While watching my son play Chess in Chicago, I noticed his opponent had a Score book that he closed after every move. This was not one of those spiral bound books, it looked like an actual book.
On his move, he flipped to the page where he was recording the current moves.
At the time I thought it curious as to why this person would go to the effort to locate his game again. Later I realized what sort of mischief someone could be up to. This type of score book could be considered “notes” which are prohibited by the rules. I was wondering if others have had an experience with people using that sort of score book as I described, and whether people have been caught using it as notes?
The little hardback scorebooks sell pretty well at the nationals. I have one. I actually don’t like it that much because of the fact it won’t stay open and its annoying to have to open every time to record a move. I will sometimes weigh down the opposing side of the book with my rule book to keep it open.
I think the chances of notetaking are as high as with any other score taking method. YMMV
I don’t know why those books are so popular–especially among kids, other than they’re very cool-looking. They make a player feel very important (“I’m recording my games in a hardcover book.”) But they’re very impractical. Most tournament tables aren’t large enough to accommodate holding the book open with some object, or even leaving it face-down and open. I doubt it could be used for cheating any more than any other scorebook, as there are way too many variations to record in the scorebook, and all the opponent would need to do is raise his hand and ask a TD to inspect the book for notes.
People who use single scoresheets or spiral bound scorebooks are more likely to leave their scoresheet in plain view, and that would creates less suspicion on the other side of the table.
I agree to an extent, but there are too many variations to be contained by anything! However a player, as he flips through the pages of his past games, can see a game in the same opening and very quickly see a move made in the game at the same position. I don’t think a smart person would have a problem using such a book in that way. They don’t have to be “notes”, the games themselves are the notes. I think such score books should not be allowed for that reason.
Anyway, how would one go about challenging this in a tournament? First of all, there was not enough table space to contain the book. So the book was placed on the lap. It cannot be seen what the player is looking at. Is he looking at a past game? That is not allowed. So my son should call the TD and say what? My opponent is looking in his score book?? 
It is ironic with the discussion about the Monroi, which cannot be used as a “book” when recording moves, but the score book can! Yet nothing is said about that book??!
Sure. The complaint should be a bit more specific, though, such as “I’m concerned that my opponent is looking at past games for assistance”, or some such.
These aren’t difficult situations. Call a TD over, make a claim, and if the TD can verify that the player is looking at past games, penalties can be exacted. If the opponent is really concerned, and the TD can’t determine yea or nay, then the TD can require the player to use a TD supplied scoresheet.
In my experience, most TDs are accomodating to player’s concerns. TDs aren’t there to simply enforce rules and exact penalties; we’re also there to assist players with reasonable concerns.
One reason some players close scorebooks (or turn over single-game scoresheets) is so that the opponent cannot readily look at them to double-check notation or move count.
I’ve played many kids who use these types of score books. Most of the kids like to write their move down first (15A variation), close the book with their pencil keeping their place, look at the board again and make the move. As one poster noted they have a certain coolness factor built in. Some of the kids make a bit of a production out of the whole notation thing. I havn’t seen many kids put the book in their laps though some times they’ll lean the book on the edge of the table to write their move down.
Maybe I’m just too trusting, but it’s never really occurred to me that a player is losing his place in the book in order to look at notes another page while leafing through the pages to get back to his notation. It seems like a very low-tech cheating method that IMO isn’t particularly useful. Though I do recall one of the floor directors at HS Nationals a few years ago taking the cover off a player’s spiral bound score book because he had written some notes on that.
You can make a complaint to the TD during a game. I suspect that most TDs would dismiss such a complaint as frivolous unless the TD actually saw the player doing something suspicious, like spending a lot of time looking at the score of an earlier game.
If the TD has a paper clip or rubber band, one action he or she could take is have the player use that to keep the scorebook open to the right page. The player could still cover up the moves with a blank sheet of paper.
He could. But I don’t like encouraging paranoia or frivolous complaints. The arbiter could have resolved Mecking’s famous complaint by tying Petrosian to his chair.
You could almost make the same case about players using a ‘spiral-bound notebook’ of a scorepad and closing / opening it on move. (I guess the difference is a book-style book almost necessitates the closing/opening, where a spiral-pad can readily be left open if the player desires…)
I have seen several people using a book like that, and never noticed a problem.
If such a concern was brought to me as a TD, I’d see if I had any rubber bands, and ask the other player to band the pages up to the point where the writing is as a first step. (That way the player would open it to the current game.) Alternatively I’d provide the player a scorepage and ask the player to record on it, as above. (But it would take a complaint for me to take any action, as absent any allegation I’d assume the ‘book’ player was playing ethically.)
ETA: I started to write before Nolan’s post above. 
Are scoresheets supposed to be confidential? I routinely show mine to befuddled-looking opponents who are busily erasing and rewriting notation instead of making their moves.
No, not confidential, per rules, anyway.
I think it is something that non-chess playing, paranoid, coaches/parents teach their students/children. I’ve never encountered an adult hiding his/her scoresheet. It’s always been kids whom I’ve witnessed doing so. Sometimes it’s annoying, but most of the time it’s funny to me. I don’t care whether or not I see their move recorded in their scoresheet.
I suppose the intent is to keep your opponent from seeing a written move before it’s played. I guess in that case, one may have justification.
I’ll go further than Terry explains. Technically by the rules, the game scores are property of the organizer. That is why the TD can technically force the player to let the opponent view his game score though we prefer for them to offer it voluntarily.
And technically they are supposed to be left on the table near the set, but when there is no room for them, its hard.
Josh is, of course, correct
I’ve seen the occasional adult flipping his scoresheet over so that it can’t be read. It doesn’t happen that often.
Normally, adults only do this if they have written the move down prior to playing it. I’ve never had any trouble seeing their scoresheet after they’ve made their move. In fact, most players make a point of offering it to me if they see me squinting across the table as I try to double-check the move count. 
Yeah, I agree most adult players are polite like that. But I have seen a few who
seem to make a point of hiding or covering their scoresheet after every move.
I don’t know what’s up with that.
Jim
Paranoia? Messing with the opponent’s head?
In rereading the rules about score sheets, I didn’t see anything that specifically says score sheets must be in plain view at all times. Then again nothing is spelled out about the Mon Roi except the scholastic regulations.