This is something I have been pondering about for a long time, especially in scholastic sections like the National Grades events in which I have been a TD for a number of years. Some coaches teach their students that if they have a bad game to quickly stretch their arm out over the board with an open hand and say “Draw.”
I have always thought that this was “bad sportsmanship.” But now I know it is actually something much worse… it is bullying by talking and Interfering with “The Player’s” space above the board. This should not be tolerated! The person on-move is “The Player” and controls all the board and pieces as well as the space above the board.
There are two times in a game when shaking hands can be done. Before the game as an introduction and then when the game is over after a result has been actually determined. There is no rule that allows someone to stick their hand out over the chess board violating the player’s space. The offer usually is a whispered “draw?”… nothing else.
I think Scholastic Chess should outlaw this bullying tactic, since we all now realize that bullying is bad and should be eliminated. Coaches should be convinced that this action is bullying and should make sure that their students realize it too.
I believe that the Rules of Chess on Draw Offers need to add words to reinforce the rules on how a draw is offered, by pointing out that not following the current rules could be considered as bullying your opponent. And sticking your hand out is NOT part of the current rules, and should only be done after the draw offer is accepted… preferably by your opponent verbally, and then with the handshake.
I think this is from Searching for Bobby Fischer, and that each generation of kids has learned it from the preceding generation.
Alex Relyea
The extension of an open hand over the board when offering a draw would not bother me, either as a player or as a TD – as long as the proper protocol is followed. That is: you make your move, then you offer the draw, then you hit the clock. If someone offers me a draw when I’m on move, that’s a problem. I would inform them of the proper procedure and request that they remain silent when it’s my move. If they continue the behavior, I would summon a TD. But the extension of the hand? I see no problem with that, and I certainly wouldn’t call it bullying.
Of course, if I’m dead lost and someone offers me a draw, protocol be damned – I will accept immediately.
I’ve moved this topic from All Things Chess to Running Chess Tournaments.
It predates “Searching for Bobby Fischer”.
It gets interesting when:
A) a player bats the hand out of the way so that the board can be seen and the opponent says the touch is a handshake that makes it a draw
b) the word draw is whispered almost inaudibly and the extend hand looks like a resignation in a lost position, with one player thinking a win was earned while the other thinks that a draw was weaseled out.
I had one of those several years ago in the State Championships. The one offering the draw did that repeatedly. I gave him a warning. He repeated the behavior. I ruled that, since he was offering a draw every move anyway, his draw offer was good for the rest of the game, and that if he stuck his hand out like that again, I would rule it a loss. (He was putting his hand right in the other kids face.)
I’ve encountered situations with poor sportsmanship (in both open and scholastic events) similar to the one Mr. Lerman outlines. It is my continued belief that the US Chess Code of Ethics, combined with Rule 1A, already gives directors more than sufficient authority to deal with such situations. YMMV.
Some of you are missing the point. I know that you experienced players have no problems with this. But kids just getting started in tournaments are being bullied by “more experienced” kids this way. They stick-out their hand across the board and almost demand a “draw!” A startled opponent sees a hand and instinctively shakes it not knowing what he has done. These kids need to be “protected” by those bullies. One way is to enforce the idea that the space above the chessboard belongs to the player on move and it should never be covered by someone’s arm and hand.
I suspect most players who offer a handshake when they want to offer a draw genuinely believe it is good sportsmanship to do so. They need to be corrected, pronto, by their coach. In all probability, the player learned this habit from his coach, so the coach, too, needs to be corrected.
Somebody (perhaps TDs making pre-round announcements at scholastic events) needs to establish that, if you want to offer a draw, you should:
- first make a move,
- then offer a draw,
- then press the clock.
There should be no significant pause between making the move and offering the draw, nor between offering the draw and pressing the clock. The draw offer should be made by simply asking “Draw?” or “Would you like a draw?” or, perhaps best of all, by stating “With this move I offer a draw.” (declarative is preferable to interrogative). Then press the clock immediately. Pausing before pressing the clock, especially if accompanied by a stare into the opponent’s face, could be interpreted as an attempt to rush the opponent into making a decision.
Then, both players need to understand that, once the offer is made, the opponent has his full clock time to consider the offer, and that the player should keep his mouth shut during this time, and that the draw offer may not be retracted until the opponent declines the offer by making a move.
