From: steven@Chemeng.Ed.Ac.Uk (Steven Rix)
Newsgroups: rec.games.chess
Subject: The 1988 FIDE Laws of Chess [Long]
Date: 21 Jan 93 20:41:25 GMT
Reply-To: steven@Chemeng.Ed.Ac.Uk
Organization: Edinburgh University Chemical Engineering Department.
NNTP-Posting-Host: tain.chemeng.ed.ac.uk

Appended is my text version of the FIDE Laws of chess (I also have a TeX version
which uses the Piet Tutelaers chess fonts). This is submitted following several
requests that I post the file.

The version which follows is virtually verbatim, but in a few places I have 
re-worded the Laws, to improve the flow of the English or to emphasise the meaning.
I have also included a few comments, which are based on my understanding of the 
Laws, due to a course I attended that was organised by the British Chess Federation.
These are NOT to be interpreted as gospel truth!

The Laws are the version which came into effect on 01 January 1989. If anybody has
a copy of any amendments which took effect after this date, I would be very grateful 
if he/she would mail/post a copy.

If anyone wishes to copy this file to a personal or public-domain file, then that
is fine by me.

Steve.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.


                         The F.I.D.E. Rules Of Chess 
                         ===========================
 

      Preface   
      -------
                                  
      The Laws of Chess cannot cover all possible situations that may 
      arise during a game, nor can they regulate all administrative 
      questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article 
      of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by 
      studying analogous situations which are discussed in the Laws.

      The Laws assume arbiters have the necessary competence, sound
      judgement and absolute objectivity. Too detailed a rule might 
      deprive the arbiter of his freedom of judgement and thus prevent 
      him from finding the solution to a problem dictated by fairness, 
      logic and special factors.

      F.I.D.E. appeals to all chess players and federations to accept 
      this view.
          
      Any chess federation that already operates, or wants to introduce, 
      more detailed rules is free to do so, provided:

 (a)  they do not conflict in any way with the official F.I.D.E. Laws 
      of Chess;
 (b)  they are limited to the territory of the federation in question; and
 (c)  they are not valid for any F.I.D.E. match, championship, or qualifying 
      event, or to a F.I.D.E. title or rating tournament.
                
      In the Articles of these Laws, "he" and "his" can refer to "she" 
      and "her".

 
      Article 1:    The Chessboard 
      ---------------------------- 

      The game of chess is played between two opponents by moving pieces
      on a square board called a "chessboard".
  
 1.1  The chessboard is composed of 64 equal squares, alternately light 
      (the "white" squares) and dark (the "black" squares).
 
 1.2  The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that 
      the near corner to the right of each player is white.

 1.3  The eight vertical rows of squares are called "files".

 1.4  The eight horizontal rows of squares are called "ranks".

 1.5  The lines of squares of the same colour, touching corner to corner, 
      are called "diagonals".

 

      Article 2:    The Pieces   
      ------------------------ 

 2.1  At the beginning of the game, one player has 16 light-coloured 
      pieces (the "white" pieces), the other has 16 dark-coloured pieces 
      (the "black"  pieces.

 2.2  These pieces are as follows: 
      One white King (K);              One black King (k);
      One white Queen (Q);             One black Queen (q);
      Two white Rooks (R);             Two black Rooks (r);
      Two white Knight (N);            Two black Knights (n);
      Two white Bishops (B);           Two black Bishops (b);
      Eight white Pawns (P);           Eight black pawns (p).
     
 2.3  The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as follows:
      White: Ra1, Nb1, Bc1, Qd1, Ke1, Bf1, Ng1, Rh1, 
             Pawns on a2, b2, c2, d2, e2, f2, g2 and h2;
      Black: ra8, nb8, (b)c8, qd8, ke8, (b)f8, ng8, rh8,
             pawns on a7, b7, c7, d7, e7, f7, g7 and h7.
  
 
      Article 3:    The Right To Move 
      -------------------------------

 3.1  The player with the white pieces commences the game. The players
      alternate in making one move at a time until the game is completed.

