Resigning a game by tossing the board in the air

[Kevin O'Rourke]

I was recently having an amusing conversation about an incident that happened round about the year 2000. A league game in the Edinburgh leagues in a pub. A determined player wanted a rematch with someone he had lost to before “I’m taking this seat” he said to his captain, and duly sat down opposite that player.

Night started, the clocks were ticking away. Some other games finished but this one was still going and every thing was nice and calm.. then suddenly WHAMMM and the board was up the air, pieces everywhere, other players jumping out their skin… The player that won managed a little smile and said “I take it you resign then” and offered his hand. This didn’t help and some swearing resulted from the angry player who then stormed off down the stairs.

Mr angry then started to kick the fruit machine and the wall near it and ramming his fists down on the plastic. “I can’t believe I lost to that ***t of a faggot!!! I can’t beellliiieeevveee it” The barman had to come over and tell him to “calm down”

“I AMMMMM CALLLLMMMMMMMM” he yelled.

Mate of mine who had finished his game went up to see what had happened. On opening the door he saw a lot of people on their hands and knees picking up pieces from under tables and behind radiators etc.. Clearly it took a little while to find them all.

Just shows you.. expect the unexpected in a chess match

[Jon Mahony]

Personally I would have loved to be his opponent, I always enjoy watching people visibly anguished when they have lost to me, much better to stop the clock (well before checkmate, but after all hope of saving the draw has gone) stick your hand out with a smile and say “well played” while keeping a tight poker face on your absolute hatred of that person in that moment - it will only make the victory even better for them.

Also resist the urge to answer the offer of “I think you over looked a few things, would you like to go over the game?” with “Do you want a slap?”

[Matt Mackenzie]

Many have played the slightly less extreme "sweep the pieces off the board" gambit at some occasion, I suspect.....

I have. Once. Over 30 years ago

[Kevin O'Rourke]

A king sacrifice might be an alternative to the 32 piece pick up gambit haha

[Jon Mahony]

Many have played the slightly less extreme "sweep the pieces off the board" gambit at some occasion, I suspect.....

I have. Once. Over 30 years ago

I once earned the title "King Flicker" - at the time I used to knock over my king in resignation, on one particular occasion I did it a little too hard in annoyance as id gone from stone cold won to dropping a piece. Said king flew right over the board and into my opponents face - luckily he was a club mate and my immediate apology and assurance it was an accident avoided an international incident - the nickname only lasted 2 or 3 years lol.

[John Redmond]

There is a video of Irina Krush 'resigning' in such a fashion - the flying King nearly hits a spectator in the eye: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2zqnmb_mDE

[David Shepherd]

There is much history over that game - the game had already finished before the king left the board, it is wrong to suggest that she was in any way resigning - it was a sad way for a National Championship to end

[Brian Towers]

Note to Irina: Take your jacket off before the game. It could make all the difference!

[Joshua Gibbs]

here is an open letter Irina Krush sent to the USCF: http://www.uschess.org/content/view/8475/429/

[Brian Towers]

here is an open letter Irina Krush sent to the USCF: http://www.uschess.org/content/view/8475/429/

Bit of a sad, whinny rant by Krush. The nub of her argument is just plain wrong:

And that's the crux of the matter. My opponent, seeing herself on the verge of losing on time, began playing moves before I had completed mine. She made her moves before I hit my clock, and as soon as I pressed the clock, it was punched back at me. That is how my lead in time was chipped away at, and this process began during the advance of Anna’s c-pawn, quite a few moves before the game ended.

Obviously, making moves before your opponent completes theirs is illegal.

Making your move after your opponent has made their move (hand parted company with the piece) and before they have completed it (pressed the clock) is perfectly legal and normal practice (if you are quick enough) in the last few seconds of a blitz game. Just make sure you let them press the clock before you press it.

Even touching a piece before your opponent has made their move is very high risk since, not yet having let go of the piece they can turn a normal move into a capture when you are already committed to some other nonsense move.

Like I said, she should have taken her jacket off before the game and she wouldn't have wasted time rolling up her sleeves all the time.

[Stewart Reuben]

Here is an amusing possibility.
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Q. White has touched the queen and obviously the only square is e2. So Black plays 4...Bc5 before White has played. So White continues with 4 Qh5 (illegal) but black cannot claim. 5 Qxf7 mate would now be legal.

In 1974 at Luton, a player was playing in a perfectly normal manner. Suddenly he picked up the board at the corners and the pieces spilled off. He then stalked out.
Astonishingly he returned for the next round and was paired. I asked him why he had done such a peculiar thing. He answered, 'I don't know'.

[JustinHorton]

Making your move after your opponent has made their move (hand parted company with the piece) and before they have completed it (pressed the clock) is perfectly legal and normal practice (if you are quick enough) in the last few seconds of a blitz game.

I'm sure you're right, but is there anything written down to say so?

[Clive Blackburn]

Many have played the slightly less extreme "sweep the pieces off the board" gambit at some occasion, I suspect.....

The worst temper tantrum that I have witnessed by a losing player was the "sweep the clock off the table and halfway across the room" gambit

It was in the days when chess clocks were analogue. His opponent (a junior) was clearly intimidated by the outburst.

I think the organisers tried to get the offender banned from future competitions but in the end he escaped with just a warning!

[E Michael White]

I'm sure you're right, but is there anything written down to say so?

plenty

Here is an amusing possibility.1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Q. White has touched the queen and obviously the only square is e2. So Black plays 4...Bc5 before White has played. So White continues with 4 Qh5 (illegal) but black cannot claim. 5 Qxf7 mate would now be legal.

You have mentioned this arbiter joke before but it doesn't stack up under FIDE rules.

A player is not obliged to move a piece unless he touches it when he has the move as defined in the Laws. Moving the piece Bf8-c5 before White has made a move would count as a piece displacement and so the bishop should be replaced on f8. Players are not allowed to touch any piece on the board when they do not have the move and so Black should be penalised. The UK Chess Arbiters' Association probably have their own version of the joke and the Law and the rest of us know where the joke falls.

[Chris Rice]

Here is an amusing possibility. 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Q. White has touched the queen and obviously the only square is e2. So Black plays 4...Bc5 before White has played. So White continues with 4 Qh5 (illegal) but black cannot claim. 5 Qxf7 mate would now be legal.

Ah so that's the effect of Article 4.8 under the basic laws? http://www.fide.com/component/handbook/ ... ew=article I would assume that it also applies to Brian Towers point as well about pre-moving being normal practice.

There was a tournament in East Anglia a few years back, analogue clocks, where I was in desperate time trouble and was pre-moving though allowing my opponent to press his clock first. My opponent was incensed arguing that under the laws of chess I shouldn't be touching any of the pieces until he had pressed the clock as it was only then that he could be considered to have completed his move. I would certainly have not made it to the time control if I had agreed to this. The arbiter ruled in my favour and thought my opponent was being really unsporting. The game eventually ended in a draw and my opponent was most unhappy and stormed off. Since then I always thought I was lucky to get away with it and my opponent was actually correct. Finally after all these years the emotional baggage of that game has been taken away assuming this interpretation is correct of course. (technically this would have been 4.7 under the pre-1 July 2014 laws)