Clock adjustment for not keeping score

[J T Melsom]

I have a match on Wednesday but have an injury affecting my right sided activity. I have no concerns about switching to play left handed but doubt I could keep a game score. The rate of play is 35 in 75 and then 15 minutes to finish. What compensation should I offer to my opponent if I cannot keep score satisfactorily, and what other issues such as avoiding blitzing should I be aware of in my efforts to be reasonably fair in these circumstances please? Team captains act in lieu of arbiters in this league.

[David Sedgwick]

I have a match on Wednesday but have an injury affecting my right sided activity. I have no concerns about switching to play left handed but doubt I could keep a game score. The rate of play is 35 in 75 and then 15 minutes to finish. What compensation should I offer to my opponent if I cannot keep score satisfactorily, and what other issues such as avoiding blitzing should I be aware of in my efforts to be reasonably fair in these circumstances please? Team captains act in lieu of arbiters in this league.

Firstly, I wish you a swift return to full health and mobility.

Law 8.1.6 now stipulates that the clock is not adjusted in the case of a player with a disability. My reading of that is that it applies to temporary disabilities as well as permanent ones.

It would be courteous if, at each point where you would normally record a move, you were to pause for an equivalent period of time.

[ThomasEvans]

If you have less than 5 minutes on your clock and there is not an increment or delay of 30 seconds or more, you are not required to write down your moves, so blitzing would not be an issue in a time scramble (if that is what you meant).

I presume that there won't be any assistants available to help write down the game, so given it's not a serious tournament game (presumably there aren't any big prizes available in this league apart from pride) I would just notify your opponent and the captains that you are unable to keep full notation (if the injury is visibly obvious then I doubt they will complain). If you are capable of making a check mark in the box (or something similar) then I would do that instead of writing the full moves (especially as it would help with keeping the move count), and then you don't have to worry about blitzing your opponent (as you will have to pick up and put down the pen anyway). If you can't do that, then I would expect that a reasonable opponent wouldn't ask for any other compensation or adjustments to be made as long as you don't take the mickey, but if they insist in something, then maybe a few minutes deduction off your time would be suitable (I would say probably 2 or 3, no more than 5).

This is my opinion as an inexperienced, recently qualified arbiter though, so I'm sure someone else with far more experience has probably had this happen to them in a tournament.

[J T Melsom]

David / Thomas thanks to you both. It is fortunately a dead rubber - only my unbeaten league run to worry about. somewhat ironically it is against a club who fielded a player a couple of seasons back who in apparent ignorance of the rules made no attempt to keep any score and nobody said anything until the three hour session concluded.

[Ian Thompson]

I have a match on Wednesday but have an injury affecting my right sided activity. I have no concerns about switching to play left handed but doubt I could keep a game score. The rate of play is 35 in 75 and then 15 minutes to finish. What compensation should I offer to my opponent if I cannot keep score satisfactorily, and what other issues such as avoiding blitzing should I be aware of in my efforts to be reasonably fair in these circumstances please? Team captains act in lieu of arbiters in this league.

My first question would be whether you've tried writing left-handed? I broke my arm at the age of 15 and had to take all my school exams wrong-handed, so it can be done. What you want is a writing implement that doesn't slide on the paper easily, so a pencil would be suitable, but a ball-point pen wouldn't be any good. Not withstanding what the rules say, a fair arrangement would then be that you get a little extra time to compensate for taking longer to write the moves down.

An alternative would be to record the moves using a tape recorder, or similar, as blind players do, if you can get one.

[J T Melsom]

Ian - thank you. I broke my right arm in 77 so must have done some writing left handed, so I may try your suggestion noting especially the advice re writing implement.

[E Michael White]

Law 8.1.6 now stipulates that the clock is not adjusted in the case of a player with a disability.

David has given a correct answer but to a different question. 8.1.6 applies where an assistant writes down the moves. JT's original question related to an adjustment where neither he nor an assistant writes down the moves. That requires different consideration.

I realise I am too late to make any suggestions as JT's match was last night. I expect those of us who read this topic would be interested to know what was agreed and how well it turned out.

[J T Melsom]

Outcome was actually rather dull. I advised both opposition captain and the league controller of the advice received here, and I believe they were happy to grant my dispensation without penalty. However, I arrived late, and with greater mobility than anticipated, so the theory wasn't tested. Some opening theory was tested and I need to do some more work on that

[David Sedgwick]

Law 8.1.6 now stipulates that the clock is not adjusted in the case of a player with a disability.

David has given a correct answer but to a different question. 8.1.6 applies where an assistant writes down the moves. JT's original question related to an adjustment where neither he nor an assistant writes down the moves. That requires different consideration.

I don't believe that your interpretation is the intention of Law 8.1.6.

However, "different consideration" would lead me to the same conclusion in any case, by applying the Preface.

[Richard Thursby]

As someone who has also recently suffered an injury to my right-hand side (fortunately I am left-handed), may I echo David's good wishes for a recovery. You mentioned that you had notified the league controller. According to at least two pages here and here on the Buckinghamshire chess website it is still you, which would have made things quite interesting if that was still the case.

[J T Melsom]

Richard

Some people in Bucks still think I'm in charge - the web-site needs up-dating in several respects, but we are very short of officers.

Actually I was censured in absentia one year by a county AGM once for intervening in a dispute on an evening when I wasn't the relevant match captain either. The idea that I might simply have been pre-empting the dispute reaching me for appeal (and written by me) would probably have been rejected out of hand. Too many hats can be an issue - happily the chess family outside Bucks have provided assistance where I've deemed it necessary.