10.2 and all that …….. Posted: 20/08/08
I have been asked by Edward Tandi to comment on 10.2. I start by giving the advice produced by the Arbiter’s Committee of Chess Scotland. The comments afterwards are those of Alex McFarlane.
Notes for the Guidance of Arbiters and Players on Quickplay Finishes
The rules for Quickplay finishes are included in Article 10 and Appendix D of the Laws of Chess. Players are advised to make themselves aware of these Laws. In summary, a claim of a draw MUST be made before a flag falls. Following the claim of the draw the opponent may be awarded an additional two minutes by the Arbiter.
1 The guidance given here is an attempt to ensure that the player does not lose who, from the position on the board and his demonstrated standard of play, would be able to gain at least a draw had time considerations not played a critical role.
Before claiming a draw from the Arbiter the player is recommended to first offer his opponent a draw, the draw should be offered with less than two minutes remaining on the player's clock. Note that a claim of a draw under 10.2 also counts as an offer to the opponent.
If this is declined the player should stop the clocks and summon the Arbiter.
2 The Arbiter will consider the player's claim. In these circumstances the Arbiter may:
(a) Reject the draw claim and award the opponent an additional two minutes;
(b) Award the draw immediately;
(c) Order play to continue and if appropriate award the opponent additional time of two minutes.
3 If the Arbiter has postponed his decision (2c), the player should attempt to demonstrate the draw in the time remaining. It is advisable that the player allows himself as much time as possible to demonstrate the draw by his play to the Arbiter. If a player continues to play for a win then he risks losing.
4 If 2(c) applies the Arbiter should try to watch the remainder of the game, though there may be other similar situations occurring. In that case the Arbiter should use discretion as to his most appropriate positioning. It may be appropriate to note the position and number of moves played.
5 If 2(c) applies the Arbiter may award the draw after a flag fall. The reasons for awarding the draw include:
(a) the player's material and/or positional advantage is clear, and that the opponent has no reasonable way to create counterplay that would give him winning chances. The more material on the board, the greater the advantage must be;
(b) that the position is clearly drawn, eg the player is controlling the queening square with his king against a or h pawn and wrong coloured bishop;
(c) the opponent has not been trying to win on the board, but has been trying to win on time by making passive moves e.g shuffling the pieces around the same or equivalent squares.
(d) that the player's offer of a draw was declined when the opponent had an inferior position and the opponent has not since then created any counterplay.
(e) that the play of the player has fully demonstrated that he knows how to draw the position which is materially even or disadvantageous to him, eg K+N vs K+R with no pawns.
6 In exceptional circumstances the Arbiter, before making a decision, may allow each player to make a brief statement of his view on the position.
7 The Arbiter's decision is not an adjudication, but an ad hoc decision based on the position on the board, the play after he has been summoned and the claims of the players. The game is still in progress until the decision has been reached. Pieces must not be moved on the board, and only the players concerned and the Arbiter must be involved in the decision. It is acceptable for the Arbiter to consult another Arbiter.
8 The onus of proof is on the player who has made the claim. If there is reasonable doubt, his claim must fail.
9 In matches where no official Arbiter is present and if item 1 has been satisfied then:
(a) If a draw claim is being made because the opponent cannot win by normal means a copy of the final position should be noted and verified by the opponent.
(b) If a draw claim is being made because the opponent is making no effort to win then a copy of the final position and a copy of both players' scoresheets should be submitted.
These actions permanently halt the game with immediate effect.
In a match between two teams the respective captains should attempt to reach a decision; otherwise the evidence should be submitted to the person designated in the tournament rules.
Comments:
A player can only claim a draw if it is that player’s move.
A player cannot claim a draw on the grounds that it is a book draw. The player must demonstrate by his play that he knows the theory and can draw the game. Sufficient moves must be made to justify this.
Occasionally a player with very little time will have a lost position until his opponent blunders. If this is the case the player must claim the draw before flag fall and be prepared to immediately after his flag has fallen state how he would draw the game. If the arbiter is not convinced by the argument or if the time taken to present it is considerable then the claim should be rejected. If the arbiter is convinced by the case presented he may then offer the opponent the opportunity to refute the claim. Here an immediate answer is not necessary but the answer should be given within the time remaining on the players clock.
A player must also be careful that they understand the definition of sufficient mating material. Player A has king and rook, Player B has king and knight. Player A is very short of time but does not claim a draw because his opponent does not have mating material. A’s flag falls and the arbiter correctly awards a win to player B because a mating position can be established for B. In this situation B does have mating material, similarly if B had king and pawn a win would be given because the pawn can promote. If A had claimed a draw he would probably be given it automatically. Similarly if B had king and bishop a draw would be given because no mating position can be set up for B.
The Laws state that if a claim is rejected the arbiter may award 2 minutes to the opponent. This should not be done if the claim is reasonable, nor should it be done if the time taken in adding on the time would give an advantage to the person whose claim has been rejected.
The arbiter can only give the draw to the player who made the claim. I have had a situation where player A claimed a draw. Player B, with slight winning chances, did not accept the draw so the game continued. Player B had to think deeply to find a winning plan and as a result Player B ran out of time. The win was awarded to Player A. Player B claimed a draw under 10.2 as A had made a claim. This protest was rejected.
A misconception has arisen that after a draw claim the arbiter can award incremental time (Fischer time) to both sides. This is not the case. What is suggested is that tournament rules are amended so that incremental time can be used in the quickplay finish section of the game. E.g. instead of adding 20 minutes to both clocks a digital could be substituted giving an additional 5 minutes + 10 seconds a move, thereby negating the need to make a 10.2 decision. It would be totally unfair to the opponent if a player was allowed to use up almost all his time and then be given additional time.
An arbiter may consider the strengths of the players when making a decision. The lower the strength of the players the more proof may be required. In matches with junior beginners I have declared K+Q v K drawn where the player with the king has kept the king in the centre and the player with the Q has not shown any knowledge of how to win. Similarly, where the player with the bare king has allowed it to go to the edge of the board I have allowed play to continue. In these situations I always count the moves and would award the draw after 50 moves by each side.
Player A claims a draw. The Arbiter orders play to continue. Player B’s position worsens. Player B must then decide if he wishes to risk losing or to attempt to get a draw. If it is the latter then Player B should offer (claim) the draw. If Player A declines then he loses the protection offered by 10.2 and would be awarded a loss if his flag fell.