QUICKPLAY FINISH RULES

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Appendix D

QUICKPLAY FINISHES
2005 FIDE LAWS OF CHESS
1.7.05
with Guidance Notes from the Chess Arbiters' Association
ARTICLE 10: QUICKPLAY FINISH

10.1 A ‘quickplay finish’ is the last phase of a game, when all the (remaining) moves must be made in a limited time.

10.2 If the player, having the move, has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. He shall stop the clocks and summon the arbiter.

(a) If the arbiter agrees the opponent is making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall postpone his decision or reject the claim.

(b) If the arbiter postpones his decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra minutes thinking time and the game shall continue in the presence of an arbiter, if possible. The arbiter shall declare the final result later in the game or after a flag has fallen. He shall declare the game drawn if he agrees that the final position cannot be won by normal means, or that the opponent was not making sufficient attempts to win by normal means.

(d) The decision of the arbiter shall be final relating to 10.2a,b,c.

10.3 If both flags have fallen and it is impossible to establish which flag fell first the game is drawn.

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GUIDANCE TO PLAYERS in the final stages of a Quickplay Finish
From the Chess Arbiters Association
Note: the printed CAA document is an informal digest of the relevant Laws, followed by the Guidance proper. Our version is (slightly) more formal about the Laws, but reproduces the Guidance as printed. With the inevitable rjh comments.

If, when short of time, you continue to play for a win, you risk losing unless your opponent has only a King. [rjh: well, or something else that can't checkmate. Like K + N v K + Q.]

If you are holding a position so that your opponent cannot make progress, offer him a draw. If he rejects the offer, stop the clocks, summon the Arbiter and claim a draw. [rjh: next bit's mine, not the CAA's, but I expect they'd have said it if they'd thought. Unless the position is very clearcut, it's wise to leave yourself time to make a few moves with the Arbiter watching. You can't demonstrate that you know how to draw if you've only left yourself half a second to do it in.]

If your opponent claims a draw and you wish to try to win, the Arbiter will often allow play to continue. If you blunder and no longer wish to try to win, offer a draw. If your opponent refuses the draw, he loses all rights under [10.1(c)] above. [rjh: that is, his draw claim lapses and if his flag falls he loses. This is common sense but it ought to be in the Laws, and isn't.]

GUIDANCE FOR ARBITERS
An Arbiter would only be expected to step in during the closing of a Quickplay Finish to avoid a miscarriage of justice, eg in a junior or beginners' event.

In a Quickplay Finish an illegal move may be found to have occurred several moves previously. In the absence of a record of the moves the Arbiter should use either Article 7.4 (back to last identifiable legal position) or C3 (illegal move cannot be corrected), whichever seems the more appropriate.

Under 10.2(b) the Arbiter should refrain from awarding extra time unless it is an unreasonable claim. Remember that the claimant might benefit due to the time taken to reset the clocks.

The Arbiter is not expected to adjudicate a position, but should make himself aware of the circumstances, usually by watching a few moves. For example, if a player:
     (a) makes tangible progress before his opponent's flag falls, he will be awarded a win.
     (b) makes no progress, either because of lack of ability or because of his opponent's sound defence, the player will not be awarded a win.
     (c) makes no progress because his opponent makes little effort to move, the player will be awarded a win when his opponent's flag falls.

APPENDIX D
Quickplay finishes where no arbiter is present in the venue

Where games are played as in Article 10, a player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his clock and before his flag falls. This concludes the game. He may claim on the basis

(a) that his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or

(b) that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means.

In (a) the player must write down the final position and his opponent must verify it. In (b) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date scoresheet, which must be completed before play has ceased. The opponent shall verify both the scoresheet and the final position. The claim shall be referred to an Arbiter whose decision shall be the final one.

And note, with reference to Appendix D:
SCCU COUNTY MATCH RULES
20. If any claim in a quickplay finish requires reference to an independent Arbiter, it shall be submitted to the County Match Controller by both match captains together with whatever fee may have been determined by the Executive Committee. The County Match Controller shall submit the claim to an appropriate BCF Arbiter.

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APPENDIX D: GUIDANCE FOR THE PLAYERS AND THEIR CAPTAINS
This appendix may be applied to Rapidplay games.
Any claim should be discussed by the players and if it is not resolved it should be submitted to the two team captains. Claims remaining unresolved should be referred to an Arbiter.

APPENDIX D: GUIDANCE FOR THE APPEAL ARBITER
Some chess judgement is required. This is not an adjudication, but an attempt to determine the probable result of the game. The benefit of any doubt should be given to the opponent of the claimant.

A player with a king and rook claiming a draw against an opponent with a king and a knight would be awarded a draw under situation (a) above (opponent cannot win by normal means).

A player with a lone king blocking his opponent's king and solitary central pawn would need to rely on his scoresheet to show that his opponent was making no attempt to advance when the opportunity arose. The claim would be under section (b) above (opponent making no effort to win by normal means), and would be likely to fail if the opponent was trying to make progress. [rjh: hmmmm. The Arbiter might do well to read that in conjunction with the next sentence.]

A good rule of thumb is that the award of a win to the opponent should not bring the game into disrepute.