Ethics and Rules Regarding Late Arrivals

Running Chess Tournaments
1

Greetings from Asheboro!

I just played in the North Carolina Open at the Greensboro International Chess Festival. The event was extremely well done, with excellent TD coverage. Fortunately, I didn’t really need a tournament director per se during my games.

An interesting question arose which didn’t involve my game, and there was some disagreement as to the an ethical/legal question regarding a late arrival.

About 45 minutes after the round began, I noticed that my good friend and former student had not arrived for his game. Since the round began at 9:00am, he had probably assumed it was starting at the more usual 10:00am.

I went out and spoke to an organizer, apprised him of the situation, and indicated that I certainly would not be attempting to contact my friend. The clock was running, the game had started, and I wouldn’t have felt right about interfering (regardless of how the rules are to be interpreted).

One of the organizers thought it would be okay for me to notify my friend, but wasn’t so sure after I brought up some of my problems with it. He suggested I consult with some of the TDs. Another organizer was adamant that he didn’t see a problem with it at all. (Both organizers were TDs, just not in an official capacity).

I went on record indicating that I wouldn’t contact my friend just in case anyone might assume I had. I had made eye contact with his opponent a few times, a person I also know and respect.

Since I had my own game in progress a few boards down, obviously I would have been wrong to use my cell phone to either call or text. That’s really separate from the main issue. Let’s assume for the sake of this discussion that I wasn’t playing, or that I had some other way of contacting my friend without breaking the cell phone rule–perhaps by seeking the TD’s permission to call my friend.

My ethical problem was pretty straightforward…I wouldn’t have felt right helping my friend once the game had started. If I had noticed he wasn’t there before his game started, of course I would have texted him.

From a Rules standpoint, it seems that 20E generally and 20M4 specifically apply. If I did text or call my friend, I would have been assisting him with time management, and notifying him that it was his move. Rules 20I and 20J also seem relevant.

I will be the first to admit that a tournament director might have a difficult time detecting such assistance, but let’s assume he does detect it, or is asked by someone for permission to notify their friend that the round has begun.

If someone approached me as a tournament director and asked about notifying their friend, I would not give permission. Nor would I take it upon myself to interfere. An exception could be made for an event with no prizes, or if the player’s opponent asked me to contact them.

I was surprised to find many TDs either considering this a gray area or not a big deal.

Admittedly, it would be tricky to enforce a correct penalty for such unsolicited advice. Still, I can’t see this as a gray area or not a big deal. It is game-changing advice. Imagine someone stepping up to a player who has been waiting for 45 minutes for their opponent to arrive and whispering, “Don’t worry, I called your opponent and he should get here before a forfeit occurs!” The response might very well be, " You idiot! I was 15 minutes away from a $1000.00 prize! Who gave YOU the right to interfere?"

BTW, my friend arrived at the last minute, and eventually the game ended in a draw (possibly due to time pressure on the late player).

Am I on the right track, or is this a gray area open to TD interpretation?

William “Tom” Hales, Senior TD

Asheboro Chess Club
Asheboro, North Carolina

2

A strict reading of Rule 20M4 would seem to make letting a player know that his game has started impermissible behavior. However, I think calling a player to advise him that his game has started is permissible. There are many stories in both US and international play where players have been roused before being forfeited.

Giving a player advice about the opponent, or even advising him of his opponent’s first move (if applicable), is not allowed since the game has already started. Simply advising a player of the start of a round, though, is not dodgy behavior at all.

Attempting to enforce Rule 20M4 in the manner suggested by Mr. Hales would likely be a nightmare. For just one example, parents often tell their tardy and bughouse-obsessed kids, who often spend every available second between rounds playing marathon bug sessions, that a round has started. IMHO, such enforcement would also be contrary to the spirit of the game. In the main, players want to play. I’ve seen more than one opponent of a late player either ask for permission to call the player, or ask me to call the player if possible.

Moreover, if the organizers of the event give someone a dispensation to do something, that person is not going to be sanctioned for it later by the TDs, who either work for the organizers or are themselves the organizers.

I do concur with Mr. Hales that using his own phone to contact a tardy player is questionable behavior - unless he goes to a TD or organizer and makes the call in their presence and with their prior permission. Then, I believe he is very much within the rules.

