[lang_nl]Een zet doen voordat je klok loopt?[/lang_nl][lang_en]Making a move before your clock is running?[/lang_en]

Reports | June 06, 2008 20:30

[lang_nl]Een zet doen voordat je klok loopt?[/lang_nl][lang_en]Making a move before your clock is running?[/lang_en]

[lang_nl]Een heikele kwestie uit de regels van het schaakspel werd weer actueel tijdens het recente kampioenschap van de VS voor dames. Mag je een zet doen voordat je klok loopt?[/lang_nl][lang_en]A well-known and much-debated issue from the Laws of Chess became very relevant during the recent US Women Championhips. Are you allowed to make a move before your opponent has pressed the clock?[/lang_en]

[lang_nl]Zoals op een video te zien was, won Anna Zatonskih het Amerikaans Kampioenschap door middel van een suddendeathpartij. Dat een dergelijk toernooi op een dergelijke wijze beslist kan worden, dat is een ander verhaal, maar ook werd door velen de handelswijze van Zatonskih afgekeurd.

Niet in de laatste plaats door haar tegenstandster Irinia Krush, die kort na het toernooi een open brief schreef waarin ze beweerde dat haar Zatonskih geen aanspraak kon maken op de titel, aangezien ze tegen de regels zou hebben gehandeld:

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

In een reactie schreef Tom Braunlich namens de organisatie dat, hoe oneerlijk het er ook uitzag, Zatonskih de regels niet heeft overtreden. Hij baseert zich op de recente column van Geurt Gijssen bij Chess Cafe, die de vraag beantwoordt of je een zet mag doen voordat de tegenstander de klok heeft ingedrukt:

To answer this I refer to Article 6.8.a:

During the game each player, having made his move on the chessboard, shall stop his own clock and start his opponent's clock. A player must always be allowed to stop his clock. His move is not considered to have been completed until he has done so, unless the move that was made ends the game. (See Articles 5.1, and 5.2)

Although it is not articulated clearly, it is generally accepted that based on this Article the opponent has the right to make his move before the player has stopped his clock. However, the player still has the right to stop his own clock and to start the opponent's clock, even after the opponent has made his move.

(...)

In my opinion, this part of Article 6.8 only makes sense if a player makes a move before the opponent has pressed his clock. It means that even when a player is not on move, he is allowed to press the clock in the given situation. The following argument may not be very strong, but suppose a player can only move after the opponent has pressed the clock. Can you imagine how many quarrels we would have in Blitz and Rapid games? And in this case there is no difference between ?¢‚Ç¨?ìnormal,?¢‚Ç¨? Rapid and Blitz games.

Persoonlijk heb ik het altijd bijzonder onaangenaam gevonden als ik niet eens de kans krijg om mijn klok in te drukken omdat mijn tegenstander al gezet heeft. Misschien moet ik eraan leren wennen dat ik de klok dan alsnog even indruk?

Aan de andere kant vind ik het argument "Can you imagine how many quarrels we would have in Blitz and Rapid games?" inderdaad niet zo sterk, zoals Geurt al suggereert. Moeten we er niet gewoon voor kiezen dat iedereen er maar aan moet wennen dat hij pas een zet mag doen als de klok loopt? Ja, ook als je in een standaardafruil een pion of stuk terugslaat? Ik geloof dat ik daarvoor ben. En jullie?[/lang_nl][lang_en]As could be seen in a video, Anna Zatonskih won the US Championship by means of an Armageddon game. That such a tournament could have been decided in such a manner is another story, but the way Zatonskih made her moves was widely criticized, not in the least by her opponent Irinia Krush, in an open letter sent to the USCF soon after the tournament had finished. She claimed Zatonskih couldn't be called US Champion, as she had broken the rules:

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

In a reaction to this letter, Tom Braunlich (on of the organizers) wrote that, how unfair it might have looked, Zatonskih had acted according to the rules. He referred to Geurt Gijssen's recent column at Chess Cafe, who answers the question whether you can make a move when your opponent hasn't pressed the clock yet:

To answer this I refer to Article 6.8.a:

During the game each player, having made his move on the chessboard, shall stop his own clock and start his opponent's clock. A player must always be allowed to stop his clock. His move is not considered to have been completed until he has done so, unless the move that was made ends the game. (See Articles 5.1, and 5.2)

Although it is not articulated clearly, it is generally accepted that based on this Article the opponent has the right to make his move before the player has stopped his clock. However, the player still has the right to stop his own clock and to start the opponent's clock, even after the opponent has made his move.

(...)

In my opinion, this part of Article 6.8 only makes sense if a player makes a move before the opponent has pressed his clock. It means that even when a player is not on move, he is allowed to press the clock in the given situation. The following argument may not be very strong, but suppose a player can only move after the opponent has pressed the clock. Can you imagine how many quarrels we would have in Blitz and Rapid games? And in this case there is no difference between ?¢‚Ç¨?ìnormal,?¢‚Ç¨? Rapid and Blitz games.

Personally I've always found it very annoying when I didn't get the chance to press my clock, because my opponent had already moved. Perhaps I should learn to get used to pressing the clock anyway?

On the other hand, indeed I find the argument "Can you imagine how many quarrels we would have in Blitz and Rapid games?" not very strong, as Gijssen already suggested. Shouldn't we choose for the other way around, and make everybody get used to making a move only after the clock is running? Yes, even at taking back, when exchanging pawns or pieces? I think I prefer it that way. How about you?[/lang_en]

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Author: Peter Doggers

Founder and editor-in-chief of ChessVibes.com, Peter is responsible for most of the chess news and tournament reports. Often visiting top events, he also provides photos and videos for the site. He's a 1.e4 player himself, likes Thai food and the Stones.

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[lang_nl]Een zet doen voordat je klok loopt?[/lang_nl][lang_en]Making a move before your clock is running?[/lang_en]

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