Cheating in Chess

[Uri Blass]

yeah, wrt the ethics stuff, it's wrong but there is not much you can do.

The touch move rule can cause problems. I had a game once where it was pretty much a losing position, but my opponent's hand was hovering above a piece that would have given me good draw chances. Anyways, I could not tell if he was touching the piece, but his fingertips could not have been more than 1/4 - 1/2 inch from the piece. I claimed touch move and called the td. I lost that appeal, and the game. I was not happy. As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between hovering very close and actually touching the piece.

There is a clear difference and I will never complain that my opponent touch the piece unless I am sure that he did it.

There is a rule that you are innocent unless you are proved quilty.

I can also add that touching a piece is not enough to force you to move it and you need to do it deliberately based on the chess rules.

It happened few times when my opponent touched a piece not with his fingers when it was clear that the target of his fingers was another piece and I never thought to ask him to move the piece that he touched first.

I can add that from my point of view my opponent is allowed to put his fingers 1/4-1/2 inch from the piece that he thinks to play.

I see no demage in it and it can only help me to play better because it help me to get more thinking time against the move that he plans to play.

Of course if the opponent decides to put his fingers 1/4-1/2 inch from another piece it can confuse me but I think that doing it is more confusing for the player who does it so again I see no demage for myself.
Uri

[AdminX]

There is a rule that you are innocent unless you are proved quilty.

Uri,

I disagree! It's more like a slogan that a rule. If there was a rule it's more likely that it's the other way around.

"Guilty until proven innocent!"

But then oh wait, we are talking about Chess ..., so you may have a point!

[Uri Blass]

There is a rule that you are innocent unless you are proved quilty.

Uri,

I disagree! It's more like a slogan that a rule. If there was a rule it's more likely that it's the other way around.

"Guilty until proven innocent!"

But then oh, we are talking about Chess ..., so you may have a point!

The question what practically happens has nothing to do with the rules.

I agree with you that it is often the other way around when we do not talk about chess but it does not mean that there is no rule but only that the court does not follow the rule.

Uri

[Fguy64]

yeah, wrt the ethics stuff, it's wrong but there is not much you can do.

The touch move rule can cause problems. I had a game once where it was pretty much a losing position, but my opponent's hand was hovering above a piece that would have given me good draw chances. Anyways, I could not tell if he was touching the piece, but his fingertips could not have been more than 1/4 - 1/2 inch from the piece. I claimed touch move and called the td. I lost that appeal, and the game. I was not happy. As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between hovering very close and actually touching the piece.

There is a clear difference and I will never complain that my opponent touch the piece unless I am sure that he did it.

well everyone has an opinion. I'd be interested in what a professional arbiter has to say on this matter. Maybe I'll send an email to Gjurt Gjeissen (sp?) over at Chess Cafe.

There is a rule that you are innocent unless you are proved quilty.

I can also add that touching a piece is not enough to force you to move it and you need to do it deliberately based on the chess rules.

It happened few times when my opponent touched a piece not with his fingers when it was clear that the target of his fingers was another piece and I never thought to ask him to move the piece that he touched first.

I agree with you here, but the situation I described was clearly different.

I can add that from my point of view my opponent is allowed to put his fingers 1/4-1/2 inch from the piece that he thinks to play.

I see no demage in it and it can only help me to play better because it help me to get more thinking time against the move that he plans to play.

Of course if the opponent decides to put his fingers 1/4-1/2 inch from another piece it can confuse me but I think that doing it is more confusing for the player who does it so again I see no demage for myself.
Uri

In this last part, It kind of sounds to me that you are prepared to overlook some rule infractions. That is certainly your prerogative, like it is mine to enforce some rules when I want. In this case I describe I'll stick with my guns for now, but I am gonna check with a certified arbiter on this.

regards.

[Uri Blass]

yeah, wrt the ethics stuff, it's wrong but there is not much you can do.

The touch move rule can cause problems. I had a game once where it was pretty much a losing position, but my opponent's hand was hovering above a piece that would have given me good draw chances. Anyways, I could not tell if he was touching the piece, but his fingertips could not have been more than 1/4 - 1/2 inch from the piece. I claimed touch move and called the td. I lost that appeal, and the game. I was not happy. As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between hovering very close and actually touching the piece.

There is a clear difference and I will never complain that my opponent touch the piece unless I am sure that he did it.

well everyone has an opinion. I'd be interested in what a professional arbiter has to say on this matter. Maybe I'll send an email to Gjurt Gjeissen (sp?) over at Chess Cafe.

I am not a professional arbiter but I passed in the past an exam about the chess rules with high score of 90 out of 100 and I also helped another referee in one tournament so I think that my knowledge here is good enough to say that you cannot force him to move with the piece.

The referee may warn somebody who put his fingers near the piece for a long time without touching it based on the rule that
"It is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner whatsoever"

I remember seeing a case when it happened in a tournament when I was helping the referee but the referee has no right to force him to move a piece that he did not touch.

If the player continue his wrong behaviour after the warning then the referee can decide to punish him by other ways like reducing his time(in second time that he does it) or deciding about a loss for the player who refuse to obey the rules in the third time.

If the time that the finger is near the piece is short then I think that no warning is needed because it is possible that the player thought to move a piece and at the last moment saw that the move is not good.

I remember a case when I almost touched a piece in order to move it but 1/10 second before touching it, I saw that the move is losing so I did not touch it.

My opponent said after the game that he lost that I am lucky that I did not touch the piece but he did not think to complain against me during the game.

Uri

[Fguy64]

Fair enough, Uri. I guess I learned something today. cheers.