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ghenghisclown wrote on 08/18/12 at 09:57:46:


Writing down a move before you make it is cheating if, and only if, the rules say so. Just like steroids. If the rules forbid it, then you get an advantage over other players by using it, and thus it's cheating. If the rules allow it, it's not cheating, as your competitors can't blame you for enhancing your performance as long as you stay within the rules.

ghenghisclown wrote on 08/18/12 at 09:57:46:


I realize it's not a perfect analogy, but: food is also external. You can't prevent people from using external sources altogether, you have to draw the line somewhere. And that's why we need rules to define what is allowed.

I imagine that if shoes weren't "invented" yet and the marathon runners were used to run barefeet, the first one to show up with shoes would be called a cheater for using "external sources."

TalJechin wrote on 08/17/12 at 07:21:22:


that illustrates a new kind of mini-job in the chess community : the private base gatherer.

Many guys who don't want their games chessbased write down unintelligible moves. The most meticulous split the scoresheet and the carbon, scribble on the scoresheet and write normally on the carbon, which they keep. At the end of the tournament, there are a few guys who keep hassling the scribblers for their "real" games, in order to populate private bases that can be reselled (somehow, it's more important to know what your neighbours play rather than Magnus Carlsen). As nothing comes for free, some scribblers sell their games to the gatherers, and curse their naive opponents who write their moves in cleartext.

Way back in the day (1920's? 1930's?) this advice was given and I've seen it trotted out countless times since:

    "It often happens that a player carries out a deep and complicated calculation, but fails to spot something elementary right at the first move. In order to avoid such gross blunders, the Soviet master B. Blumenfeld made this recommendation:-
    When you have finished your calculations, write down the move you have decided upon on the score sheet. Then examine the position for a short time 'through the eyes of a patzer'. Ask whether you have left a mate in one on, or left a piece or a pawn to be taken. Only when you have convinced yourself that there is no immediate catastrophe for you should you make the planned move."

-- KOTOV (in Play like a Grandmaster, I believe)

I think "Blumenfeld's Rule" was gospel for decades, which explains the widespread practice, but FIDE have disallowed it so it can't be used in any tournament that uses FIDE rules.

I remember being astonished on reading an article somewhere when Abby Marshall explained a poor performance in a scholastic tournament by the fact her mp3 player broke so she had to borrow someone else's to listen to during play, and didn't like the music so much 

It certainly seems to be allowed by the rules of those competitions (so not cheating) but I can't remember ever playing in one where it would be ok.  Then again, mp3 players weren't around when I was a junior...

The rule on "you must not distract your opponent" is one I'm more likely to want enforced.  I haven't yet encountered a player who likes to cough a lot during every game while their opponent is thinking, although I know of a few.

There were also occasions - I was a 'victim' at least once - of people writing down a move and waiting for a stronger friend on an adjacent board to indicate his opinion

In USA, current USCF rules does allow one to write moves before making them.  Their 'laws' have changed numerous times and they often even allow scratching out moves.

gwnn wrote on 08/16/12 at 15:07:10:

The scoresheet is for recording what has happened, not for what might happen.

Still, it might almost be tolerable if, but only if, erasing and replacing the prematurely written move is forbidden.
But even this creates problems: What about cases where the written move is illegal (would put own king in check or whatever)?
What about electronic scoresheets that display the current position after each notated move?



A few years ago, the USCF delegates acted foolishly by changing the USCF rules to explicitly allow the player to prematurely record his own move, and to further allow the player to erase his premature move and replace it with another move: the only limitation was the player could erase & replace his premature move only one time each move (thus 60 times in a 60 move-pair game). This is simply note taking.
They tried to justify this rule change by saying (A) as a practical matter lots of trainers tell kids to prematurely write their move and the USCF has to live with that reality, and (B) we cannot read the player's mind so we cannot prove that what he is writing has any beneficial note-taking effect.

I think the USCF delegates changed the rule again within two years, back part way to make it harder to take notes (but I got lost in the complicated details).



Time notations should be allowed. Draw offers must be recorded.

Each player's scoresheet should be plainly visible at all times to anyone standing nearby. This includes electronic scoresheets.