Hi, your friendly neighborhood pest is back with another question. In rule 20H we are told that no player is allowed to leave the tournament room for longer then 15 minutes without the TDs permission. I assume that during this time the players clock will be running. This makes sense and is acceptable. My question is when a player has a disability such as a bowel disorder that may cause them to leave the board unexpectedly, possibly frequently, or from time to time longer then 15 minutes, what should a TD do? Obviously there is not much leeway as far as round timeing and the TD does not want to disrupt the round schedule. But in the case of a disability when exceptions must be made what would the proper ruling be?
I have a friend who has a sister that suffers from crohn’s disease. She has flair ups and stuff, but for the most part, keeps it under control. IBS and Crohn’s disease can be managed pretty good with monitoring.
Generally when it comes to disabilies, tournament directors are allowed some discretion to tweak the rules in order to accommodate the player, as long as it can be reasonable assured the player can finish the game within time control and isn’t cheating.
Because many tournaments are 1 day affairs with several rounds at faster time controls like G/15 or G/30, it would be unreasonable to give the player additional time, since the there needs to be adaquate time between rounds to ensure proper recording of game results and then do the pairings for the next round.
For tournaments with longer time controls (and stretched over a period of days), it might be best to inquire in advance about how a particular disability could be accommodated, so that the TD has adaquete time to figure out the best way to help the player.
An example might be the TD could allow you premove. That is, tell the TD if the opponent does a certain move (it might be a forced move), that your response would be, and the TD might move it for you while your doing your business. I’m not a TD, so I’m not sure if premoving (to accomodate a disability), is allowed under USCF rules.
The TD does nothing, because in your situation the TD already knows about the condition and the player has accepted that (s)he could lose on time. If the flair up occurs between rounds, the opponent may start the clock when the next round starts.
The number one rule for a disabled player is to contact the director before the day of the event. Explain what needs you have and discuss suitable accommodations at the tournament. Examples of common accommodations include: sitting at a special table, having a helper move the pieces and/or write down the moves, being excused from keeping score, using your own board and pieces and having a special clock.
However, the accommodation should not put the opponent at a significant competitive disadvantage. As an example, a disabled player should not get extra time for the game. To the contrary, the TD tip after rule 15A1 suggests that a TD might elect to subtract a small amount of time from a player who is excused from keeping score, especially at a faster time control (G/30-G/60). In practice though, I have never seen a TD actually invoke that option.
As a disabled player myself, I have nothing but positive experiences with TDs and their accommodations. I am fortunate that I need little assistance. Still, I am waiting for the “Aigner rule” to be published in the rulebook: “If a tournament has a stage area for the top boards, then it must be wheelchair accessible.” 
[Note: the staff at the 2006 US Open had to rearrange furniture to satisfy this unofficial rule.]
Michael Aigner
Duh. I thought it went without saying that ANY playing area should be wheelchair accessible. I guess maybe it DOES need to be said…
There used to be a player in Nebraska who had severe cerebral palsy. He would play using a small magnetic board and push the pieces around with his head stick. His opponent would usually play on a regular board, though one or two just made their moves on the magnetic board. I don’t recall a time forfeiture situation ever arising in any of his games. (He was only about an 1100 player, and then only when he wasn’t heavily sedated to help control his palsy.)
He passed away a few years ago.
I agree with Michael. “Aigner rule” should be implemented.
I think it is good that you are asking them
Unfortunately, sometimes it’s something that gets overlooked by those of us who are not affected. For example, a function outing at work was scheduled at an older building that wasn’t handicap accessible. The people scheduling it didn’t think about the double amputee in the function until he arrived and asked where the handicap entrance was.
Hypothetical question:
What if the choice is a free site that is not wheelchair accessible and a site that is cost prohibitive? Would the organizer be frowned upon for choosing the free site and clearly advertise that the site is not handicap accessible?
I have nothing against an organizer who chooses to use an inaccessible site, as long as the advertisement makes that fact perfectly clear. We even have one such venue in my neck of the woods.
Michael Aigner
My father was active in tournaments in and around Ohio for many years despite being blind. TDs were always willing to accomodate his needs (sitting at the same table, special board, assistant to keep notation and manage the clock). Oddly enough, the only locatoin we ever ran into problems with was the King’s Island Open near Cincinnati - until very recently they had NO elevator down to the playing area. Being blind and having played a LOT of football in his youth, those stairs were a real pain for my dad!
I even wrote a letter to CL describing (in part) the problems my father faced at tournaments (people running into him in their mad rush to the pairings, etc.) and was actually ridiculed by a couple of people. Fortunately, they were in the minority.
I think that people with certain disabilities would find chess to be a great outlet both mentally and socially. I know my father loved the time he spent at the board and at tournaments, and it definitely helped keep his mind fresh.