I’m pretty sure I heard an incorrect ruling this past weekend from a TD.
White showed up on time to the start of the round, set up and started Black’s clock, but didn’t make his first move. Ten minutes later Black showed up and said to White something to the effect that White didn’t move and the time penalty shouldn’t be all Black’s. Black went and got the TD and the TD sided with White, saying that the rule is that White doesn’t have to make the move.
I hadn’t gotten around to verifying in the rulebook, but I’m pretty certain the 5th Ed. rules are on Black’s side. I thought that both players lose five minutes from their initial allotment and the game proceeds, but this seems a little harsh on White who showed up on time but was ignorant of the latest rules while Black is late, but technically correct. What is the proper ruling? Split the time loss 70:30?
White did not follow rule 16J. The director can give the penalty under rule 1C2A. Black can get two minutes added to the clock. If the time control was G/60, black will have G/52 not G/50 as black was late 10 minutes. It is up to the director, the director does not have to give any time penalty.
A simple search of previous posts would have answered your question. This was discussed in painful detail in a previous thread. The short answer is that Sceptic is right: penalize White 2 minutes (added to Black’s clock) for not following the rules but the time for being late should come off of Black’s time.
The time does come off of Blacks clock. Black is 10 minutes late, when the clock is fixed, it will only show Black being 8 minutes late.
Since players have time delay clocks, it is best for White to let the time delay and regular time run down before White makes the first move. That is what I do, as I do not want to give Black a reason to call the tournament director. If you make your first move with your time delay only, can you prove you pressed your own clock or moved during Blacks time?
That was what I meant. Sorry if “Sceptic was right” wasn’t clear – “but the time for being late should come off of Black’s time” was meant to be a terse repetition of what he said, not a correction. Like I said, this was thoroughly discussed in a previous thread. Please refer to that other thread for more details.
The TD has not updated his knowledge of the rules. According to the 5th edition, white should make his first move before starting black’s clock.
As for what to do if this rule is violated, the 5th edition is (wisely) non-specific, leaving some discretion to the TD:
The change – to require white to make his first move before starting black’s clock – was made while the 4th edition was still in effect. I believe it was done for the (somewhat dubious, in my opinion) reason that, without this rule, the clock’s move counter could be off by half a move.
The rule change may have been a case of doing the right thing for the wrong reason.