3

I think there is an old story from the Lombardy and Horowicz era where a player called a missing opponent on the hotel’s house phone and the opponent complained because he was just about out the door to the venue and the delay involved with answering the phone almost made him the hour late (the callee won the game).

4

Perhaps you’re thinking of an anecdote related by Edward Lasker in his book Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters. On the bottom of p. 211 he tells about a tournament in which he was scheduled to play Capablanca. Capa was late and so Lasker called Capa’s hotel room to inform him that he would be forfeited in nine minutes. Capa told Lasker, as you said, that he was about to leave and that answering the phone had cost him a minute. Capa arrived at the board with one minute to spare and had to make his first 15 moves in that minute. Lasker played a well-analyzed defense to the Ruy Lopez. Capa easily made the time control and went on to win the game.

5

Gee, if we follow the logic of not informing the player of the start of the round to its ultimate conclusion, this would mean that the TD cannot announce pairings are up or that the round is officially started. This would be construed as helping the player(s).

Try telling soccer/chess mom that she cannot tell her angel, who is kicking a ball outside in the lawn in front of the tournament site, that the round is started and he better get in here to play chess.

In team competitions, captains often have to wake up sleeping team members to inform them that the round is started. Has FIDE, officially or in site rules, ever prevented a coach from contacting his players?

6

One solution, for you, might have been to ask your friend’s opponent if he would like you to call your friend, and bind yourself to his answer.

I have just one question. Why on earth would Capa bother to answer the phone in that situation? It should have been obvious what the call was about. He should simply have kept running out the door and toward the playing hall.

Bill Smythe

7

As the opponent, I was WISHING someone would contact him. I even had fantasies of asking other players if they knew him. Because while I was expecting it was a case of mistaken start time, I was really hoping it wasn’t anything worse. Didn’t even think about asking if the TD would be able to call him.

It was also the 4th round and we were both 3-0. I would not have been pleased to win by forfeit. Other players I am sure would have looked askance at it also if I had gone on to win first.

As for the draw, I am not sure what compelled me to offer it when I was a pawn up and had 48 minutes to his 3 minutes.

Pity? Compassion? I have no idea. I won’t be so nice next time. :slight_smile:

Just to get the other side of the story.

Sara

8

.

On this question of principle the proper answer is clear - “we don’t need no stinkin’ rules”. On something like this is does not matter whether the rulebook writer got it right or wrong, or made it ambiguous.

We do not interfere with another game after it has started. Not with its moves or blunder, not with its clock management strategies or errors, etc.

Before the game starts, interfere all you want. :smiley:

But if a player asks you to help her opponent, then it is “olle correct” to get involved.
.

9

There’s definitely nothing wrong with asking the TD about a tardy opponent. Sometimes the TD gets a message from an opponent advising of a late arrival and gets so bogged down in other things that he may not have time to relay it to an affected player.

Other times, a player is inadvertently paired when he shouldn’t be. Alerting the TD early in the round might allow him to realize his error and at least see if a suitable house game is available. (In Ms. Walsh’s specific situation, however, I probably would not have found a house game unless the rating was a very close match to her paired opponent, as she was one of the section leaders.)

I can understand not wanting to win by forfeit. Most players would rather win over the board. However, since we can’t control what our opponents do (or don’t do), my advice would be to not worry too much about what other players think of one’s results. As long as the results were legitimate (and a forfeit win is legitimate so long as the winner had no direct involvement in the loser’s forfeit), I would just mark the win and get ready for the next round. YMMV.

10

Call him, but don’t tell him that his game has started. Just remind him that the round starts early that day. Note that this does not imply that he definitely has an opponent and running clock waiting. The final pairings for the round may have given him a bye for the round.

11

Aw, if he has a bye, why interrupt his sleep? Let him have some rest for the final round.

Bill Smythe

12

Maybe, but if you think you’re gong to play him in the final round, wake him up!

13

I would not take the veracity of any story from Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters (which is just about my favorite chess book) too seriously.

Getting back to the original question, I wholeheartedly support notifying the late player that the round has started. The way I see it is that the whole point of a chess tournament is for people to play chess games against each other and see who performs the best. If something is preventing that (people playing their games) from happening, it should be rectified. Getting to the tournament hall on time should not be a challenge that players are rated on.

14

+1

15

I don’t see where it would be unethical to try to contact your friend. I certainly would have. If I had been his opponent it would be my preference that his friends try to contact this player as I come to a tournament to play chess and not to watch the clock tick down.