let’s say i offer a draw before making my move, opponent tells me to make my move first. i happen to find a killer shot, is the offer still on the table or do i have to reoffer?
…scot…
Once made the draw offer cannot be rescinded until the opponent accepts, declines, or moves (which is actually one way of declining.) In the case you present the draw offer is still on the table. However, if you find a move that is checkmate on the move, and play it before your opponent accepts your draw offer, then the checkmate stands.
There was a case in Australia some years back where Black offered a draw to White before making his move. White told Black to move first, and then he would consider it. Only now did Black see that he had a Queen sac forcing mate in three. He played that move, and White was so bowled over by the sac, which he had not seen, that he resigned instead of accepting the draw offer. This was voted the worst double blunder of the year.
The offer is on the table and remains on the table until it is accepted, affirmatively declined, or implicitly declined by opponent’s move.
My January on-line US Chess column (Just the Rules) addresses this and other related proper draw offer issues! Watch for it!!
If your flag falls before you accept your opponent’s draw offer, your opponent can make a claim of a loss on time, effectively withdrawing the pending draw offer. This is the Kansas City rule, it came up in the National HS in Kansas City years ago, when I was the chief floor director.
i guess my point is, if it’s an invalid draw offer why is it still applicable?
…scot…
Just because the draw offer is imperfect in some way, that does not necessarily mean it is invalid and not binding upon the offerer.
It’s also known as Rule 14B4.
It is improper. It isn’t invalid.
The player should not get an advantage from offering a draw improperly.
Alex Relyea
I like the phrase “out of sequence” rather than improper, invalid, or incorrect.
It would make no sense to allow a player to withdraw an out-of-sequence draw offer when you don’t allow him to withdraw a properly made draw offer. That’s upside down. If anything, he should be punished, not rewarded, for doing things the wrong way.
Bill Smythe
If a player makes a draw offer on the opponent’s move then it might get treated as annoying the opponent (if the opponent doesn’t simply accept the offer). There have been some cases of TDs erroneously negating such offers (at one tournament the opponent was incorrectly prevented from accepting it and when the TDs realized their error they had to go back to the board, only to find the players had subsequently agreed to a draw anyway).
If a player makes a draw offer during the player’s move but before determining a move then the player doesn’t have to worry about being cited for annoying the opponent, but is still locked into having made an offer. I’ve seen countless such offers (without moving) after the opponent made a move obviously obtaining the draw the opponent has been fighting for and the player now sees there are no more winning chances. It would be a bit silly to demand that the player make an unnecessary move when both players already agree on a hard-fought result.
makes sense, thanks!
Interestingly this happened at one of my clubs I direct last night. Both players are A players, black offers white a draw before moving (improper). White simply sits back and does nothing and has the right to do nothing. White remains absolutely quiet as the rule permits. Black waits for an eternity for some kind of reaction from white and then re-offers the draw. White looks right at me, claims, and I warn black he must remain quiet and wait for a response from white. Black now realizes his mistake as his clock is ticking down to a lost game on time. For whatever reason white decides to finally move and presses his clock telling me afterwards that he fully expected he would win on time. Black immediately starts blitzing as he now only has 11 seconds left with a d/5, white has more than 70 minutes left. All pieces except for a few pawns are all traded off the board. Black does manage to queen a pawn and mate white. A bit ironic but black did manage to win when he wanted the draw, and white fully expected to win but lost.
I don’t understand. Did White move on Black’s turn?
Alex Relyea
I don’t understand. Did White move on Black’s turn?
No. White made his move and pressed his clock. It’s now black’s turn. Black offers white a draw immediately without moving a piece. White simply decides to run out black’s clock without responding to the draw offer (which he is allowed to do). White does finally move when black’s clock reaches 11 seconds left in sudden death confident he will still win on time. That was white’s rationale which he explained to me after the game was over.
Right, so this is my confusion. Black offered a draw without moving. After a very long time White moves. How is this possible without White moving twice in a row?
Alex Relyea
Sorry my fault for not detailing fully. My error in leaving out white “did” finally say no to black’s draw offer when black reached 11 seconds. That’s when black went into blitz mode.
I see. That was very generous of White. If I were going to do this, I would have waited eleven more seconds.
Alex Relyea