 3.2  A player is said to "have the move" when his opponent's move has 
      been completed.

 
      Article 4:    The General Definition Of The Move      
      ------------------------------------------------
 
 4.1  With the exception of castling (Article 5.1(b)), a move is the
      transfer of a piece from one square to another square, which is 
      either vacant or occupied by an opponent's piece.    
      [A capture is, therefore, merely a certain type of move.] 

 4.2  No piece, except the rook when castling (Article 5.1(b)) and the
      knight (Article 5.5), may cross a square occupied by another piece.

 4.3  A piece played to a square occupied by an opponent's piece captures 
      it as part of the same move. The captured piece must be removed
      immediately from the chessboard by the player making the capture 
      (see Article 5.6(c) for capturing "en passant").
 

      Article 5:    The Moves Of The Pieces   
      -------------------------------------
 
 5.1  The King:
    (a)  Except when castling, the king moves to any adjoining square 
         that is not attacked by an opponent's piece.
    (b)  Castling is a move of the king and either rook, counting as a
         single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is
         transferred from its original square two squares toward either 
         rook on the same rank; then that rook is transferred over the 
         king to the square the king has just crossed.
    (c)  If a player touches a rook and then his king, he may not castle 
         with that rook and the situation will by governed by Articles 7.2 
         and 7.3 [Touched Piece rules].
    (d)  If a player, intending to castle, touches the king first, or
         king and rook at the same time, and it then appears that castling 
         is illegal, the player may choose either to move his king or to 
         castle on the other side, provided that castling on that side is 
         legal. If the king has no legal move, the player is free to make 
         any legal move.
    (e)  Castling is [permanently] illegal:
         (i)  if the king has already been moved; or
         (ii) with a rook that has already been moved.
    (f)  Castling is prevented for the time being:
         (i)  if the king's original square, or the square which the king 
              must pass over, or that which it is to occupy, is attacked by 
              an opponent's piece; or
         (ii) if there is any piece between the king and the rook with which 
              castling is to be effected.
         [i.e. castling may still be legal even if the rook is attacked
         or, when castling queenside, passes over an attacked square].

 5.2  The Queen.
      The queen moves to any square (except as limited by Article 4.2)
      [No leapfrogging]  on the file, rank, or diagonals on which it stands.

 5.3  The Rook.
      The rook moves to any square (except as limited by Article 4.2) 
      on the file or rank on which it stands.

 5.4  The Bishop.
      The bishop moves to any square (except as limited by Article 4.2)
      on the diagonals on which it stands.

 5.5  The Knight.
      The knight's move is composed of two different steps; first, it makes
      one step of one single square along its rank or file, and then, still
      moving away from the square of departure, one step of one single
      square on a diagonal. It does not matter if the square of the first
      step is occupied.

 5.6  The Pawn.
    (a)  The pawn may move only forward [except as limited by Article 4.2].
    (b)  Except when making a capture, it advances from its original square 
         either one or two vacant squares along the file on which it is 
         placed, and on subsequent moves it advances one vacant square along 
         the file. When capturing, it advances one square along either of 
         the diagonals on which it stands.
    (c)  A pawn, attacking a square crossed by an opponent's pawn which
         has [just] been advanced two squares in one move from its original 
         square, may capture this opponent's pawn as though the latter had 
         been moved only one square. This capture may only be made in    
         [immediate] reply to such an advance, and is called an "en passant"  
         capture.
    (d)  On reaching the last rank, a pawn must immediately be exchanged, as 
         part of the same move, for [either] a queen, a rook, a bishop, or 
         a knight, of the same colour as the pawn, at the player's choice 
         and without taking into account the other pieces still remaining 
         on the chessboard. This exchange of a pawn for another piece is 
         called "promotion", and the effect of the promoted piece is 
         immediate [and permanent!].
    (e)  In a competition, if a new piece required for the promotion is not 
         immediately available, the player may stop his clock to ask for the 
         assistance of the arbiter. If no request is made and the player 
         makes his move and stops his clock without exchanging the promoted 
         pawn for a new piece [even if the player writes his intended 
         promotion as, for example, "e7-e8=Q" on his scoresheet], he must be 
         given a warning or a disciplinary penalty, such as the advancement 
         of the time on his clock. In any case, the opponent's clock must be 
         set back to the time it registered immediately before the player 
         stopped his clock, the position on the chessboard must be 
         re-established to what it was immediately before the player moved 
         his pawn, and the clock of the player having the move [who is about 
         to promote]  must be started. The player must then make his move 
         correctly, in the manner specified in Article 5.6(d).

