Rapidplay disputes over position of pieces

[Nigel White]

I plyed in a rapidplay tournament today. In the last round I was playing a junior and there were a couple of incidents in a long game, in which neither of us was recording moves by the time they occurred.

In the first, my opponent picks up his queen on d2, waves it around in the air for a few seconds before placing it on a4 (where it would simultaneously attack two of my pieces). I immediately point out that this is not a possible move - but he then insists that the queen had come from d1. I stop the clock & call the arbiter, pointing out that he had previously just doubled rooks, which would not be possible if the queen had still been on the back rank. The arbiter gives me the benefit of the doubt & requests he makes an alternative queen move (but does not award me any extra time).

Some time later, in an endgame situation, my opponent when going to make his move accidentally clips his king & sends it rolling across the board. He picks it up & replaces it one square nearer the action. I object - but again he is adament that he's replaced it on the right square. This time I don't call the arbiter, as I have no narrative to show that he must be mistaken & it would just be my word agaist his.

Has anyone else had similar experiences and, if so, how have you dealt with them?

[Leonard Barden]

If I've identified your opponent correctly from chess results he seems never to have played a graded game before today.
I play occasional anonymous blitz on lichess where quite often the opponent is lost after 20 seconds or so and doesn't resign but makes me wait for two minutes until his time runs out. I just shrug it off. Same advice to you, bad experiences happen, worse if it's the last round.
Forget it, next tournament will go better.

[Roger de Coverly]

This time I don't call the arbiter, as I have no narrative to show that he must be mistaken & it would just be my word agaist his.

You might want to mention it to arbiters, that they keep an eye out for him. It's either lack of experience or crude attempts to cheat.

[Kevin Thurlow]

I agree with Roger.

[Chris Goodall]

Kids, man. Hopeless. Every gamesman knows that when you send your king flying across the board, you replace it one square further from the action.

[Andy Stoker]

I had a similar story earlier in the year. Rapidplay - neither player keeping a score. Key features were I (white) had a Qc2, Bd3, Be3, Nf3 and black had a Ng4. Black played ... Ng4 x e3 - or rather he didn't - he picked up my Nf3 and used it to take my bishop. He realised immediately and started readjusting so his knight was on e3. I meanwhile played an intermediate check (Bxh7+) then recaptured the knight (after ...Kh8), and incompetently realised a couple of moves later that my Nf3 was not on the board. Too late.

[Martin Benjamin]

On YouTube, one can find examples of some of the top players in the world setting a poor example when playing in blitz tournaments. Pieces straddling squares, pieces knocked over and only replaced after clock pressed etc.