The handshake should come only after both players have agreed to the draw.
A little education (of both kids and coaches) would go a long way here.
Bill Smythe
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Rule 1A normally can not be used once the draw offer is “accepted” even by bullying.
I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Lerman here. I believe a TD who conclusively determines that a player was “bullied” during a game can address the matter ex post facto. In fact, many such situations are only brought to a TD’s attention after a result has been reported.
Perhaps a review of the relevant text is in order.
As I said previously, I believe the Code of Ethics is an extremely powerful tool for TDs to address situations like the one in Mr. Lerman’s original post. As it is near the back of the rulebook, however, many TDs never really look at it, and it’s not usually invoked as a result.
I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Lerman here. I believe a TD who conclusively determines that a player was “bullied” during a game can address the matter ex post facto. In fact, many such situations are only brought to a TD’s attention after a result has been reported.
Glad to see your opinion on this, as I personally was overruled by the Director of Events when I ruled at a scholastic that a young player’s acceptance of a draw offer near the beginning of a game where he had a mate-in-one should be “retracted”. It was resolved by giving each what wanted… a draw for the “bully” and a win for player who made the mate. In this type of team-event with coaches and parents involved, I can understand the reason for trying to please everybody. posting.php?mode=quote&f=2&p=304218#
Have we really defined bullying down so far that the assertive offer of a handshake can be considered bullying?
I’m fairly clear on the idea that a game is not drawn unless there is a meeting of the minds. A handshake is just a handshake.
Alex Relyea
Offering the handshake while the game is not over is certainly rude. Whether it’s bullying or not is arguable.
What does Mr. Relyea believe is the meaning of the assertive offer of a handshake? And let us be clear that this is an extended right hand held over the board.
Is it a Draw offer?
Is it a resignation?
Certainly it should not be the responsibility of the player receiving this offer of a handshake to question or otherwise attempt to find the meaning of the handshake.
And I have experienced this handshake offer as both a TD and player. It is most often accompanied by silence or an unintelligible mumbling.
This.
Same thing applies in the resignation context. When a player backs a claim of an agreed draw or a resignation by saying “We shook hands,” the correct response is always “So what?”
It is mostly kids who do the handshake/draw gambit. They were doing this long before the “Searching for Bobby Fischer” movie. From someone they learned that when their position is bad they should offer a draw. The handshake is part insistence, part distraction. Maybe it is done in innocence. Maybe not. I have had a few young players offer me a draw this way after they just coughed up a Queen or a Rook. They usually do this while their time is running. I let the hand hang in the air for a while. Then they get embarrassed and withdraw the little hand and remember to press the clock. We play on. After the game they are reminded of the proper way to offer a draw and not to offer their hand that way again.
I inform my students of the proper way to offer a draw. If they are faced with the handshake/draw gambit by a very insistent player, I tell them to pause the clock if their time is running and get the TD. He can then explain the proper draw method to the player. This avoids distractions and arguments. The arguments usually start when the hand gets slapped out of the way.
One time a kid came up to me and asked how he should offer his opponent a draw. His opponent was wearing headphones, sunglasses, and a hoodie which was pulled up making him look like Kenny in “South Park”. Waving at him elicited no response. We settled on a sign with “Draw?” written on it. He accepted and toddled off. Maybe players should have Draw? paddles to show to an opponent. He can reply Yes or No with his paddle. No noise, talking, or handshake necessary.
We can take a page from Backgammon with their doubling cube.
We could have a card or something like it. I’m thinking of an index card or business card size, for instance.
The card would have “Draw?” printed on one side. During the game, the card would sit behind the clock or on the other side of the board, face down.
When a person wants to offer a draw, all he needs do is pick up the Draw? card and lay it against the clock face with the “Draw?” facing the board and where both opponents can read it, once again for instance.
The protocol for offering the draw would remain the same except there is no talking but just the turning over and positioning of the Draw? card at the clock. The player offering the Draw would still place this Draw offer card during his time and then press his button.
The player that has been offered the Draw would then be able to accept the Draw or decline it on his own time. Of course declining the Draw would just be taking the card and placing it back, face down on the table where it started.
This is also an issue with deaf players.
Alex Relyea