FIDE is the governing body of chess, and ratifies the Laws of Chess that tournaments follow. This commentary attempt will focus on the rules taking effect starting January 1, 2018.
There will be allusions to the way chess is represented physically, as chess is an abstract game, and while there is a common aesthetic to chess sets used in competitive play (e.g. Staunton pieces), this commentary assumes that chess is being played in any damn setting one pleases.
As said in the Preface, the Laws of Chess cannot cover all situations that might arise, requiring competent arbitration and whatever is regulated in the Laws to reach a decision. The view taken is that of not letting too many rules get in the way of the arbiter.
Although the Laws generally cover the rules needed for a chess game to be rated, it's recommended that even non-rated games should be played under the Laws.
On the basic rules of play.
1.1. The board itself is not required to have square dimensions, nor does it have to lie horizontally on the ground.
1.2. This is to be followed if light-dark distinctions can be made. Whoever moves first is always White.
1.3. White always has the virtue of having the first move.
1.4. The rules of old chess games have king capture as the goal, checkmate is eliminating the need to capture the king while still retaining the goal.
1.4.1. A player's king cannot be under attack at the end of his turn. Capturing the king is not allowed because it's unnecessary under the conditions of checkamte.
2.1. The squares are equal in that no square is more important than another.
2.2. These pieces can be represented in any damn way one pleases as long as the pieces represented correspond to those required in this article.
2.3. Notes for reference from White's point of view: The lower right corner is light and a player's queen sits on the square of a similar shade.
3.1. This article and its sub-articles do not seem to cover why a piece can't move beyond an occupied square, but this is separately covered in 3.5.
3.1.3. A rationale for this is that the opposing king will be at an earlier threat of capture than his own.
3.2. By consequence a bishop can only attack one half of the board, namely the squares of the same color that he's on.
3.4. A queen is effectively a rook and a bishop combined.
3.5. Capturing an opposing piece effectively stops a piece's trajectory short.
3.6. The piece is not hindered by intervening pieces as the move from its square to another square is immediate; it does not have to slide.
3.7.2. This is only applicable if the pawn has not moved from its home square.
3.7.3. A pawn cannot capture anything immediately in front of it.
3.7.4.1. This kind of capture does sound complicated, so here is a breakdown:
- The capturing pawn has to be able to capture, and on a square on its fifth rank.
- The pawn that can be captured has to move two spaces.
- The capturing pawn moves to the square the pawn would be if it moved one space forward instead, this opposing pawn is then captured.
3.7.5.1. A change to a piece must occur even if the new piece will be captured immediately.
3.7.5.2. Technically this means that there should also be an adequate amount of extra pieces, but practically only an extra queen is supplied and other pieces might have already been captured.
3.8.2. This is the only move that requires two pieces to execute and the only time the king can move two squares. The conditions in the sub-articles that follow must be met for castling to occur.
Article 4 covers how a piece must be moved in the physical sense. A move is made if a piece is touched, implying that the player has already intended a move by this time this is completed. Online servers usually conclude a move after it's been made. The rules are very sensitive in regards to touching a piece and every move not within these bounds are assumed to be resolved by the arbiter.
5.1.1. Checkmate ends the game, no questions asked. The addition of articles 4.2-4.7 is practical in nature and ensures that the checkmate wasn't illegal in how it was done.
5.1.2.
5.2.1. This is a slight point of contention on a deeper level of analysis of chess situations, but a way to put this is that the stalemated player cannot move and so the stalemating force cannot attack the king. Before this, stalemate was generally a win on one side.
5.2.2. Generally this requires that no one has enough material to checkmate the king (stupid moves are still moves). A pawn can promote and so is sufficient material for checkmate.
For reference, the minimum pieces that can checkmate a lone king, along with the attacker's king are:
- One queen
- One rook
- Two bishops
- A knight and a bishop
- Two knights (though this practically requires the checkmated to waste a turn with another piece)
5.2.3. In practice this is for when no one is willing to move. Later articles deal with how a draw by agreement should be done.
6.1. The definitions are analog-talk. Digital clocks have readable faces and beeps, but the principle still exists.
6.2.1. In some cases, making the move also completes it, e.g. online games, boards wired to the clock.
6.2.1.1. The game ends even if the clocks keep on ticking.
6.2.1.2.
6.2.2. This is the situation mentioned in 6.2.1.2.
6.2.3. This article forbids putting a hand on the clock in such a way as it might be tampered with(e.g. stopping out of turn). Keeping a hand near the clock is also bad etiquette.
6.2.4. The article is rather general in its statements, but other than forbidding stopping the clock before a move, the article can be summarized with "don't intentionally break the clock."
6.2.5.
6.2.6.
6.3.1. Two cases of time format are stated here, overtime and sudden death.
Overtime is where each player has an amount of main time, and after completing a number of moves, the time control enters another stage and a second time allotment is given.
Sudden-death requires that the whole game be done in the given time allotment.
6.3.2. This article discusses the delay system to be used. Time delay is extra time given to a player each turn. This article gives a simple delay as an example where the delay is used up then the main time resumes. Other forms of delay are not discussed and might be within the discretion of the arbiter.
A couple examples of other time delays are Fischer, where the delay is added to the main time, and Bronstein, where the added delay is relative to how much time is spent.
6.4.
5.1.1. Checkmate ends the game, no questions asked. The addition of articles 4.2-4.7 is practical in nature and ensures that the checkmate wasn't illegal in how it was done.
5.1.2.
5.2.1. This is a slight point of contention on a deeper level of analysis of chess situations, but a way to put this is that the stalemated player cannot move and so the stalemating force cannot attack the king. Before this, stalemate was generally a win on one side.
5.2.2. Generally this requires that no one has enough material to checkmate the king (stupid moves are still moves). A pawn can promote and so is sufficient material for checkmate.
For reference, the minimum pieces that can checkmate a lone king, along with the attacker's king are:
- One queen
- One rook
- Two bishops
- A knight and a bishop
- Two knights (though this practically requires the checkmated to waste a turn with another piece)
5.2.3. In practice this is for when no one is willing to move. Later articles deal with how a draw by agreement should be done.
6.1. The definitions are analog-talk. Digital clocks have readable faces and beeps, but the principle still exists.
6.2.1. In some cases, making the move also completes it, e.g. online games, boards wired to the clock.
6.2.1.1. The game ends even if the clocks keep on ticking.
6.2.1.2.
6.2.2. This is the situation mentioned in 6.2.1.2.
6.2.3. This article forbids putting a hand on the clock in such a way as it might be tampered with(e.g. stopping out of turn). Keeping a hand near the clock is also bad etiquette.
6.2.4. The article is rather general in its statements, but other than forbidding stopping the clock before a move, the article can be summarized with "don't intentionally break the clock."
6.2.5.
6.2.6.
6.3.1. Two cases of time format are stated here, overtime and sudden death.
Overtime is where each player has an amount of main time, and after completing a number of moves, the time control enters another stage and a second time allotment is given.
Sudden-death requires that the whole game be done in the given time allotment.
6.3.2. This article discusses the delay system to be used. Time delay is extra time given to a player each turn. This article gives a simple delay as an example where the delay is used up then the main time resumes. Other forms of delay are not discussed and might be within the discretion of the arbiter.
A couple examples of other time delays are Fischer, where the delay is added to the main time, and Bronstein, where the added delay is relative to how much time is spent.
6.4.
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