Offering and accepting draws
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Offering and accepting draws
The organisers at one junior event earlier this month apparently drew attention to the fact that very few juniors seem to know the procedure for offering/accepting draws. "They just stick their hand out and say 'Draw?'", was the observation which from my experience I think is broadly true. Procedure in the FIDE Laws for offering draws (although there is rarely a penalty for minor infringements here) is to make one's move, offer the draw, and only then press one's clock.
Of course, even in adult chess, it sometimes happens that the player on move thinks for 10 minutes and then, without making a move, offers a draw. Juniors need to know how to deal with this situation. Otherwise they may feel forced into making a yes/no reply when in fact the recommended course is to keep all options open with "Thank you but I'd like to see your next move before deciding". This will be obvious to all the battle-scared veterans on this site but not to a youngster new to the game and it's certainly something we're intending to include in our club's junior training.
Of course, even in adult chess, it sometimes happens that the player on move thinks for 10 minutes and then, without making a move, offers a draw. Juniors need to know how to deal with this situation. Otherwise they may feel forced into making a yes/no reply when in fact the recommended course is to keep all options open with "Thank you but I'd like to see your next move before deciding". This will be obvious to all the battle-scared veterans on this site but not to a youngster new to the game and it's certainly something we're intending to include in our club's junior training.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
I noticed this technique for offering a draw in two games on consecutive boards at the J4NCL last weekend (not from Watford I hasten to add!). I think they had made their move first though so the only issue was that the hands were left hanging in mid-air.Roger Lancaster wrote:The organisers at one junior event earlier this month apparently drew attention to the fact that very few juniors seem to know the procedure for offering/accepting draws. "They just stick their hand out and say 'Draw?'", was the observation which from my experience I think is broadly true. Procedure in the FIDE Laws for offering draws (although there is rarely a penalty for minor infringements here) is to make one's move, offer the draw, and only then press one's clock.
Of course, even in adult chess, it sometimes happens that the player on move thinks for 10 minutes and then, without making a move, offers a draw. Juniors need to know how to deal with this situation. Otherwise they may feel forced into making a yes/no reply when in fact the recommended course is to keep all options open with "Thank you but I'd like to see your next move before deciding". This will be obvious to all the battle-scared veterans on this site but not to a youngster new to the game and it's certainly something we're intending to include in our club's junior training.
I was offered a draw by an adult in a league game this season who hadn't moved but rather than say that I'd think about it whilst his time ran out I asked him to move and said I'd think about it. Those who know me won't be totally surprised to learn that I accepted the offer.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
What can also happen is that the player not on the move will offer a draw in response to a long think by the player with the move. That's not in accordance with the Laws of Chess, but sometimes welcome, if the reason for a long think is an inability to find a decent continuation.Roger Lancaster wrote: Of course, even in adult chess, it sometimes happens that the player on move thinks for 10 minutes and then, without making a move, offers a draw.
What you could also instruct juniors is that there are some players out there, who whilst not objecting to an early peace offering, will have indicated their intent to continue play until the position totally lacks winning possibilities. In these circumstances repeated draw offers are frowned upon.
Re: Offering and accepting draws
I don't really think it matters all that much at Junior level if the correct procedure is not followed. If a Junior offers me a handshake then that is fine, I will either shake hands with them or say that I will play on.
What is annoying though is the habit of some juniors of offering repeated draws (sometimes after every move) even though I have made it quite clear that I won't accept one.
What is annoying though is the habit of some juniors of offering repeated draws (sometimes after every move) even though I have made it quite clear that I won't accept one.
- Michael Farthing
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
Yes, I'm one of those. I sort of feel that until a game is clearly dead drawn it's a waste not to continue exploring its possibilities. I'm afraid it tends to make me a bit abrupt in refusing the draw. Sometimes I even warn my opponent about this failing before play starts!Roger de Coverly wrote:
What you could also instruct juniors is that there are some players out there, who whilst not objecting to an early peace offering, will have indicated their intent to continue play until the position totally lacks winning possibilities. In these circumstances repeated draw offers are frowned upon.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
I agree with the issue of incessantly repeated offers although, here, we already tell our juniors that this can be said to amount to annoying/distracting an opponent with the possibility of penalties. Most, although not quite all, have taken the point.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
A couple of years ago I played a junior in an E2E4 Congress who kept offering draws, which I declined. We arrived at a position where I was about to mate in two. He stopped the clock and put his hand out which I shook, assuming he was resigning. We passed the score sheets to each other for signing and I noticed he had shown a draw on his. Fortunately, I got the Controller to look at the board position and the matter was sorted out O.K. It made me realise that one should always check to see what the opponent has shown in the result when signing the score sheet ( obvious really, I suppose. )
- Matt Mackenzie
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
That particular "gambit" has been tried - on occasion successfully - at international level before now.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
I was involved in a case where both sides genuinely believed they had won ( although my opponent insisted that I was lying ). The Chief Arbiter gave a twist to the Judgment of Solomon by awarding us both a full point.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
In a league game last season, when a rook up but scrambling to escape perpetual check, I noticed that I had stumbled into mate next move. I offered my hand and my opponent shook it, believing that he was accepting a draw. Yes, I did the right thing.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
Very similar experience - some years ago I played a game where, in the final position, each player believed he was losing although neither knew of the other's fears. (It was an ending which revolved around who could promote faster). My opponent silently stuck out his hand and I was about to accept his draw offer when I realised that wasn't why he had reached out. I later pondered what would have happened if I had wordlessly shaken his hand and we had reported different results - it's not usual for players to agree a 0-0.5 result!NickFaulks wrote:In a league game last season, when a rook up but scrambling to escape perpetual check, I noticed that I had stumbled into mate next move. I offered my hand and my opponent shook it, believing that he was accepting a draw. Yes, I did the right thing.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
NickFaulks wrote:I was involved in a case where both sides genuinely believed they had won ( although my opponent insisted that I was lying ). The Chief Arbiter gave a twist to the Judgment of Solomon by awarding us both a full point.
Was this game played in the Mind Sports Olympiad many moons ago?
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
I was at a congress some years ago and a middle-aged player in the U.160 section miscalculated and found that he had a totally lost ending against a lower-graded junior. Both players were getting short of time.
The junior made a move and the older player held out his hand. Assuming that he was resigning, the junior was about to shake when the older player said "Draw, yes?"
I have never seen a player withdraw his hand so quickly! They played on for a few more moves and the junior won easily.
To avoid possible confusion, I think that a handshake should always be accompanied by a few words conveying either that you agree to a draw or that you are resigning.
The junior made a move and the older player held out his hand. Assuming that he was resigning, the junior was about to shake when the older player said "Draw, yes?"
I have never seen a player withdraw his hand so quickly! They played on for a few more moves and the junior won easily.
To avoid possible confusion, I think that a handshake should always be accompanied by a few words conveying either that you agree to a draw or that you are resigning.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
Good advice.
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Re: Offering and accepting draws
Good advice indeed although I'd be inclined to replace "accompanied" by "preceded".Clive Blackburn wrote:
To avoid possible confusion, I think that a handshake should always be accompanied by a few words conveying either that you agree to a draw or that you are resigning.
I introduced this topic to mention that many juniors are blissfully ignorant of the correct procedure regarding draws but the above examples, including my own, suggest that we adults are not always without fault here.