Information on Scoresheets

Running Chess Tournaments
1

What information do you like to see on the top and bottom of score sheets (Name, Color, Time Control, Event, Date, Rating, Section, Round, Board #, Pairing Number, Opening, Address, place to circle the correct result, place for signature, etc.)?

Also, how many moves do you like to have available on a score sheet?

2

I’m a graphic designer, and back in the day I designed a whole lot of forms (including some sold in office supply stores) so making my own scoresheet was that rare project that combined work and hobby. I don’t have a lot of fields for information, and I don’t concern myself with gathering signatures. I prefer fewer moves/wider lines for notation. Mine is set up to print two out/two sided on letter-sized paper. Run 'em off on a printer that prints two-sided, cut them in half, and you’re done. Office supply stores sell a little half-sized clipboard that works quite nicely with these.

If you must have two-part scoresheets, that usually means you’ll have narrower spaces for each move, because you can’t do two-sided carbonless forms. Or, you say “the heck with it,” have fewer moves/wider spaces and figure your players will use more than one scoresheet per game.

3

It’s a nice looking scoresheet, but it seems rather a pity that there is room for only 38 moves on the front side of the scoresheet. It feels like shaving just ever so little height from each of the nineteen rows would have allowed fitting 40 moves on the front with no real loss in usability.

4

In the scorebooks that our club makes, the sheets have a small box on each move line to record White and Black’s time. The sheet has the standard header with event name, date, section, round number, name and rating for each player. There is enough space to record 60 moves. On the back of the front cover of the scorebook we have rules of chess etiquette.

5

If those rules don’t include “Do not use this notebook during rated games,” then they are incomplete.

(If the virulent anti-move counter folks can call move counters “clock press counters”, then I can call scorebooks “notebooks.”

6

I’m not quite sure I would agree that the scorebook in question would violate the rules. I think the essential difference in this case is that the organizer is producing the scorebook. The player is not writing notes to himself as an aid to memory.

The original description of the scorebook does not state whether it is spiral bound or hardcover book bound. If it is spiral bound, the reverse side of the front cover would not even be visible during play.

It might be worth considering some hypotheticals about what organizers could legitimately print in a scorebook (or even on a scoresheet).

  1. Statements such as “no food allowed in the playing room”
  2. Club contact info (phone number, web site URL)
  3. A schedule of upcoming events
  4. Advertisements for other events (not necessarily events run by that organizer)
  5. Advertisements for chess-related products
  6. Advertisements from sponsors

Would anyone consider any of those to be a violation of the rules?

Now, to get a bit edgier:

  1. A reminder to record results immediately after the game and to go to the skittles room to analyze
  2. A reminder not to talk about any games in progress
  3. A reminder not to interfere in any way with a gae in progress
  4. A reminder that the proper time to offer a draw is after moving and before pressing the clock
  5. A reminder that the player is only allowed to write the moves, the clock times, and draw offers on the scoresheet (in addition to the usual header information)

Which of these would be objectionable?

7

Years ago I (kind of) made my own score sheet. What I did was take Excel, create an 8x8 grid, shaded (gray) every other square, put a border around this grid, and then printed it out. The grid was set up to take up the space of 5 inches by 8 inches of space. Along side of this 8x8 grid [blank diagram] I set down a standard score sheet. I then made copies [on 8x11 &1/2" paper], and ended up with a 60 move score sheet that had a blank diagram to use for 1 position during [or after] the game. If I had thought about it at the time I could have made this score sheet double sided, which then provides for up to 120 moves [& 2 diagrams] in 1 game.

Larry S. Cohen

8

Are you asking organizers what they want to put on scoresheets, or are you asking players what they’d like to see?

Speaking (for the moment) as a player, I like to see (I’m using your list, and adding a few):

  • Name – of course
  • Color – that’s included in name (i.e. “white” and “black”), so that redundant question is redundant
  • Time control – nah, that’s too fussy
  • Event – if it’s a generic scoresheet, yes, but if it already has the organizer’s name pre-printed, then maybe not
  • Date – sure, it helps months later when you run across a pile of old scoresheets
  • Rating – no need for a separate field, just write the rating after each player’s name if you want it
  • Section – sure, why not?
  • Round – definitely
  • Board – sure
  • Pairing number – that’s ridiculous, why on earth would anybody want that?
  • Opening – forget it, most of my openings don’t have names anyway
  • Address – huh ??
  • Place to circle the result – forget it, just look at the last move number (1-0, 0-1, etc)
  • Signature – I’d rather not clutter up my scoresheet with my opponent’s signature
  • Clock time for each move – nah, just make the main area for each move wide enough
  • Space for a diagram – a big waste of space, and almost never used
  • Number of moves – at least 40
  • Double-sided – no, the print-through from my pen on side 1 makes side 2 unuseable anyway
  • Two sheets per page – OK if cut professionally, not great if cut with scissors or a paper cutter (the corners never come out square)

Bill Smythe

9

i always ask for a signature. never know when one of those up-and-coming junior players i always end up playing is going to be a future world champion!

cheers, …scot…

10

I assumed Mr. Smith is designing a custom scoresheet for his tournaments (I’ve done so myself) and wants to know which boxes would be appreciated by players.