 

      Article 6:    The Completion Of The Move 
      ----------------------------------------

      A move is completed:

 6.1  in the case of the transfer of a piece to a vacant square, when 
      the player's hand has released the piece;

 6.2  in the case of a capture, when the captured piece has been removed
      from the chessboard and the player, having placed his own piece on its 
      new square, has released this [capturing] piece from his hand;

 6.3  in the case of castling, when the player's hand has released the rook 
      on the square [previously] crossed by the king. When the player has 
      released the king from his hand, the move is not yet completed, but the 
      player no longer has the right to make any move other than castling on 
      that side, if this is legal;

 6.4  in the case of the promotion of a pawn, when the pawn has been removed 
      from the chessboard and the player's hand has released the new piece 
      after placing it on the promotion square. If the player has released 
      from his hand the pawn that has reached the promotion square, the move 
      is not yet completed, but the player no longer has the right to play 
      the pawn to another square.

 6.5  When determining whether the prescribed number of moves has been made 
      in the allotted time, the last move is not considered complete until 
      after the player has stopped his clock. This applies to all situations 
      except those governed by Articles 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4 and 10.7. 
      [i.e. when the move has been completed in the sense of Articles 6.1-6.4, 
      and the game ends immediately after the move in question, for example, 
      by checkmate. This Law was introduced to prevent the situation where a 
      player returns to the board to claim a win on time, possibly an hour 
      after being checkmated!].

 

      Article 7:    The Touched Piece 
      -------------------------------   
        
 7.1  Provided that he first expresses his intention (e.g. by saying
      "j'adoube"), the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces 
      on their squares. [If a player's opponent is absent from the chessboard, 
      it is best to inform one of his team-mates, or some other witness.] 

 7.2  Except for the above case, if the player having the move deliberately 
      touches:
    (a)  one or more pieces of the same colour, he must move or capture the 
         first piece he touched that can be moved or captured; or
    (b)  one of his own pieces and one of his opponent's pieces, he must
         capture his opponent's piece with his own piece; or, if this is 
         illegal, move or capture the first piece he touched that can be 
         moved or captured.

 7.3  If none of the touched pieces has a legal move (or if none of the
      opponent's pieces which were touched can be captured legally),
      the player is free to make any legal move.

 7.4  If a player wishes to claim that his opponent has violated Article
      7.2, he must do so before he himself touches a piece.
      [Note that the clause ``deliberately touches" protects a player from 
      having to move a piece accidentally touched by his elbow/wrist etc] 

 

      Article 8:    Illegal Positions 
      -------------------------------
      
 8.1  If, during a game, it is found that an illegal move was made, the
      position shall be reinstated to what it was before the illegal move 
      was made. The game shall then continue by applying the rules of 
      Article 7 to the move replacing the illegal move. If the position 
      cannot be reinstated, the game shall be annulled and a new game played.
      This applies to all sessions of play, and to a game awaiting a decision
      by adjudication.    
      [Note that this discovery of an illegal move must be made while the 
      game is still in progress, before resignation or the agreement of a 
      draw. The only exception can be if the illegal move itself would 
      normally end the game: anyone trying the trick 1. e2-e4 e7-e5; 2. Bf1-c4 
      Ng8-f6; 3. Qd1xf7 "mate" may be penalysed under Article 10.15! Note 
      that the act of playing an illegal move, at ANY stage of the game, does 
      not IN ITSELF forfeit the game.] 

 8.2  If, during a game, one or more pieces have been accidentally displaced 
      and incorrectly replaced, the position before the displacement occurred 
      shall be reinstated, and the game shall continue. If the position cannot 
      be reinstated, the game shall be annulled and a new game played.

