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DEFINITION AND OBJECT
Chess is played by two persons on a square board called the Chessboard and divided into 64 squares colored light and dark alternately. Each person shall play with a series of sixteen men, one series to be light-colored and called White, and the other series to be dark-colored and called Black.
The object of the play is to checkmate the opponent's King and the player who checkmates thereby wins the game.
THE CHESSBOARD
The Chessboard shall be so placed between the two persons that the nearer corner square at their respective right hands shall be light-colored.
The Queen shall be placed on its own color.
MOVEMENT OF THE MEN IN GENERAL
The move of a man shall be to an unoccupied square or to a square occupied by an opposing man.
The move of a man shall not cause such man to pass over any occupied square, except in the case of the move of the Knight.
A legal move of a man to a square occupied by an opposing man requires the
removal of that opposing man by the player from the Chessboard.
The first move in a game shall be made with a White man.
The persons shall play alternately, one move at a time.
The choice of playing the first game with the White men or the Black men shall be determined by lot.
ANNULLED GAMES
If in the course of or immediately after a game it be proved that the initial position of the men on the board was incorrect, or the Chessboard wrongly placed initially, the game shall be annulled.
If in the course of a game the number or position of the men be altered illegally, the position immediately before the alteration occurred must be reinstated and the game resumed there from.
If this position cannot be ascertained the game shall be annulled and there shall be a replay.
COMPLETION OF MOVE
A move is complete:
In moving a man from one square to another, when the player has quitted the man.
In capturing, when the captured man has been removed from the board
and the player has quitted the man making the capture.
In castling, when the player has quitted the Rook.
In promoting a Pawn, when the player has replaced the Pawn by the selected piece and quitted the latter.
ADJUSTMENT OF THE MEN
The player may adjust one or more of his men on their respective squares after giving previous notice of his intention to do so. (Note: It is customary to use the expression "I adjust.")
The player shall not adjust the opponent's men, or the opponent the player's men. The opponent, however, shall adjust the position of his men on the board if requested by the player.
TOUCHING MEN
If the player touches:
One of his own men he must move it;
One of the opponent's men he must take it;
One of his own men and one of the opponent's men, he must take the latter with the former, if such capture be a legal move. If not, the opponent may require either that the player shall move his man touched or take the opponent's man touched with any one of the men at the player's option with which the capture can be effected legally.
(If none of the moves indicated in 1, 2, or 3 can be made legally, no penalty can be exacted.)
Several of his own men, the opponent has the right to name which of these men the player shall move. If none of these men can be moved legally, no penalty can be exacted.
Several of the opponent's men, the opponent has the right to name which man shall be taken. If none of these men can be taken, no penalty can be exacted.
A legal move cannot be retracted.
DRAWN GAMES
The game is drawn:
When the player cannot make a legal move and the King is not in check. The King is then said to be stalemated.
If the player proves he can subject the opponent's King to an endless series of checks (perpetual check).
By recurrence of position when the same position occurs three times in the game, and the same person is player on each occasion, and if such player claim the draw before the position is altered by further play, otherwise no claim can be sustained.
By mutual agreement, but only after 30 moves have been made with the Black men.
If the player proves that 50 moves have been made on each side without checkmate having been given and without any man having been captured or Pawn moved.
Either the player or the opponent may at any period of the game demand that the other shall checkmate him if 50 moves (subject to the conditions attached in 5). If checkmate is not given in 50 moves, the game shall be declared drawn. Nevertheless, the count of 50 moves shall begin again after each capture of any man and after each movement of a Pawn. Exception shall be made for certain positions where theoretically more than 50 moves are necessary to force a checkmate, and in this case a number of moves double the number established in theory as being necessary for this object shall be allowed in lieu of the50. The draw must be claimed by either the player or the opponent immediately the stipulated number of moves in the particular case is completed, and not at any later period.
ILLEGAL MOVES
If a player makes an illegal move and the opponent draws attention to the fact before touching any of his own men, the illegal move must be retracted, and the game shall be continued as follows:
When a capture has not been made, the player shall make a legal move with the man he moved illegally, but if no such legal move can be made no penalty can be exacted.
If a capture has been made the player must either take the opponent's man by a legal move, or make a legal move with his own man touched at the option of the opponent, but if no such legal move can be made no penalty can be exacted.
If in the course of a game it is proved that in illegal move has been made and not retracted, the position existing immediately before the illegal move was made shall be reinstated and the game shall be continued from that position. If the position cannot be reinstated, the game shall be annulled.
PENALTIES
The opponents can exact a penalty for an infraction of these laws only if he has not touched one of his own men after the infraction occurred.
Castling cannot be exacted as a penalty move.
If the opponent names as penalty a move which is illegal, his right to exact a penalty for the illegality committed by the player shall be abrogated.
Before enforcing any penalty the position which existed before the illegality occurred shall be reinstated.
GAMES FORFEITED
The game shall be declared forfeited by the player or the opponent:
Who willfully upsets the board or disarranges the men;
Who refuses to comply with a legal requirement under the laws;
Who in the course of the game refuses to obey the rules and conform to the arrangements made for the conduct of the game.
Note: Except when unavoidably prevented, the competitors in a tournament shall conform to the directions of the official in charge.
ANNEX
CONDUCT OF PLAYER AND OPPONENT
Written or printed notes (except the record of moves made), dealing with or having any bearing on a game in progress shall not be referred to or utilized by the player or his opponent, and neither of them shall have recourse to any extraneous advice or information.
No analysis of games shall be allowed in the tournament rooms.
Neither player nor opponent shall make any comments on any of the moves in the game in progress between them.
Neither play nor opponent shall touch or point to any square on the board for the purpose of facilitating reckoning possible moves.
A move shall be made by transferring the man touched directly towards the square to be occupied, and the man must be quitted immediately after it has been placed on that square.
In promoting a Pawn the player shall immediately remove the Pawn from the board and place the substituted piece on the vacated square.
No comments of any kind or suggestions as to drawing or abandoning the game shall be added to a sealed move.
Neither player nor opponent shall in any way whatsoever distract the attention of, or cause annoyance to, the other.