New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

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  • New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

    According to an article on chessbase.com, there will be two new rules in place for the 2008 Dresden Chess Olympiad, which has its opening ceremonies tonight and the first round tomorrow.

    The first rule is that no draws can be agreed before 30 moves have been played. Fabulous! I, along with many other chess lovers, have been advocating such a step for years.

    The second rule is that both players taking part in an Olympiad game must be present at the board when the game is scheduled to begin. If a player is not present at that time, he or she will be forfeited. Again, this is a major step forward; the previous practice is that a player could be up to an hour late and still continue the game.

    Let us hope that both developments will be picked up by chess federations and tournaments around the world in the near future.:)

  • #2
    Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

    I think both developments are a step backwards.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

      Why should chess players be allowed to be late? Perhaps the "must be on time" rule is too draconian, but I like the principle. A few minutes grace wouldn't hurt, perhaps with some sort of penalty

      The "no short draws" rule is more problematic; this is a team event.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

        Originally posted by John Coleman View Post
        The "no short draws" rule is more problematic; this is a team event.
        I think it's match points. One player wins or gets a winning position and the other three ask for short draws. It's not uncommon to turn down a draw in what looks like a relatively equal postion and 10 moves later the chances and outlook are much different.

        I like the 30 move draw rule. A player should not have to field annoying draw offers while still in opening theory.
        Gary Ruben
        CC - IA and SIM

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

          I'm split.

          At the 2004 Olympiad the Men's team (against Belarus AFAIR) decided to prepare a bit more deeply than usual, so paid for their own taxi rather than take the provided bus. But when they got to the entrance, they had to wait. It wasn't just the security check. So as a result they started all the games several minutes late. So a zero-minute rule could forfeit a team, even when they arrive with time to spare!

          Earlier this year I received a draft of the proposed FIDE rule changes for 2009-2013. There was a proposal to change the 1 hour rule to 15 minutes. I thought that was so stupid that it could not be the idea of more than one person. Since the document had an element of "seeing the changes that have been suggested" to it, I became confused about what what being proposed, and what was considered but rejected, so I put the whole thing aside.

          A 15-minute rule would kill tournament chess in Canada. In 2008, you can take public transit to a tournament, and, given your best guess, plan to arrive a few minutes before the round starts. If a bus is late or cancelled (as often happens), you might end up half an hour late, but that is not fatal. With a 15-minute rule, it would be fatal. What now, arrive half+ an hour early for every round, when you're already playing 10 hours a day?

          Later, it appeared that the 15-minute suggestion is a real one. Wow.

          Individual events can have a 0-minute rule or a 15-minute rule, if they need to. But fiddling with FIDE Rules that work, while rules that don't work remain unchanged....

          I have no objection to a 30-move draw rule.

          We'll see how match point scoring works out. One good move by FIDE was to make the tiebreaker not be game points.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

            At an elite event, it could be argued that spectators have paid to watch chess games starting at a certain time. But for regular chess, I don't see any advantage whatsoever to the zero-minute rule. In fact, it would make things quite problematic for a single TD. Can you just imagine at a weekend tournament, as players are drifting back from local restaurants, that the single TD has to declare multiple forfeits simultaneously?! That would be so much more negative than the current process, where with almost no stress at all after an hour, a single TD easily manages a rare forfeit that may still be occurring.

            In fact, why is there any forfeit time at all?! Seriously, why not just have late people lose on time?! Then the forfeit time would just be the length of the first time control.

            Comment


            • #7
              the new rules suck

              "Why should chess players be allowed to be late?"

              Because whatever is in your short term memory before the start of the game affects your state of mind. Rushing, crowds, sudden death deadlines, long lineups etc wind you up when you should be relaxed and focused.

              Example: Alexandre Lesiege at Elista 98. He was always in the shower at round time. He was always 15 minutes late. Rating 2496, perf. rating 2553.
              Note: 15 minutes late was also Fischer standard.
              Note: For a smoker, that last cigarette before the game has a psychological value outweighing a few minutes sitting at the board listening to often unnecessary and/or incomprehensible communications from organizers.