 8.3  If a player moves and in the course of this inadvertently knocks over a 
      piece, or several pieces, he must not stop his clock until the position 
      has been re-established. [An opponent confronted by this situation is 
      justified in restarting the clock of the first player.] 

 8.4  If, after an adjournment, the position is incorrectly set up, the 
      position as it was on adjournment must be set up again and the game 
      continued. 

 8.5  If, during a game, it is found that the initial position of the pieces 
      was incorrect, the game shall be annulled and a new game played.

 8.6  If, during a game, it is found that the board has been placed contrary 
      to Article 1.2, the position reached should be transferred to a
      correctly-placed board, and the game continued. 

 8.7  If a game has begun with colours incorrectly reversed, then it shall
      continue if more than one quarter of the time allocated to the first 
      time control has elapsed. Earlier, the arbiter can arrange for a new 
      game to start with the correct colours, if the event's timetable is not 
      excessively disrupted.
      [In the situations covered by Articles 8.5-8.7, an arbiter, spectator or
      player shall be justified in pointing out the error he has noticed. In 
      Article 8.7, the implicit assumption is that the relative positions of 
      the pieces with respect to one another were correct].

 
      Article 9:    Check   
      -------------------
      
 9.1  The king is in "check" when the square it occupies is attacked by one 
      or two of the opponent's pieces; in this case, the latter is/are said 
      to be "checking" the king.
      
 9.2  Check must be parried by the move immediately following. If the check 
      cannot be parried, the king is said to be "checkmated" (or "mated").

 9.3  Declaring a check is not obligatory.    
      [Merely polite! A player who plays a move, illegal by Article 9.2, 
      does not as a direct result lose the game (Article 8.1).] 

 
      Article 10:    The Completed Game    
      ---------------------------------
      
10.1  The game is won by the player who has checkmated his opponent's king. 
      This immediately ends the game.

10.2  The game is won by the player whose opponent declares he resigns.
      This immediately ends the game.

10.3  The game is drawn when the king of the player who has the move is not 
      in check, and this player cannot make any legal move. The player's king
      is then said to be "stalemated". This immediately ends the game. 
      [If the stalemating move was actually legal!].

10.4  The game is drawn upon agreement by the two players. This immediately 
      ends the game.
 
10.5  The game is drawn, upon a claim by the player having the move,
      when the same position, for the third time:
    (a)  is about to appear, if he first declares to the arbiter his intention 
         of making this move, and writes this move on his scoresheet; or
    (b)  has just appeared, the same player having the move each time. 
      The position is considered the same if pieces of the same kind and 
      colour occupy the same squares, and if all the possible moves of all the 
      pieces are the same, including the rights to castle [at some future time]  
      or to capture a pawn "en passant".

10.6  If a player executes a move without having claimed a draw for one of 
      the reasons stated in Article 10.5, he loses the right to claim a draw. 
      This right is restored to him, however, if the same position later 
      appears again, the same player having the move.

 

10.7  The game is drawn when one of the following endings arises:
    (a)  king against king;
    (b)  king against king with only bishop or knight;
    (c)  king and bishop against king and bishop, with both bishops on 
         diagonals of the same colour.
      A player having a bare king cannot win the game. A draw shall be 
      declared if the opponent of a player with a bare king oversteps the time 
      limit or has sealed an illegal move.

10.8  The game is drawn when a player having the move claims a draw and
      demonstrates that at least the last 50 consecutive moves have been made 
      by each side without the capture of any piece and without the movement 
      of any pawn. This number of 50 moves can be increased for certain 
      positions, provided that this increase in number and these positions 
      have been clearly established in the Laws of Chess (see Article 10.9).

