch. Is it now legal to write down 4 Qxd8 and then Kxd8 and then and only then play Kxd8 on the board?

It is against the Laws, but utterly trivial.

If anybody wants a concrete example of where there is a Law but no penalty for transgressing it, try 8.7 in the last round. Both players are required to sign the scoresheet at the conclusion of the game. The loser fails to sign. None of the penalties listed in 13.4 can possibly be applied.

Stewart Reuben

I havent read all these postings so this may already have been discussed but is it allowed to write down an opponents move before he plays a forced reply ? I cant see it mentioned in the Laws.

eg in the previous case my opponent is away from the board so I play Qxd8 and write down 4.Qxd8 and Kxd8. I realise its pointless on move 4.

E michael White >but is it allowed to write down an opponents move before he plays a forced reply ? I cant see it mentioned in the Laws.<
Does it not fall foul of 8.1...It is forbidden to write the moves in advance...

Stewart Reuben

Yes thats my view too.
The reason I raised it is that sometimes arbiters appear to regard a forcing continuation as already played in some decisions.