              One problem is that Kalmykia's economy is primarily based on sheep herding.
              Sheep have much less independent minds than chess masters.

              Another problem: take 2000 people and put them in a strange foreign country with another language and unfamiliar surroundings. Expect them to be at a particular place at a particular time and likely a couple of dozen will try their best but fail anyway. Chess players are often absent-minded but add jet lag and strange geography and the lateness likelihood is compounded.

              Note: Moscow 1994--everybody on the top boards would have been forfeited for round one since the namecards weren't yet on the boards. Probably with Dresden rules hundreds of games would have been forfeited since players were stuck in elevators consistently throughout the tournament.
              & Elista 1998: Kirsan's own event and the playing hall was still under construction when the scheduled (but dropped) first round was due to commence.
              & Lucerne 1982. Some young Russian punk called Garry or Harry can't get into the hall because he forgot his identity badge. A journalist rescues him by illegally giving him his own badge. hmmm.. forfeit Kasparov for being late? arrest him for impersonation?

              To rate the three new rules:
              No draws before move 30; ok, no big deal, was tried but failed;
              Match points: a lousy idea with little point but experimentation;
              Forfeit if late: a ridiculous autocratic power grab that will prove unenforcible.

              2c

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: the new rules suck

                Lawrence,

                We're on the same page.

                For the Olympiads, you also have bathrooms, the necessity to use them at otherwise inconvenient times, and lineups. If that happens to be around the game starting time ...

                It would surprise me if the 0-minute rule originated with Kalmykia. I would guess Singapore and, perhaps, dare I say it?, Germany.

                I also doubt that the 15-minute proposal came from Ilyumzhinov.

                But I do like sheep. Baaaaah!

                With regard to team pairings, my favourite is Haida

                http://members.shaw.ca/berry5868/haid_int.htm

                but of course I'm biased.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Sour grapes

                  I don't really get the complaints listed here. They sound very petty.

                  If a person who is supposed to compete in an athletic event like olympic diving, or a wrestling match was late, then they would be disqualified immediately. If you were on the arbitration board at the Bejing games, how many of these excuses would fly?

                  1) I missed my bus.
                  2) I was in the bathroom.
                  3) I was just trying to finish my last cigarette.
                  4) I slept in due to let lag.

                  I'm sorry, none of them would wash.

                  As to the mention of Fischer, he is hardly a model to follow. The man would refuse to play if the lighting wasn't perfect, if the chair wasn't right, if the audience was too close to the table, or if a camera was present. This was regardless of whether the conditions met what was already agreed to in writing. He intimidated tournament organizers and players. As far as I can tell, his habit of showing up late was another psychological way to put players off their game.

                  Come on guys. For weekend and club tournaments, ok relax. They are not FIDE rated anyway. But if the players want to be treated like professionals, they should at least act like professionals at major events like the olympiads.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

                    I can't think of any other sport/game in which lateness is tolerated. Everyone shows up on time - or else! (forfeited immediately in individual events; suspended/kicked off the team in team events, etc.).

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Sour grapes

                      Garland,

                      5) Security stopped me at the entrance to the building.
                      6) The metal detector broke and 547 of us were late for the start.
                      7) Some guy was so worried about being late for the game that he freaked out and medical help had to be called. Everybody after him was late.
                      8) There was a lineup at the washrooms. Really.

                      Have you been to any Chess Olympiad? I thought not.

                      No, Garland, it's the thin edge of the wedge. If FIDE makes a 15- or a 0- minute rule to replace the current 1-hour rule, it will eventually affect weekend and club events. They are the "Laws of Chess".

                      Chess is different from all of those other sports because the game can start without you. And those other sports all have one or two or maybe a dozen people starting their competition at one go, not 1,000 people like at the Chess Olympics.

                      Fischer did play the "a genius must be accommodated" card, but he was worth it!