10.9  The number of 50 moves mentioned in article 10.8 will be extended to 
      75 moves for the following positions:
    (a)  king, rook and bishop against king and rook;
    (b)  king and two knights against king and pawn;
    (c)  king, queen and pawn one square away from promotion against 
         king and queen;
    (d)  king and queen against king and two knights;
    (e)  king and queen against king and two bishops;
    (f)  king and two bishops against king and knight.
      [The claim then proceeds according to 10.11. Cases (c) and (f) have 
      recently been proved won for the stronger material force by exhaustive 
      computer analysis. The others have been known to be forced wins, of 
      possibly more than 50 moves duration, for substantially longer. The most 
      extreme case known is king, rook and bishop aagainst king and two 
      knights, which can run for 223 moves between captures! 
      N.B. This rule has been deleted, with effect from 01/01/1992.].

10.10 A proposal of a draw under the provisions of Article 10.4 may be made 
      by a player only at the moment when he has just moved a piece. On then 
      proposing a draw, he starts the clock of his opponent. 
    (a)  If a player proposes a draw while his opponent's clock is running, 
         the opponent may still agree to the draw or reject the offer. A 
         player who offers a draw in this manner, however, should be warned 
         by the arbiter (see Article 15.1(d) [Cheating]).
    (b)  If a player proposes a draw while his own clock is running, his 
         opponent may accept or reject the offer, or he may postpone his 
         decision until after he has seen the first player's move. In the 
         case where the move is a sealed move, the decision may wait until 
         after the sealed move envelope has been opened and the move played 
         on the board.
      In all these situations, the player may accept the proposal, or reject 
      it either orally or by completing a move at his first opportunity. In 
      the interval between the offer of a draw and the opponent's response, 
      the player who made the proposal cannot withdraw it.
      [The gamesmanship question ``Are you playing for a win?" can be 
      considered as an offer of a draw].
 
10.11 If a player claims a draw under the provisions of Articles 10.5 and/or
      10.8 [Repetition of position or 50 moves] , the arbiter must first stop 
      the clocks while the claim is being investigated. In the absence of the 
      arbiter, a player may stop both clocks to seek the arbiter's assistance.
    (a)  If the claim is found to be correct, the game is drawn.
    (b)  If the claim is found to be incorrect, the arbiter shall then add 
         five minutes to the claimant's used time. If this means that the 
         claimant has now overstepped the time limit, his game will be 
         declared lost. Otherwise, the game will be continued, and a player 
         who has indicated a move according to Article 10.5(a) is then 
         obliged to execute this move on the chessboard.
    (c)  A player who has made a claim under this article cannot withdraw 
         the claim.

10.12 The game is lost by a player who has not completed the prescribed
      number of moves in the allotted time, unless his opponent has only 
      the king remaining, in which case the game is drawn. 
      [Situations when Articles 10.1-10.4 or 10.7 apply are also exceptions.] 

10.13 The game is lost by a player who arrives at the chessboard more than 
      one hour late, for the beginning of the game or for the resumption of
      an adjourned game. The time of delay is counted from the scheduled 
      start of the playing session. However, in the case of an adjourned 
      game, if the player who made the sealed move is the late player, the 
      game is decided otherwise if:
    (a)  the absent player has won the game by virtue of the fact that the 
         sealed move is checkmate; or
    (b)  the absent player has produced a drawn game by virtue of the fact 
         that the sealed move is stalemate, or if one of the positions in 
         Article 10.7 has arisen as a consequence of the sealed move; or
    (c)  the player present at the chessboard has lost the game according to 
         Article 10.12 by exceeding his time limit.

10.14 The game is lost by a player who has sealed a move, the real 
      significance of which is impossible to establish, or who has sealed
      an illegal move.

10.1  The game is lost by a player who, during the game, refuses to comply 
      with the Laws. If both players refuse to comply with the Laws, or if 
      both players arrive at the chessboard more than one hour late, the 
      game shall be declared lost by both players.

    
       Article 11:    The Recording Of Games      
       -------------------------------------
 
11.1  In the course of play, each player is required to record the game (his 
      own moves and those of his opponent), move after move, as clearly and
      legibly as possible in the Algebraic Notation, on the scoresheet 
      prescribed for the competition. It is irrelevant whether the player 
      first makes his move and then writes down the move on his scoresheet 
      or  vice versa.
      [The use of Descriptive Notation or foreign versions of Algebraic 
      Notation is tolerated in internal tournaments, e.g. weekend congresses.] 
 
