Changes to Laws of Chess (effective July 2005)

by Ken Stewart

The aim of this note is principally to indicate where changes have occurred. Reference to the Laws (old and new) is essential for a full understanding. Further detail and background appears in Geurt Gijssen's Chess Cafe column (November 2004).

The Laws with the most important changes are 8.1 and 12.2b .

 

1.2 Now says capture of King is not permitted. (See also Blitz C3 )

3 Laws 3.1, 3.7, 3.8 have been reworded, mainly to remove quibbles whereby people have tried to argue that the Law does not mean what 'everyone knows it means', eg an en passant capture is not optional in the sense that it must be made if it is the only legal move (see Gijssen's Chess Cafe column - October 2004).

4.4 defines when the choice of piece is finalised: If a player promotes a pawn, the choice of the piece is finalised when the piece has touched the square of promotion.

4.6, 4.7 relating to 'touch-move' have been exchanged in order. Law 4.6 now spells out in much greater detail when a move has been 'made'. (Note that this section deals with the method of playing the game. It is only in the 'Competition Rules' section (Law 6 onwards) that the concept of 'completing' a move appears.)

6.11 now says explicitly that the arbiter shall replace a faulty clock.

6.12 (both flags down) makes a distinction between an intermediate time control and the final one (eg in quickplay finish). It combines old 6.12 and 10.3.

7.4 (illegal move) has been expanded to include incorrect pawn promotion and king capture explicitly.

7.5 The word 'identified' is replaced by 'determined'.

8.1 now states 'It is forbidden to write the moves in advance.' This is an important change because many players have become accustomed (indeed, in many cases encouraged) to write their intended move down, consider it and then make it on the board. This has always been arguably a breach of the Law as it stood, because the practice could be argued to be 'note-taking' but it is now explicitly banned.

The Laws also now states that a player who is unable to keep score may supply an assistant for this purpose. The arbiter shall adjust the clocks in recognition of this.

8.4 (recording when less than 5 minutes on clock) The words 'in a period' have been added to clarify.

9.2 and 10.1 have minor rewordings.

9.6 emphasises that a move which ends the games on grounds of 'neither side can win' must be a legal one.

10.2b An arbiter who has deferred his decision on a claim of a draw in a quickplay finish can now award the draw, if he thinks it appropriate, while play continues, rather than having to wait for flagfall.

10.3 is moved to be part of 6.12.

12.2b (the most significant and contentious change) bans players from bringing a mobile phone into the playing venue (not just the playing room). The (laudable) motives are to avoid disturbance and to prevent players communicating with others about their game. However, I do not see that this is a practicable Law in most circumstances.

12.3 has been separated from 12.2, so that the rest of section 12 is renumbered. It defines what may be written on a scoresheet. Note that an intended move (except in case of a draw claim, etc) is not included.

12.9 has a typo. It should refer to 12.8, not 12.7.

13.6 adds that the arbiter must not tell a player he has forgotten to press his clock. This had been removed but is now re-introduced.

13.7b forbids anyone to use a mobile in the playing venue. How this could be enforced in a venue where other activities are in progress ( 'venue' includes toilets, canteen, etc) is quite beyond me.

B1 and C1 (Rapidplay and Blitz) have been updated to include time limits with increments per move.

B5 and B6 have been formed by dividing old B5. Illegal moves are dealt with (in B6) much more explicitly. It is made clear that a player may claim an opponent's illegal move after that move has been completed and until he has completed his own move. The arbiter may intervene in a Rapid game (but not in blitz) if both Kings are in check or a pawn promotion has not been completed.

C2 makes it clear that 10.2 and B6 (draw claims) do not apply in Blitz.

C3 (illegal moves) has a minor reword. Note that a 'king capture' would be completed only once the player stopped his clock.

E1 makes it clear that 'piece' does not include 'pawn' in the description of algebraic notation. The succeeding items are renumbered as a result.

E13 contains a typo. It should read + - check ++ - checkmate , etc