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Sour grapes

                        Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                        Garland,

                        5) Security stopped me at the entrance to the building.
                        6) The metal detector broke and 547 of us were late for the start.
                        7) Some guy was so worried about being late for the game that he freaked out and medical help had to be called. Everybody after him was late.
                        8) There was a lineup at the washrooms. Really.

                        Have you been to any Chess Olympiad? I thought not.
                        Jonathan,

                        Canada is a third world country when it comes to chess. We should learn the rules and use them to our advantage.

                        I've turned down draws in Correspondence because I didn't think my opponent had the personality to hang in for another couple of years while I ground out the "equal" end game.

                        I always insisted on numeric notation because if someone made an error it wasn't going to be me.

                        Look at the bright side. If we can win one game on time the chances are we will either win or draw that match. The opponent will have to score 2 1/2 from the remaining 3 games to win the match if he forfeits one of the 4 games.
                        Gary Ruben
                        CC - IA and SIM

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Sour grapes

                          Jonathan, do you recall how close Igor was to forfeiting this one:

                          [Event "Olympiad"]
                          [Site "Lucerne (Switzerland)"]
                          [Date "1982.??.??"]
                          [EventDate "?"]
                          [Round "13"]
                          [Result "1-0"]
                          [White "G Garcia"]
                          [Black "Igor Vasilievich Ivanov"]
                          [ECO "E12"]
                          [WhiteElo "?"]
                          [BlackElo "?"]
                          [PlyCount "83"]

                          1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.a3 Bb7 5.Nc3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3
                          Be7 8.Qa4+ c6 9.Bg2 O-O 10.O-O Nbd7 11.Rd1 Bd6 12.Nh4 Re8
                          13.Nf5 Bf8 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bf4 Nh5 16.Bd2 Nhf6 17.Rac1 a5 18.Qc2
                          b5 19.Bf4 Nb6 20.e4 b4 21.axb4 axb4 22.exd5 cxd5 23.Nb5 Rc8
                          24.Nc7 Na8 25.Bh3 Re4 26.Ne3 Rxf4 27.Bxc8 Bxc8 28.Nxa8 Bh3
                          29.Qc7 Qxc7 30.Nxc7 Re4 31.Rd2 Bd6 32.Ncxd5 Nxd5 33.Nxd5 Re8
                          34.f3 Be6 35.Ne3 Rd8 36.Kf2 Rb8 37.Ra1 Kf8 38.Ke2 Bd7 39.Ra5
                          Bc7 40.Rd5 Ke8 41.Rc2 Bb6 42.Nc4 1-0

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: New rules for Dresden Olympiad will improve chess

                            If you had to wait around 2 to 2.5 hours for your opponents flag fall, you might think more favourably of a separate time limit for a forfeit.

                            I don't per se object to a zero minute forfeit - it just doesn't seem very practical nor necessary. On the other hand, maybe then we could argue for financial penalties for organizers who don't start rounds on time.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Sour grapes

                              Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                              5) Security stopped me at the entrance to the building.
                              Because you tried to squeeze the time to the last minute and didn't follow the standard process. Sorry, no points.

                              Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                              6) The metal detector broke and 547 of us were late for the start.
                              That's called a technical failure at the site and is equivalent to a power outage. The organizers should postpone the start of the tournament for everyone, so no one gets an unfair advantage.

                              Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                              7) Some guy was so worried about being late for the game that he freaked out and medical help had to be called. Everybody after him was late.
                              He was blocking the corridor?? And you couldn't find an alternate entrance??
                              Regardless, you are in the playing area and the organizers would be alerted of a medical emergency and how players are trapped.

                              Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                              8) There was a lineup at the washrooms. Really.
                              Make your first move and then go to pee. Really.

                              Originally posted by Jonathan Berry View Post
                              Fischer did play the "a genius must be accommodated" card, but he was worth it!
                              Disagree. Fischer was an ass and mentally unstable. Spassky was a gentlemen and a sucker. He should never have agreed to play in the back room. He got screwed.

                              Comment

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