Chess etiquette

I wanted to call this week’s story The Art of Resigning but then I realised that the resignation process in a chess game is just a part of chess etiquette.

So what is chess etiquette? More than anything else, it means how to behave at the chess board, especially when you are taking part in a competition. Chess etiquette does not mean much when you are playing a social game with your chess friends but when it comes to competitions, be it a local event or an international-level tournament, misbehaviour just reflects badly on the offending chess player.

Let me bring up just this very simple example: the start of a game during a chess competition. It is good manners when both players shake hands before the first move of every game is played. After all, it is common courtesy that the players acknowledge the very existence of their opponents before the start of the game.

If you want to go one step further, you may even want to wait until your opponent finishes filling in the initial details on his score sheet before you start the game. Of course, this is assuming that you are playing in a local tournament where it is left to the players to start their chess clocks. In international events though, this is not possible at all as the arbiters will insist that all the games in each round start together and at the same time.

What else can be considered as chess etiquette? Recently, I was told by a friend that he became quite irritated once when his opponent suddenly picked up a piece from the chess board.

Now, the chess laws dictate that a piece once touched must be moved or captured, if it can be moved or captured. This offending player realised that he must move that piece but where should he move it to?

Normally, any player would just place the piece back on the board and consider his move. But not this fellow. What he did was to start chewing on the head of the piece as he thought and thought. Any player would be upset if his opponent would suddenly do that. I know that I would be. Now, that's bad chess etiquette.

Many years ago, I came across a player that brought a novel to the playing hall. It wasn't that he was reading his book between rounds when the pairings were being prepared; no, he would read the book during the game itself.

That act by itself showed a complete disrespect for his opponents. Initially, nobody complained because everyone could see that it was just a story book and not a chess book. But unfortunately, he kept winning game after game, and people were starting to get uncomfortable. Right after the lunch break, the arbiter put a stop to it and told him to put the book away. Whatever you do, you must show respect to your opponent no matter how good you think you are.

So now, back to my original peeve which is the art of resigning a chess game. When would you actually resign a lost game? 

Do you resign when your opponent is carrying out a decisive attack on your position and is having a big advantage in the game and you know that he wouldn't blunder his way out of winning it? Would you give up when you are down by one piece, two pieces or more, and you are certain that you are going to lose? Or would you play till the bitter end and await your opponent to bring down the axe with the checkmate?

It brings to mind the difference between a sadist and a masochist. The sadist of a chess player would love to make his opponent squirm and suffer long in the game while the masochist chess player would love to suffer through his own misfortune. Which one are you?

Anyway, I was placed in an unfortunate position last weekend when I was playing in the Penang Chess League – one of the very rare occasions that I can get to play in a local chess competition. There I was, seated across from this young player who refused to resign the game even though I had two rooks and a king, while he had only his king left on the board. A simple technical checkmate that any beginner would know. But we played on almost till the end. Admittedly, I was pretty irritated.

But I know that it may not be the kid that was totally at fault. The young chess players nowadays would have learnt their chess from parents or the local chess coaches. I would suppose that the coaches would also have taught their young charges how not to give up the struggle early and how the game is not won until the opponent gives up. 

To play till the end of a game shows good fighting spirit. That's a "never say die" attitude. But for goodness' sake, teach the kids that they must also respect their opponents. The senior players are not novices in the game; they are not the kids' fellow school mates with whom their chess games would be played till checkmate. They don't realise it so they must be taught how to resign their games properly. And that’s where the parents and coaches must come in to teach them to adopt the good habits and discard the bad. That's what good chess etiquette is about.

There are more that I can say about this subject matter but I think that I shall have to leave that to another time. In the mean time, happy playing!  

Up next

Penang heritage open

The Penang heritage city open chess championship started on Tuesday and will conclude tomorrow. There are two separate events: the open and challenger sections, and both are internationally rated. Nine rounds are being played with a time control of 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment per move.

If you hurry down to the Tanjung Bungah Beach Hotel, you will still be able to watch the final three rounds of the competition. Round seven is at nine o'clock this morning while the eighth round begins at 3p.m. Tomorrow, the final round will start at 9a.m.

Sarawak open

The five-day Sarawak open chess tournament kicks off from Monday at the Ultimate Professional Centre, opposite the Pullman Hotel, in Jalan Bukit Mata Kuching, Kuching.  This is an internationally-rated event played over nine rounds, 90 minutes plus a 30-second increment for each move.

Entry fees: Free for grandmasters and international masters (men and women), RM25 (ladies and all players below 16 years old) and RM50 (all other participants). Details available from Morsin Ahmad (012.8949415, morsinab@sarawaknet.gov.my), Abang Mohd Reduan (019.8887786, reduan_sahari@bsn.com.my) and Lim Kian Hwa (016.8603180, limkhwa@gmail.com). 

Perak closed

The Perak International Chess Association (PICA) and the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Seri Putera will jointly organise the Perak close chess tournament at the Dewan SMK Seri Putera in Jalan Sri Kepayang, Ipoh on Dec 17 and 18. Only players who reside, work or born in Perak are permitted to participate. Nine rounds, 30-minute time control.

Entry fees: RM15 (PICA members, players below 16-years-old), RM20 (others). Closing date is Dec 14. For more information, contact Yunus (013.3908129).