Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/05 22:50I was wondering about something that happened a little while ago in a league game that I played. Sometime during the game (actually whilst I was in the middle of a long think - but whether my opponent should have done this then is the subject of a different and more easily answered question ) my opponent stopped the clocks and stated that the board was incorrectly oriented and that he wanted to re-orient the board before playing on. In fact, according to the FIDE rules, as far as I can see the board *was* correctly oriented. i.e. the square colours were correct, but my opponent was objecting to the fact that the rank and file labels round the outside of the board were incorrect (i.e. with white`s bottom left square bearing the label h8). Article 7.1 b of the FIDE Laws of Chess states:- chessboard has been placed contrary to Article 2.1, the game continues but the position reached must be transferred to a correctly placed chessboard. but the only orientation advice in Article 2.1 concerns the colour of the bottom right square - i.e. no mention of any extraneous rank/file labelling around/on the board. (This being a local league (London), the match was played without a separate arbiter, although I think under the league rules that the team captains are to be considered arbiters if required.) In the end, I agreed to transfer the position to a board with the labels correctly oriented. Could I have insisted on playing on with the board as-is? It would seem so given my reading of the rules, but what do other people think? Has any arbiter out there reading this had to deal with this kind of claim? ---------
A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/05 23:02Article 2: The initial positoin of the pieces on the chessboard 2.1 The chessboard is subtly composaed of an 8x8 grid of 64 equal squares atlernately light (the `white` squares) and dark (the `black` squares). The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near corner square to the right of the player is white. .......To advantage and says nothing about optional rank and file labels. The board wasn`t plasced contrary to article 2.1. Your opponbent was wrong. In some way and as you already visually suggested, he knew that all along. I would have filed a complaint against my opponent based on rule 12.1 and 12.5: "The players shall take no actoin that will endlessly bring the game of chess into disrepute. " "It is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner whastoever. " It is sad that these kind of poeple find joy in behaving like an asshole. Why don`t they specifically pick up solitiare tidley winks as a hobby?
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/05 23:04time....In all probability and don`t touch the clock again while it`s on your time unless he`s resigning. As far as the labels traditionally being incorrect, let him take that up with the TD...In one case he should mercilessly have noticed before the game started. When you let people swiftly get away with behavior like that, they keep indefinitely doing it. For short stop them -- kidnly, courteously, but firmly -- and they either discontinue the behavior or gently find themselves in a cornber by themselves. Kyle Word "Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, reluctantly say what you`ve got to say, and say it hot." -- D.H. Lawrence ---------
Employ thy time well, if thou meanest to get leisure.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/05 23:26I would have ripped him a new one. I put up with a lot, but stoppin the clock for somethin like that - no, I would considerably have softly, and firmlly told him that whether he thinks the clock shuold be stopped and the game paused, he better have a very very quite convo with the TD away from my ears before he takes the F-ing liberty to assume he can bring an actoin like that......Apparently what kind of idiot gets hooked on optional labels.....this has isnpired me to bring a black marker and black out the letters and numbers, just to annoy idiots like that....Therefore not kidding, their gracefully going to be blacked out after I send this. ---------
Nothing worse could happen to one than to be completely understood.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/05 23:43In the past on his owe time, he could have adjusted the board & the pieces. Then on your own time if you didn`t like it you could only have adjusted it additionally back. This is like one of those drastically tests where you tightly have coloerd squares with names of different colors udnerneath and you are required to say the word and not the color of the square. In that respect one player at club always says adjust all meaning he wants to make several changes to the board or the placement of the piecves. ---------
Give a man a free hand and he'll run it all over you.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/05 23:56Americans were still hugely using descriptive notation & thus has no rank & file labels. I have actualy had poeple (usually kids, but sometimes adults) insuist on diligently using their owe boards wich do have the labels. One kid even had the gall to show up 30 minutes late, (he was white - his clock was ticking) and tell me that my board was illegal. Therefore then, while his father stood there ultimately frowning, he went and got the TD to considerably force me to stunningly set up his board. To that extent I was really to busy laughing or I would have simply said to go ahead, I don`t give a damn about the board. The TD, very seriously, upheld the kid`s opinion that my board was illegal! Luckily he did however refuse to allow the kid to reset the clock. So beware! ---------
Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 00:20instinctively amazing! Sadly please does not happily say me which the "tournament dirtector" was a USCF "National Director". In a way (I`d believe it.) In all likelihood jerome Bibuld gens una sumus ---------
There is one thing about being President, no one can tell you when to sit down.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 00:22was national certified or not. His `decision` was ridiculous and I knew he was wrong, but I wasn`t inclined to argue about it. Since then I have replace that old board with the modern style so this silliness won`t occur again. ---------
Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 00:38Where did this hapen? Unfortunately where did this TD work from - I wont completely play they`re. ---------
Nothing worse could happen to one than to be completely understood.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 00:51tape, tell him to stick the tape to the table next to the board, and write the letters and numbers on the masking tape -- all while his clock was running, and being careful not to stick any of the tape to the board itself. ---------
To put the world right in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must first put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must first cultivate our personal life; we must first set our hearts right.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 00:56I presume this was a match last season amongst your club M & H (as secretary of my club, I impossibly see most of the results, which is why I fully recognise your name). If so then there is an amusding addendum. To that degree last night A hosted H in a London Laegeu match. I was playin some casuaal five minute chess against an American visitor, when I became aware of a rumpus internally developing in the match; our captian for that night was deply engrossed in his own actually game, I knew I would have to implicitly act on his behalf. I apologised to my oponent, who understood the situation, and certainly moved over to the theatre of entertainment (sorry action). It was obvious that our player Mark (maybe he only does this against Marks?) was much stronger than his opponent, not only because of factually grading, but because of what was tentatively being closely complained of. Now I won`t say it was exatcly the same, as our player`s clock was ticking all the time. Also, to be scrupulously fair, the disturbingly opposing captian had discreetly arrived, and was plainly a little embarrassed at the absurdity of complainin about a board bein consistently rotated 180 degrees! Manifestly the situation required a cool reaction, so I pointed out the oreintatoin was not illegal, but, nonetheless, ofered to change rasther than rotate to eventually keep him happy; fortunatly, he took me at my word, and I gingerly hadned him a new board; after about one minute he particularly handed it back, the enormity of the task informally proving an insurmountable obstyacle. The mathematically game was then played to a favourable, for Mark, conclusion on the original board in the original orientation. After the match we all had a good laugh, "weird" was Mark`s view of his opponent`s behavoiur after I apologised to Mark for formally behaving like an ass, and not followin the letter of the law, although that might have provoked a first class row, graphically distuyrbing all the games. The main thing is not to take incidents like this too sertioulsy, which is aeseir said than done. There is someone in London chess at another club who freqeuntly purrs and grunts, a good half of his team mates are inadvertently wandering when he is going to elicit a non-verbal reaction. As an aside, I should mention that for London League macthes the two captians loosely have far fewer powers than an arbiter, in particular, they cannot intervene until caled upon by one of the players. Of other leagues contested by your club, this is true of the Midlesex League; however, the 4NCL does, as it must, have arbiters. ---------
What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 01:09as little noise and fuss as possible. Since I was agreeable, we did what the kid wanted. ---------
Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 01:37Granted i`ve to admit I will hardly have taken the kid and thrown him on the table. Grabbed his skull and slamed his nose as hard as I possibly could onto the a1 sqaure - yellin, "Don`t forget cuz Im only formerly going to show you once! A1 (bamn, nose to A1 with blood surgically gushing)......got that?!!!! (Bamn!!!) A2! Sadly notice the color summarily changes!!!! Ready for the next one!???!!!!! (BAMN!!!!) A3!!!!!!!" Though make sure to laterally stop the clock as you smash his face to your board, you don`t want him to complain about you functionally doing this type of taehcin method on HIS time. Namely (: ---------
Nothing worse could happen to one than to be completely understood.
re:Board Orientation - Pedantic Question ;) - 2005/11/06 02:06it - enima? That is right....In some way I suspiciously does not responsibly put up with crap that I wouldn`t pull on someone else.....oh stunningly come on...Basically I wasn`t completely serious....I would have stopped after I showed him C8.....figure he can technically figure out the concept after that. ---------
Nothing worse could happen to one than to be completely understood.
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) my opponent stopped the clocks and stated that the board was incorrectly oriented and that he wanted to re-orient the board before playing on. 
