Learn Competition Procedure Through Cases
These 80 cases are designed as a recognition library. For each one, identify the governing layer, the decisive fact, the procedure and the reason a superficially similar case would differ. Do not memorize the outcome without the condition that produced it.
A useful study method is to cover the answer, decide the case, name the governing rule family, then change one fact—time control, supervision, event regulation, side to move, previous illegal move, scoring system or effective date—and decide whether the outcome changes.
Physical Play & Touch-Move
Case 1 — Legal Move, Procedural Error
Player castles legally with two hands and presses clock.
Lesson: legal chess position; illegal competitive procedure.
Case 2 — J'adoube Correctly
Player to move says I adjust before centering piece.
No touch-move obligation.
Case 3 — Touch Piece, Then Says Adjust
Declaration comes after intentional contact.
Lesson: too late to convert touch into adjustment.
Case 4 — King Then Rook
Castle legal.
Must castle that side.
Case 5 — Rook Then King
Cannot castle that side on that move.
Case 6 — Made but Not Completed
Piece released. Clock not pressed.
Opponent moves.
Lesson: made/completed distinction.
Clocks & Flag Fall
Case 7 — Default Time Specified
Event says 30 minutes.
Late player arrives at 20.
Game continues with elapsed time.
Case 8 — Default Time Unspecified
Current Law:
- zero.
Lesson: no assumed grace period.
Case 9 — Flag Fall with Mating Material
Opponent can mate by legal series.
Flagged player loses.
Case 10 — Flag Fall Without Possible Mate
Opponent cannot mate by any legal series.
Result:
- draw.
Case 11 — Clock Shows Wrong Mode
Expected increment. Clock actually delay.
Arbiter corrects setting/time.
Lesson: read actual clock mode.
Irregularities & Illegal Moves
Case 12 — First Completed Illegal Move — Standard
Opponent receives +2 minutes.
Case 13 — Second Completed Illegal Move — Standard
Offender loses, unless opponent cannot possibly mate.
Case 14 — First Illegal Move — Rapid
Penalty amount/procedure differs under Appendix A.
Lesson: format matters.
Case 15 — Two-Hand Promotion
Move completed with two hands.
Handled as illegal move.
Case 16 — Pawn Reaches Eighth, Clock Pressed, No Replacement
Current Law:
- illegal move;
- pawn replaced by queen.
Case 17 — Displaced Piece
Last valid position identifiable.
Restore and continue.
Case 18 — Illegal Position vs Illegal Move
Position could never arise legally.
Different diagnosis from one completed illegal move.
Scoresheets, Draws & Arbiter Procedure
Case 19 — Paper Scoresheet
Moves recorded normally.
Case 20 — Certified Electronic Scoresheet
Also valid under current Law when prescribed.
Case 21 — Move Written in Advance
Not allowed, except specific claim/adjournment procedure.
Case 22 — Correct Draw Offer
Move made → offer → clock pressed.
Case 23 — Conditional Draw Offer
Draw if you trade queens?
Invalid condition.
Case 24 — Intended-Move Threefold Claim
Move written/entered before being made. Arbiter notified.
Case 25 — Player Touches Piece Before Claim
Right to claim that repetition/50-move draw on that move is lost.
Case 26 — Incorrect Claim
Opponent receives standard +2 minutes (or fast-chess substituted penalty).
Case 27 — Fivefold Occurrence
Automatic draw.
Lesson: not a claim-based threefold.
Case 28 — Arbiter Gives Rule Explanation
Permitted.
Case 29 — Arbiter Says "You should take the rook"
Chess advice.
Not permitted.
Case 30 — Spectator Sees Illegal Move
May inform arbiter. Does not intervene with players.
Rapid & Blitz
Case 31 — Rapid Full Supervision
Competitive Rules applied under Appendix A conditions.
Case 32 — Rapid Reduced Supervision
Claim/intervention rules differ.
Case 33 — Old Three-Move Setup Memory
Player cites obsolete rapid rule.
Current threshold:
- ten moves for specified setup irregularity.
Formats, Swiss Pairings & Byes
Case 34 — Round Robin
Every participant meets every other once.
Case 35 — Swiss
Same field size. Only declared number of rounds.
Lesson: format changes pairings/coverage.
Case 36 — Swiss Pairing by Rating Proximity
Human pairs 2001 vs 2000 because ratings close.
Lesson: not how declared Swiss system works.
