Our group in Peoria is about to run a state scholastic championship tournament. This past Monday evening, before our normal chess club, a couple of the guys running it were going over some things about the upcoming event for the volunteers.
The rules of play and etiquette were gone over and a point was brought up that I thought was a rule.
It was stated that the hand that moves the piece is the hand that must hit the clock button. Now, I’ve been preaching this to my kids at the scholastic club I run at our parish’s Catholic school. What you get otherwise is the player keeps one hand literally on the clock and the other hand moves the pieces. Of course then an early clock push can and usually happens. It is also visually obstructive to onlookers as the view of the clock is inhibited or prohibited.
Now, I know this is a rule for blitz play, but at least 3 of us are TD’s and can’t seem to find it for standard play.
Are we missing something or is this really not a rule for standard play?
The FIDE Laws of Chess article 4.1 states that “[e]ach move must be made with one hand only.” Article 6.7b states “[a] player must stop his clock with the same hand as that with which he made his move.”
As for the USCF Official Rules of Chess, there is language in rule 16C1 that implicitly requires the player to move the pieces with one hand only.