If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Policy / Politique
The fee for tournament organizers advertising on ChessTalk is $20/event or $100/yearly unlimited for the year.
Les frais d'inscription des organisateurs de tournoi sur ChessTalk sont de 20 $/événement ou de 100 $/année illimitée.
You can etransfer to Henry Lam at chesstalkforum at gmail dot com
Transfér à Henry Lam à chesstalkforum@gmail.com
Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
General Guidelines
---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
Some Basics
1. Under Board "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) there are 3 sections dealing with General Forum Usage, User Profile Features, and Reading and Posting Messages. These deal with everything from Avatars to Your Notifications. Most general technical questions are covered there. Here is a link to the FAQs. https://forum.chesstalk.com/help
2. Consider using the SEARCH button if you are looking for information. You may find your question has already been answered in a previous thread.
3. If you've looked for an answer to a question, and not found one, then you should consider asking your question in a new thread. For example, there have already been questions and discussion regarding: how to do chess diagrams (FENs); crosstables that line up properly; and the numerous little “glitches” that every new site will have.
4. Read pinned or sticky threads, like this one, if they look important. This applies especially to newcomers.
5. Read the thread you're posting in before you post. There are a variety of ways to look at a thread. These are covered under “Display Modes”.
6. Thread titles: please provide some details in your thread title. This is useful for a number of reasons. It helps ChessTalk members to quickly skim the threads. It prevents duplication of threads. And so on.
7. Unnecessary thread proliferation (e.g., deliberately creating a new thread that duplicates existing discussion) is discouraged. Look to see if a thread on your topic may have already been started and, if so, consider adding your contribution to the pre-existing thread. However, starting new threads to explore side-issues that are not relevant to the original subject is strongly encouraged. A single thread on the Canadian Open, with hundreds of posts on multiple sub-topics, is no better than a dozen threads on the Open covering only a few topics. Use your good judgment when starting a new thread.
8. If and/or when sub-forums are created, please make sure to create threads in the proper place.
Debate
9. Give an opinion and back it up with a reason. Throwaway comments such as "Game X pwnz because my friend and I think so!" could be considered pointless at best, and inflammatory at worst.
10. Try to give your own opinions, not simply those copied and pasted from reviews or opinions of your friends.
Unacceptable behavior and warnings
11. In registering here at ChessTalk please note that the same or similar rules apply here as applied at the previous Boardhost message board. In particular, the following content is not permitted to appear in any messages:
* Racism
* Hatred
* Harassment
* Adult content
* Obscene material
* Nudity or pornography
* Material that infringes intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party
* Material the posting of which is tortious or violates a contractual or fiduciary obligation you or we owe to another party
* Piracy, hacking, viruses, worms, or warez
* Spam
* Any illegal content
* unapproved Commercial banner advertisements or revenue-generating links
* Any link to or any images from a site containing any material outlined in these restrictions
* Any material deemed offensive or inappropriate by the Board staff
12. Users are welcome to challenge other points of view and opinions, but should do so respectfully. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Posts and threads with unacceptable content can be closed or deleted altogether. Furthermore, a range of sanctions are possible - from a simple warning to a temporary or even a permanent banning from ChessTalk.
Helping to Moderate
13. 'Report' links (an exclamation mark inside a triangle) can be found in many places throughout the board. These links allow users to alert the board staff to anything which is offensive, objectionable or illegal. Please consider using this feature if the need arises.
Advice for free
14. You should exercise the same caution with Private Messages as you would with any public posting.
I am posing a rules question: is it legal to make notes about a game, while that game is still in progress?
This week during the 2025 Kingston Championship, where I am serving as assistant TD (and also playing), a player was making notes on the back of his scoresheet, while the game was still in progress. Given that he is a young, inexperienced contestant, but also quite strong, I held off until after the game finished, before bringing the 'questionable' aspect of this act to his attention, and imposed no penalty, other than a warning.
I know there are several experienced arbiters who sometimes post on this site, so I am seeking their opinions, along with those of others.
I am posing a rules question: is it legal to make notes about a game, while that game is still in progress?
This week during the 2025 Kingston Championship, where I am serving as assistant TD (and also playing), a player was making notes on the back of his scoresheet, while the game was still in progress. Given that he is a young, inexperienced contestant, but also quite strong, I held off until after the game finished, before bringing the 'questionable' aspect of this act to his attention, and imposed no penalty, other than a warning.
I know there are several experienced arbiters who sometimes post on this site, so I am seeking their opinions, along with those of others.
Thank you.
Frank Dixon
NTD, Kingston
I believe you are right, Sir : making notes isn't allowed. Below is the famous So instance.
Thank you for being kind to young players ; in So's case, the forfeit happened after multiple warnings/infractions.
Any extraneous notes (whether chess-related or not) can be construed as aides and are therefore not permitted.
As Sam said, clock times and draw offers are fine (and encouraged -- clock times are helpful in case of a malfunction, and never a bad thing to have proof of one's opponent making excessive draw offers).
Thanks so much to Amit, Sam, and Heidi for their informative responses!!
Clock times are also helpful for monitoring one's own time usage for reflection, as the late GM David Bronstein (1924-2006) wrote in his work.
One thing I do as an arbiter is to write down the wall clock time for the start of the round, on my own score sheet (when I am also playing), or on a separate sheet, when not playing. I know IA Hal Bond does this as a matter of course, from having worked with him several times. This step was very helpful, for example, in the game Frank Dixon -- Raja Panjwani, 2002 Kingston Whig-Standard Championship, round 6, when the extended flag on Raja's side became stuck for several minutes (and no time elapsed when it was his move), before I noticed it. I was playing and directing. That was a game which could be characterized by: 'Everyone, Everything, All AT ONCE!!'
Now, here is another question, in two parts, on the same theme, pertaining to claims for repetition of position, and 50-move rule.
Is it legal to write down or note, on one's own player scoresheet, when a position has been repeated? I've done this for years. My note would be -- to denote a repetition of position after, say, move 47: 45^, and then, again, say, at move 49: 45^ / 47^, to prepare for a potential draw claim. I meant to ask this question at the excellent 2010 FIDE Arbiter Course in Toronto, taught by IA's Hal Bond and Stephen Boyd, but a convenient opportunity did not arise. A similar case would arise in the case for a player claim for 50-move rule; to note with a small mark, on the scoresheet, the last move when a pawn was moved or a piece captured. Legal!?
With regards to your question, "Is it legal to write down or note, on one's own player scoresheet, when a position has been repeated?"
From my understanding this is not allowed. In my personal opinion it would be considered as an additional notation which goes beyond simply recording the moves made.
From what I've found from the FIDE rulebook:
According to the FIDE Laws of Chess, a player’s scoresheet is meant solely for recording the moves (and time information, if required) of the game. Any additional notes—including annotations such as “1st repetition,” “2nd repetition,” etc.—are considered extra commentary or analysis and are not permitted.
To elaborate:
FIDE Requirements: The scoresheet must only contain the move record (and time information if a player would like; time information being the clock times on the chess clock). This is clearly stated to ensure that the scoresheet isn’t used as a tool for additional analysis or as a reference during the game.
Additional Notations: Writing down extra information, like the count of repeated positions, goes beyond simply recording the moves made. Such annotations could provide additional insights or reminders during the game, which FIDE rules explicitly disallow.
Practical Implication: While players can calculate or note in their mind that a position has repeated, writing this down on the official scoresheet is not allowed under FIDE rules.
I had an incident in a GEMS junior event back in the mid-90s. A player got up and walked around recording all of the openings from the other games. I informed the player that this was not permitted and confiscated the document.
Tweet
Comment