11.2  If a player has less than five minutes on his clock until the time
      control, he is not obliged to meet the requirements of Article 11.1. As 
      soon as the special device (e.g. the flag) on the chess clock indicates 
      the end of his allotted time, the player must immediately complete his 
      record of the game by filling in the moves omitted from his scoresheet. 
      [A player is justified in restarting his opponent's clock, without 
      having to make a move, if his opponent has more than 5 minutes left and 
      is not fulfilling the requirements of Article 11.1. A player cannot stop 
      his clock unless he has recorded at least his opponent's last move and 
      all previous moves of the game.] 
      
11.3  If both players cannot keep score, the arbiter, or his deputy, must
      endeavour to be present and keep score. The arbiter must then not 
      intervene unless one flag falls, and until then he should not indicate 
      in any manner to the players how many moves have been made.

11.4  If Article 11.2 does not apply, and a player refuses to record the
      game according to Article 11.1, then Article 10.15 [failure to comply 
      with the Laws of Chess] should be applied.

11.5  If a player does not refuse to comply with the arbiter's request for a 
      completed scoresheet, but declares that he cannot complete his 
      scoresheet without consulting his opponent's, the request for this 
      scoresheet must be made to the arbiter, who will determine whether the 
      scoresheet can be completed before the time-control without 
      inconveniencing the other player. 
      This latter cannot refuse his scoresheet, because the scoresheet belongs 
      to the organisers and the reconstruction will be made in his opponent's 
      time. In all other cases, the scoresheets can only be completed after 
      the time-control.
 
11.6  If, after the time-control, one player alone has to complete his
      scoresheet, he will do so before making another move, and with his 
      clock running if his opponent has moved.

11.7  If, after the time-control, both players need to complete their
      scoresheets, both clocks will be stopped until the two scoresheets are 
      completed, if necessary with the help of a chessboard under the control 
      of the arbiter, who should have recorded the actual game position 
      beforehand.  [In case this position gets disturbed!] 
 
11.8  If, in Article 11.6, the arbiter sees that the scoresheets alone cannot 
      help in the reconstruction of the game, he will act as in Article 11.7.

11.9  If it proves impossible to reconstruct the moves as prescribed under 
      Article 11.7, the game shall continue. In this case, the next move played 
      will be considered to be the first one of the following time-control.

 
      Article 12:    The Chess Clock
      ------------------------------   

12.1  Each player must make a certain number of moves in an allotted period 
      of time, these two factors being specified in advance. The time saved 
      by a player during one period is added to his time available for the 
      next period.
      
12.2  Control of each player's time is effected by means of a clock equipped 
      with a flag (or other special device) for this purpose. The flag is 
      considered to have fallen when the arbiter observes the fact, or when 
      the arbiter determines that the allotted time has been exceeded, even 
      though the flag, because of a defect, has not fallen when the end of the 
      minute hand has passed the end of the flag. In cases where no arbiter is 
      present, the flag is considered to have fallen when a claim to that 
      effect has been made by a player.
 
12.3  At the time determined for the start of the game, the clock of the
      player who has the white pieces is started. During the game, each of the 
      players, having made his move, stops his own clock and starts his 
      opponent's.
 
12.4  Every indication given by a clock is considered to be conclusive in the 
      absence of evident defects. A player who wishes to claim any such defect 
      must do so as soon as he himself has become aware of it, but not later 
      than immediately after his flag has fallen at the time-control. A clock 
      with an obvious defect should be replaced, and the time used by each 
      player up to the time the game was interupted should be indicated on the 
      new clock as accurately as possible. The arbiter shall use his best 
      judgement in determining what times shall be shown on the new clock. 
      If the arbiter decides to add time used to the clock of one or both of 
      the players, he shall under no circumstances leave a player with:
    (a)  less than five minutes time to the time-control; or
    (b)  less than one minute for every move to the time-control.
 
