Rules Question

[John Upham]

Here is a query for all the Laws of Chess experts out there :

I recently played in a London League match played at the Golden Lane Community Centre. I wouldn't recommend this but I had no choice.

At move 8 or thereabouts I made a move, pressed my clock and recorded the move. My opponent then got up from the board and dissappeared from the playing room for around 10 minutes.

I didn't follow him so wasn't sure where he had gone (is that relevant?)

I was at the board when he returned. He sat down and played his move instantly as if nothing had happened.

What should I have done?

[John Saunders]

Was he bigger or smaller than you?

[JustinHorton]

Bloody slow connection if it took him ten minutes.

[John Upham]

Was he bigger or smaller than you?

Not sure : we never went to that room together...

[JustinHorton]

Actually there is a problematic point of etiquette here because if you were the other player, you probably ought to explain yourself in some fashion (sorry, dodgy guts / sorry, forgot to put money in the meter) but strictly speaking you can't actually speak to the opponent except to offer the draw.

Largely because of a very nervous disposition (Lord, how many games it has cost me) I have to go to the toilet quite often in a game and I'm often acutely aware that in an age of tiny computers this must occasionally cause my opponent to get suspicious. Hopefully my play subsequent to these visits, being no better than my play before them, allays these suspicions, but it's understandable nonetheless.

I don't think I'd get up immediately on my opponent moving without apologising, though.

[John Saunders]

I'm not a qualified arbiter but Article 12.5 starts "Players are not allowed to leave the 'playing venue' without permission from the arbiter..." then defines what is meant by playing venue, and ends "The player having the move is not allowed to leave the playing area without permission of the arbiter." The 'playing area' is a sub-set of the 'playing venue' but not further defined. However, it seems reasonable to interpret it as the actual playing room (and not the refreshment/toilet areas). So I think it is fairly clear that your opponent was in breach of this rule. As to what should be done about is up to the arbiter. No doubt you will now say that there wasn't an arbiter present and we will have the usual debate about whether the match captains can act as arbiters. Had it happened to me I think I would have reported it to my match captain and taken his advice. A complaint could then be made by one captain to the other.

[JustinHorton]

I have a longstanding - and fairly minor - gripe about the Laws which is that very often, they depend on the existence or presence of an arbiter when in truth, very often there is and can be no arbiter present. Obviously I appreciate that the Laws can't covereveryting nand that there's a preamble to this effect advising the use of judgement, but that doesn't always help. This is quite a good illustration since the player who leaves the room during their turn really does need to say something, but is forbidden by the same Laws from doing so!

[Matthew Turner]

John,
I believe the laws have recently being changed to say that a player is not allowed to leave the board when it is their move, so technically your opponent was breaking the rules. I personally hope that this rule along with the countless other silly rules that FIDE has adopted will not be enforced. For instance, does this mean that if you might need to have a long think over a move that you need to come prepared and have your milk bottle on standby?

[David Tebb]

I would assume that a player who suddenly gets up when it his move and leaves the room has an urgent need to use the bathroom. He wouldn’t have to say anything to me. In fact I would rather he didn't explain his toilet needs!

Why does anyone worry that such a player might be cheating? If someone really intended to cheat the last thing they would do is draw attention to themselves. They would act naturally, slipping out of the room when it was their opponent's move. They would go into a toilet cubicle, take out their pocket engine and use it to analyse the most likely moves of their opponent and their best responses. This would all be done whilst their opponent's clock is ticking. Providing they only do this once during a game, their cheating would be undetectable.

[Kevin Thurlow]

You are not allowed to leave the board when it is your move, but obviously there might be very good reasons to do so.
I played someone last season who (when it was his move) suddenly jumped up from the board and left the room, then left the building, so I started to follow him, but he quickly returned. I'm not normally that suspicious, but last time he played our club he disappeared from the room every move for about a minute, then replied quickly. Also his rating has gone up a lot recently..... Maybe he's just nervous and has to pace about. I like to pace about but I usually stay in the room - at least that way people can see you're just walking about - if you start hiding, people will wonder why.

You could politely ask afterwards why he suddenly disappeared!

It's hard work being an arbiter. At one event I found myself trailing a junior when he/she went for a walk, as another arbiter had told me that the junior had previously been caught in the analysis room looking at his/her father's laptop, which was coincidentally running Fritz on his/her game position. You have to be careful, e.g. "And that is why I was following the child, My Lord."

[Matt Harrison]

At a Metropolitan Congress my son was playing in the Saturday evening round. We had family staying the weekend, so I wanted to get off as early as possible to get home to see them. Imagine my disgruntlement when my son's opponent, in what looked to my eyes, a lost position, decided to go to the cafe and have a cup of tea and a chat - for 30 minutes! I was waiting at an adjacent table - and the time was now about 8.30pm. My patience finally snapped when he told the person he was talking to that he was in a hopelessly lost position but wanted to annoy his opponent by making him sweat a bit.

[Dean Madden]

I can understand frustration when someone runs down the clock in a lost position. But otherwise, I'd see it as an advantage if my opponent wasn't at the board on his move. It gives me precious analysis time and runs down his clock.

[Phil Neatherway]

maybe John's opponent went for a smoke?

[John Upham]

Not as far as I know.

Whatever he actually went to do, Can I make a claim? I belive I should have stopped the clocks when he returned and played a non-trivial move instantly and made a claim. With no arbiters present, AFAIK, I'm entitled to stop the clocks and submit a claim to the League Controller.

John

[JustinHorton]

Not as far as I know.

Whatever he actually went to do, Can I make a claim? I belive I should have stopped the clocks when he returned and played a non-trivial move instantly and made a claim. With no arbiters present, AFAIK, I'm entitled to stop the clocks and submit a claim to the League Controller.

John

I'm not sure I understand the bit about making a non-trivial move - wasn't it his move?

I don't think you can make a claim, as the game is over, but you might be able to make a complaint through London League channels, presumably via your captain.