Etiquette of resigning

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Part of the coaching I do with my children is to expose them to underhand tactics, e.g. claiming stalemate when it's not, moving pawns too many squares in endings, handing them a queen of my colour when they promote a pawn. It has helped several times when the same sort of thing happens to them in tournaments as they know what to look for and how to react (i.e. almost always to call over the controller).

My finest moment came in a game with my son when he "checkmated" me on the back rank. I hid my face in my hands in dismay and he left the playing area (i.e. his bedroom). When he was safely out of sight I blocked the check with my queen (a legal but useless move - he could simply take it and then it really would be mate) and then pressed the clock. Ten minutes later I informed him he had lost on time.

[Sean Hewitt]

Part of the coaching I do with my children is to expose them to underhand tactics, e.g. claiming stalemate when it's not, moving pawns too many squares in endings, handing them a queen of my colour when they promote a pawn. It has helped several times when the same sort of thing happens to them in tournaments as they know what to look for and how to react (i.e. almost always to call over the controller).

My finest moment came in a game with my son when he "checkmated" me on the back rank. I hid my face in my hands in dismay and he left the playing area (i.e. his bedroom). When he was safely out of sight I blocked the check with my queen (a legal but useless move - he could simply take it and then it really would be mate) and then pressed the clock. Ten minutes later I informed him he had lost on time.

Was told this weekend, you have to declare the piece you have promoted, if you just turn a rook upside down and dont declare it as a queen, its a rook!!

That's wrong. Even if you declare an upside rook to be a queen, it's still a rook.

[Alex Holowczak]

Was told this weekend, you have to declare the piece you have promoted, if you just turn a rook upside down and dont declare it as a queen, its a rook!!

That's wrong. Even if you declare an upside rook to be a queen, it's still a rook.

At the Warwickshire Championship last weekend, one of the players actually got a queen from another board (on which play had finished) when he went to promote to a queen, rather than grab a rook or use two pawns. Brought a smile to my face.

[Alan Burke]

Many thanks for all your comments, but before we move away too much from the original topic, please could anyone give the actual correct ruling as to what an arbiter could do, if anything, in the case where a player just leaves the board without actually resigning, especially where he still has lots of time remaining on his clock ?

Even if the player remained in the location of the playing area, does the comment to his opponent that he did not want to continue but was not willing to officially resign constitute a forfeit ? If not, does his opponent have to then still wait until the clock reaches 00.00 before he can leave the scene ? (In the instance reported originally, it was in the last round of the congress and the black-pieced player had over a hour's journey home, so an earlier end would have been beneficial.)

If so, could a player with over an hour left on his clock but knowing that he was on the verge of defeat just walk away instead of making the next move, just to make his opponent stay around instead of the game finishing far more earlier than if it has been played out to its usual conclusion ?

[Sean Hewitt]

Alan,

If the player has left the playing area when it is his move, or left the playing venue regardless of whose move it is then the arbiter has a range of penalties available to him

The arbiter can apply one or more of the following penalties:

warning
increasing the remaining time of the opponent
reducing the remaining time of the offending player
declaring the game to be lost
reducing the points scored in the game by the offending party
increasing the points scored in the game by the opponent to the maximum available for that game
expulsion from the event.

If the player is still at the venue then the arbiter can ask him to return to his game under 12.1 "The players shall take no action that will bring the game of chess into disrepute." If the player refuses, 13.4 applies again.

[E Michael White]

I know its not quite the same scenario but if a player makes a move and without saying anything immediately leaves the playing area to take a break, provided he remains in the playing venue he is entitled, under what is written in the rules, to do just that. He can also remain seated outside the playing area after his opponent has moved if he wants to get his brain into gear, relieve a headache or exchange pleasantries with others for example.

The arbiter is specifically forbidden under rule 13.6 from advising the player that his opponent has moved and require him to return. Additionally the prohibition under the rules is against the player leaving the playing area, when he has the move; the prohibition does not require the player to return to the playing area immediately after his opponent has moved. Furthermore no one else is allowed to tell the player that his opponent has moved.

However as Sean says if the player indicates he does not intend to move further he should be 13.4ed and the best way might be for his remaining time to be reduced, enabling earlier completion of the game.