12.5  If the game needs to be interupted for some reason for which neither 
      player is responsible, the clocks shall be stopped by the arbiter. This 
      should be done, for example, in the case of an illegal position being 
      corrected, in the case of a defective clock being changed, or if the 
      piece which a player has declared he wishes to receive in exchange for 
      a promoted pawn is not immediately available, or to claim a draw by 
      repetitions of the position or under the 50 moves rule. If the arbiter 
      is not present, the players may stop both clocks in order to seek the 
      arbiter's assistance.
 
12.6  In the case of Articles 8.1 and 8.2 [Illegal Positions], when it is not 
      possible to determine the exact time used by each player up to the 
      moment when the irregularity occurred, each player shall be allotted up 
      to that moment a time proportional to that indicated by the clock when 
      the irregularity was ascertained. 
      For example, after Black's 30th move it is found that an irregularity 
      took place at the 20th move. For these 30 moves, the clock shows 90 
      minutes for White and 60 minutes for Black, so it is assumed that the 
      times used by the two players for the first 20 moves were as follows:  
         for White:   90 x 20/30 = 60 minutes;  
         for Black:   60 x 20/30 = 40 minutes.  
      This rule must not be used to leave a player with less than five minutes 
      to the time control, or less than one minute for every move to the 
      control. (The most common occasion when this problem arises is
      immediately after an adjournment, when the clock times can be most
      easily adjusted using the times on the sealed move envelope.)
 
12.7  A resignation or an agreement to draw (Articles 10.2 and 10.4) remains 
      valid even if it is found later that a flag has fallen.
 
12.8  If both flags have fallen at virtually the same time [or if both have 
      fallen before a claim is made by either player] and the arbiter is 
      unable to establish clearly which flag fell first, the game shall 
      continue. In this case, the next move played will be considered to be 
      the first one of the following time control.
 
12.9  The arbiter [and everyone else, for that matter] shall refrain from 
      calling a player's attention to the fact that his opponent has made a 
      move or that the player has forgotten to stop his clock after he has
      made a move, or informing the player how many moves he has made, etc.
 

      Article 13:    The Adjournment Of The Game    
      ------------------------------------------
  
13.1  If a game is not finished at the end of the time prescribed for play, 
      the player having the move must write his move in unambiguous notation 
      on his scoresheet, put his scoresheet and that of his opponent in an 
      envelope, seal the envelope, and then stop the clocks. Until he has
      stopped the clocks, the player retains the right to change his sealed 
      move. If the player makes the said move on the chessboard, he must 
      write this same move on his scoresheet, as his sealed move.

13.2  Upon the envelope shall be indicated:
    (a)  the names of the players;
    (b)  the position immediately before the sealed move;
    (c)  the time used by each player;
    (d)  the name of the player who has sealed the move; and
    (e)  the number of the sealed move.

13.3  The arbiter is responsible for the envelope.

 

      Article 14:    The Resumption of the Adjourned Game 
      ---------------------------------------------------    

14.1  When the game is resumed, the position immediately before the sealed 
      move shall be set up on the chessboard, and the time used by each 
      player when the game was adjourned shall be indicated on the clocks.

14.2  The envelope shall be opened only when the player having the move (the 
      player who must reply to the sealed move) is present. This player's 
      clock shall be started after the sealed move has been made on the 
      chessboard.
    (a)  If two players have agreed to a draw and announce their decision to 
         the arbiter, and then find, when the envelope is opened, that an 
         illegal move has been sealed; or
    (b)  if one of the players in an adjourned game notifies the arbiter that 
         he resigns and then finds, when the envelope has been opened, that 
         his opponent has sealed a move, invalid according to Article 10.14, 
         then in (a) the draw stands and in (b) the resignation is still valid.

14.3  If the player having to respond to the sealed move is absent, his clock 
      shall be started but the envelope containing the sealed move shall be 
      opened only when he arrives.

14.4  If the player who has sealed the move is absent, the player having the 
      move is not obliged to reply to this move on the chessboard. He has the 
      right to record his move in reply on his scoresheet, to seal the 
      scoresheet in an envelope, to stop his clock and start his opponent's 
      clock. The envelope should then be put into safekeeping and opened on
      the opponent's arrival.

