You certainly cannot forfeit someone once the game is over. Save it for next time, then lower the boom on the S.O.B..

Hi Markovich,
      I must say your reply has taken me aback somewhat. It sounds like an excellent idea ! I will seek clarification and agreement from our league committee. If they confirm it, I will do just that. Would you include the right to default him after his game has ended ?
     I have just taken a telephone call from our club secretary asking if I have a problem captaining the team again on Monday, including this individual as part of the team again. To add to his reticence in asking me, I will have to drive the team as well ! I hasten to add that I have agreed, of course.
      Should your point be accepted by our league officials, it may well solve the issue. Many thanks.

Hi Zwischenzugzwang,
         Thanks for the support ! It is Welsh. I'm not a speaker but can understand enough to make my wife and daughter cautious ! It is my wife's first language. That phrase means chess for ever, copied from Cymru am bydd which is Wales for ever. I shall have a look at that thread and contribute what I can. I can recommend a playing site call gwyddbwll.com. It is administered by the brother of one of our club members who designed it as part of a college course. I believe it can allow the use of seven different languages, none of which is English. The majority of players use Welsh.
       All the best, hwyl a sbri !

        While most of the discussion has revolved around food, my original intention was to highlight poor behaviour causing any kind of disturbance. The most common issue is noise, typically talking while games are in play.
         The issue that lead to my email happened in my most recent game for my club and I was stand-in captain. Despite my best efforts, my "team-mate" causing the issue remained unmoved by the protestations of several people fom both sides. My only success was having told him explicitly to stop disturbing everyone on several occasions, I managed to stay behind my board. Although previously suggested, getting up and punching him was not a chess strategy I hoped to put into practice. It disturbed me to the point of not enjoying the fine victory our B team scored over the league champions and even to omitting to congratualte our board one on beating his IM opponent, the best result of his life ! Having considered leaving the club or refusing to play in the same team again (both emotional reactions I grant you and at my cost), I spoke to the guy involved by telephone. I told him of the complaint from the opposing team and that I intended to email my complaint to all club members. He remained uninterested.
     Having received only one email and two telephone calls in support of my view, I begin to wonder whether it's just me. Perhaps I expect better behaviour from others than is reasonable.

This might be a cultural thing, but I've never been to a tournament that didn't serve drinks, coffe, sandwiches, chocolate, fruits and so forth. A few of them have served hot dogs aswell. (Although granted, these wheren't ranked or serious tournaments.)

I'm not sure what the correct word is for this either, but in the swedish league it's customary for the home team to offer sandwiches, coffe and sometimes even soda drinks to the visiting team.

And I've yet to be disturbed by any eating. I can only remember a few clear times where I actually got disturbed, and usually I solved it by telling him. Except for the time I faced off with an older man that had artifical teeths (correct word?) that he played with in his mouth. Taking them off and them putting them back in the socket again with his tounge and jaw.

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IMJohnCox wrote on 11/08/11 at 00:03:49:


It appears from this discussion, as Jupp53 has said, that there are different conventions in different countries. I don't think such cultural differences are easily solved by acting morally superior, asserting that other people "can't behave properly" and the like. As long as I eat as discreetly as everyone else in the tournaments I play, I'm really just following the conventions in place there.

It's not straightforwardly about respect and caring either: If both players can eat at the board that's an advantage for both, and if both players can have complete silence and privacy while thinking that's also a clear (though unrealistic) advantage. So this is a nontrivial trade-off. Which is exactly why it is ruled by conventions and cultural norms, probably.

It's not like I wouldn't respect it if an opponent claimed to be disturbed. But this has yet to happen in more than 1100 rated tournament games.

IMJohnCox wrote on 11/08/11 at 00:03:49:

I totally agree. It's not that I mind very much if my opponent eats at the board. There are other things that annoy me (I have had an opponent who sniffed every 30 seconds). It's more that I want to avoid the smallest chance of winning by disturbing him/her.
Etiquette is not about yourself. It's about being considerate.