[Roger de Coverly]

please could anyone give the actual correct ruling as to what an arbiter could do, if anything, in the case where a player just leaves the board without actually resigning, especially where he still has lots of time remaining on his clock ?

The suggestion is that you summon the arbiter, either to get the game ruled completed or to sanction the player to either play or resign (or at the very least be seated at the board appearing to play)

If so, could a player with over an hour left on his clock but knowing that he was on the verge of defeat just walk away instead of making the next move, just to make his opponent stay around instead of the game finishing far more earlier than if it has been played out to its usual conclusion ?

ChessBase gave publicity to the ridiculous notion that you should ban resignations.
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=5057
You would circumvent such a rule by leaving your clock running in the position where you didn't want to play any more moves.

[David Sedgwick]

please could anyone give the actual correct ruling as to what an arbiter could do, if anything, in the case where a player just leaves the board without actually resigning, especially where he still has lots of time remaining on his clock ?

The suggestion is that you summon the arbiter, either to get the game ruled completed or to sanction the player to either play or resign (or at the very least be seated at the board appearing to play)

At Guernsey two or three years ago, I required a player to do precisely that, and then forfeited him when he failed to comply.

[Matt Harrison]

I had a similar experience in a tournament a few years ago. As a parent, I was sitting in the refreshment area waiting for my son's final round match to finish so we could finally go home. I popped into the playing area to look at his match. He was in a winning position against an opponent who still had 45 minutes left on his clock. His opponent was absent. I returned to my table in the cafe. About 5 minutes later I noticed his opponent having a drink on an adjacent table. He then said to his companion something along the lines of "I've lost my match, but I'll sit here for a coffee for 30 minutes and then resign." I refrained from comment, but my blood was boiling.

[Alan Walton]

About 20 years ago I was playing a game against Alan Phillips in Manchester Autumn Congress, he made an awful blunder which resulted in a totally winning position, I went to the toilet, and when I came back he was no where to been seen and his clock still running, after 10 mins or so I became concerned, I mentioned it to the controller who said I had to wait for his flag to fall (another 30 mins) and then I had a little wander and noticed him at the bar having a drink, I politely asked him if he had resigned and he said yes and because I was away from the board he was in his right not to inform me of his resignation.

It shows that even ex British Champions can act like a total arse

[Alistair Campbell]

I politely asked him if he had resigned and he said yes and because I was away from the board he was in his right not to inform me of his resignation.

What is the etiquette in the situation where you wish to resign, but your opponent is nowhere to be seen? I assume it must be bad form to reset the clock/pieces, leave your king toppled over and go home, or even to inform the arbiter of your wishes (although this may be a last resort). Does one wait for one's opponent to return before resigning with good grace, or should one go searching for your opponent?

[Alan Walton]

I politely asked him if he had resigned and he said yes and because I was away from the board he was in his right not to inform me of his resignation.

What is the etiquette in the situation where you wish to resign, but your opponent is nowhere to be seen? I assume it must be bad form to reset the clock/pieces, leave your king toppled over and go home, or even to inform the arbiter of your wishes (although this may be a last resort). Does one wait for one's opponent to return before resigning with good grace, or should one go searching for your opponent?

Alistair, I always wait until my opponent returns to the board, I think that it is the most gracious way to congratulate you opponent personally and not act like a baby throwing your toys out of the pram by just walking off

[Sean Hewitt]

I would have thought that re-setting the pieces and handing the result to the controller would be perfectly acceptable if the opponent really is nowhere to be seen.

[Alan Walton]

I would have thought that re-setting the pieces and handing the result to the controller would be perfectly acceptable if the opponent really is nowhere to be seen.

Still bad form not waiting for you opponent to arrive, it would only be a few minutes normally

Also don't both players have to sign the scoresheet?

[Christopher Kreuzer]

I would have thought that re-setting the pieces and handing the result to the controller would be perfectly acceptable if the opponent really is nowhere to be seen.

In the context of this thread, it should be clarified that this is what to do if you are resigning, NOT what to do if you think your opponent has walked off and left without resigning!