14.5  If the envelope containing the move recorded in accordance with 
      Article 13 has disappeared:
    (a)  the game shall be resumed from the position at the time of 
         adjournment and with the clock times recorded at the time of 
         adjournment;
    (b)  if it is impossible to re-establish the position, the game is 
         annulled and a new game must be played;
    (c)  if the time used at the time of the adjournment cannot be
         re-established, this question is decided by the arbiter. The player 
         who sealed the move makes it on the chessboard.  

14.6  If, upon resumption of the game, the time used has been incorrectly 
      indicated on either clock, and if either player points this out before 
      making his first move, the error must be corrected. If the error is not 
      so established, the game continues without correction, unless the 
      arbiter feels that the consequences will be too severe.

14.7  The duration of the adjourned session shall be controlled by the wall 
      clock, with the starting and finishing time announced in advance.

 
      Article 15:    The Conduct Of The Players     
      -----------------------------------------
 
15.1  Prohibitions:
    (a)  During play, the players are forbidden to make use of hand-written, 
         printed or otherwise recorded matter, or to analyse the game on
         another chessboard. They are also forbidden to have recourse to the 
         advice or opinion of a third party, whether solicited or not. 
         [The only possible exception is that a player in a team competition 
         may be allowed to ask his captain "Should I accept his offer of a 
         draw?" or "Does the team need me to play for a win?". The captain 
         or acting-captain must limit his reply to an immediate "Yes", "No", 
         or "It's up to you", without supplying his answer after a detailed 
         analysis of the position, and without making his answer emphatic in 
         any way. This captain, like all his players, is not allowed to 
         receive opinions, from any source, on the states of play of any games 
         still in progress].
    (b)  The use of notes made during the game as an aid to memory is also 
         forbidden, aside from the actual recording of the moves and the 
         times on the clocks.
    (c)  No analysis is permitted in the playing rooms during play or during 
         adjourned sessions.
    (d)  It is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner
         whatsoever.
 
15.2  Infractions of the rules indicated in Article 15.1 may incur penalties 
      even to the extent of the loss of the game.

 

      Article 16:    The Arbiter 
      -------------------------   

      An arbiter should be designated to control the competition. His duties 
      are:

16.1  To see that the Laws are strictly observed.
 
16.2  To supervise the progress of the competition, to establish that the 
      prescribed time-limit has not been exceeded by the players, to arrange
      the order of resumption of play of adjourned games, to see that the 
      arrangements contained in Article 13 are observed (i.e. to see that the 
      information on the envelope is correct), to keep the sealed-move 
      envelope until the resumption of the adjourned game, etc.
 
16.3  To enforce the decisions he may make in disputes that have arisen during 
      the course of the competition.
 
16.4  To act in the best interests of the competition to ensure that a good 
      playing environment is maintained and that the players are not disturbed 
      by each other or by the audience.
 
16.5  To impose penalties on the players for any fault or infraction of the 
      Laws.

 

      Article 17:    Scoring   
      ----------------------  

      For a won game, the winner gets one point and the loser no points.
      For a draw, each player gets half a point.

 
      Article 18:    The Interpretation of the Laws    
      ---------------------------------------------
 
      In case of doubts as to the application or interpretation of the Laws,
      F.I.D.E. will examine the evidence and render official decisions. 
      Rulings published are binding on all affiliated federations. All 
      proposals and questions about interpretations should be submitted by 
      member federations, with complete data.

 
      Article 19:    Validity   
      -----------------------  

      This English text is the [more or less] authentic version of the Laws 
      of chess, which was adopted by the 1984 F.I.D.E. Congress, and 
      subsequently amended at the 1988 F.I.D.E. Congress. These Laws took 
      effect from 1 March 1989.

      [Could anyone with access to the very latest version please copy this
      file, amend it where necessary, and repost?]
 
      [Comments in [] are due to Steven Rix (steven@chemeng.ed.ac.uk) and are 
      based only on his understanding of the interpretations of the Laws.] 
-- 
Steve J.L. Rix

University of Edinburgh, Dept. of Chemical Eng. Phone: +44 (31) 650 8565.