Case 37 — Repeat Opponent Proposed
Current Swiss absolute criterion rejects ordinary repeat.
Case 38 — Pairing-Allocated Bye
Odd field. Eligible player receives PAB.
Case 39 — Requested Half-Point Bye
Participant asks not to play.
Different from PAB.
Case 40 — Acceleration Virtual Point
Top group gets virtual pairing score.
Standings score unchanged.
Case 41 — Dutch vs Burstein
Same standings produce different permitted/selected pairing logic.
Lesson: system identity matters.
Case 42 — Colour Preference vs Absolute Pairing Constraint
Ideal colour cannot be given without violating higher system criterion.
Preference yields.
Standings & Tie-Breaks
Case 43 — Tie on Score — Shared Place
Event permits tie.
No secondary ranking.
Case 44 — Tie on Score — Buchholz
Announced BH applied.
Case 45 — Buchholz vs SB
Same standings. Different tie-break values.
Case 46 — Buchholz Cut-1 vs Buchholz
Different calculation.
Lesson: state modifier.
Case 47 — Unplayed Round
Old folk method used.
Current FIDE regulation produces different tie-break adjustment.
Case 48 — Play-Off Qualification
Only top tied group enters rapid play-off after announced criteria.
Ratings
Case 49 — FIDE Rating vs Platform Rating
Same player:
- FIDE 1900;
- online 2200.
No contradiction.
Case 50 — Initial Rating
Five rated-opponent games pooled. Formula includes two hypothetical 1800 draws.
Case 51 — Four Rated Games
No current initial publication yet.
Case 52 — Rating 1395
Below current 1400 publication floor. Player treated as unrated on next list.
Case 53 — 400-Point Difference, Player 2500
Current below-2650 rule caps difference at 400.
Case 54 — 400-Point Difference, Player 2700
Current amendment uses actual difference.
Case 55 — K=40 New Player
Fewer than 30 completed rated games.
Case 56 — Youth K
Under current age/rating condition.
Case 57 — K×n Period Cap
Nominal K would exceed 700 product. K reduced.
Case 58 — Performance Rating vs Rating Change
Tournament performance high. Published rating rises only by formula delta.
Titles & Norms
Case 59 — 2600 Performance
Could be GM title performance. Not automatically GM norm.
Case 60 — GM Norm
Also meets opponent/title/federation/game/tournament conditions.
Case 61 — GM Norm vs GM Title
Norm achieved. Separate 2500 title rating not yet achieved.
No GM title yet.
Case 62 — FM by Rating
Current regulation provides direct rating path at 2300 with applicable conditions.
Case 63 — Direct Title Event
Result appears in current Direct Titles table.
Different route from norms.
Case 64 — Conditional Direct Title
Result qualifies, but immediate-award minimum rating not met.
Case 65 — Rating Later Drops
Confirmed title remains.
Team Competitions
Case 66 — Team Game 2.5-1.5
Game points:
- 2.5 vs 1.5.
Match points depend on event system.
Case 67 — Team Event Uses GP Primary
Cannot assume MP primary.
Case 68 — Captain Gives Move Advice
Not automatically allowed because captain exists.
Case 69 — Captain Gives Draw/Match Advice
May be allowed only where current event/captain regulation permits.
Fair Play, Online & Hybrid
Case 70 — Phone Switched Off in Approved Bag
May be allowed when event regulations permit and bag is placed as agreed.
Case 71 — Phone on Person
Current Law can prescribe loss, subject to event's less-severe permitted rule.
Case 72 — Approved Medical/Technical Device
Explicit arbiter/event approval matters.
Case 73 — Spectacular Engine-Like Game
Observer says cheating proven.
Lesson: suspicion is not verdict.
Case 74 — Formal Fair-Play Complaint
Facts/evidence submitted through official channel.
Case 75 — Ordinary Online Chess
Players remote and not physically supervised.
Case 76 — Supervised Online
Remote players supervised by arbiter/camera rules.
Case 77 — Hybrid Chess
Players physically supervised at venues while playing online.
Case 78 — Hybrid Rating Assumption
Supervised = automatically FIDE rated.
False:
- current rating approval/regulations must apply.
Case 79 — Platform Disconnect
Apply platform/event online rule, not an invented OTB equivalent.
Historical Rule Changes
Case 80 — Historical Event
Analyze using regulation then in force, not current 2026 rule.
Core rule The same chessboard event can have different procedural consequences because format, supervision, event rules and regulation date are part of the competitive state.