As far as signatures are concerned, it is easy enough to have players sign over the unused moves.

Alex Relyea

11

yup, that’s the way i do it! no separate block needed.

…scot…

12

There are two major problems with doing “two-ups”. The first, as Bill says, is that they really need to do be done by a copy shop that has the equipment to properly cut them. Virtually all HS tournaments use full pages since you can just run off more in a pinch on a regular copy machine. The other is that the boxes tend to be pretty small and aren’t really usable for either young people who haven’t learned how to write teeny-tiny print or someone who because of arthritis or … no longer has the fine motor skills to do teeny-tiny print.

13

Here are a few of the rules of chess etiquette that we put on our club’s scorebooks.

  • Every game must begin and end with the players shaking hands.
  • Between the two handshakes, no talking is permitted. “Check” need not be said. You may quietly offer a draw. There are to be no conversations with the opponent or with other players during the game.
  • Do not distract any other player in the tournament, especially your opponent.
  • If there is a dispute, an illegal move, or any rules violation, pause the clock and see the tournament director. Do not solve it yourself.
  • Never gloat over a victory or become despondent, or worse, hostile after a defeat. It is always good to analyze with your opponent after a game is completed.
  • Do not comment on games in progress, not your own game or a game you are watching. It is forbidden to call the flag or time of another game.

If such rules as above are not in line with the fussbudgets who deem everything a violation of the rules, that is too bad. The players may see these and other bits of etiquette advice when they open their scorebooks. If they refer to them during the game and apply them, so much the better for the quality of their chess experience and the general conduct of the tournament. Some clubs have posted similar rules of etiquette on the wall for all of the players to read. Some of their rules are funny and on point. My favorite is: “There will be no fighting in this chess club. Violators will be thrown into the street.”

Are any of the above, “notes” or “aids to memory”? No. They do not help with navigating an opening or in the analytical process. They are guides to behavior that players often forget in the heat of the moment. Should a player read one of them and conduct himself properly, that is a good thing for everyone and for the game.

14

Two things I don’t like to see on scoresheets:

  • color coding, i.e. white background for white’s moves, gray background for black’s moves
  • asymmetry, such as more space for white’s name than for black’s

I think I’ve seen both of the above problems in some multi-copy scoresheets sold by USCF.

Bill Smythe

15

I tend to be a “fussbudget” about rules (“Captain Hardnose”), and there is absolutely nothing I find objectionable in publishing that text on the inside cover of the club’s scorebooks. This is neither advice on how to play one’s game nor motivational messages that, while not directly containing chess advice, are still not acceptable under the rules.

16

You might consider adding these:

  • A draw offer does not come with a handshake. It comes with a move. Make your move, offer the draw, press the clock.
  • Acceptance of your opponent’s draw offer comes with a handshake. Say “I accept” and shake hands.
  • If you don’t want to accept your opponent’s draw offer, you needn’t say anything. Just make your move (take as much time as you want) and press the clock. By making a move you are turning down your opponent’s draw offer.

Bill Smythe

17

Having technical details about draw rules is too much information; that is usually addressed in pre-tournament announcements for new players. Basically, we wanted to note the types of behaviors we would like to see. Besides, it is considered rude to make no acknowledgement of a draw offer, even if it is within the rules. A simple shake of the head will do. Players who don’t usually wonder why the opponent is angry at him after a game. Small, simple, rude behaviors spoil the atmosphere of tournament play. I may note that when we make a new set of scorebooks. Thanks.

18

Sometimes it is more polite to ignore a ridiculous draw offer and simply play a move.

19

Ridiculous and/or repeated draw offers by an opponent can be addressed by stopping the clock and getting a TD to explain the draw rules. A simple politeness of shaking the head “no” can head off problems later down the road. On a few occasions I have had to tell adult players who are angry after the game what the proper etiquette is and what behaviors we expect. In our area, the norm is to acknowledge draws. One would hope that would be true in other parts of the country, having experienced “Minnesota nice,” “South Dakota nice,” etc. when playing in tournaments in the Midwest.

20

What if the recipient of the draw offer has not yet decided, and does not want to decide quickly, whether to accept the offer? He may want to consider the offer on his own clock time. In this case, either a “yes” (yes I accept the draw) or “no” could deny the speaker’s own right to think about his decision. And an answer like “I’ll consider it” could be misinterpreted, by the player offering the draw, as snarky .

Bill Smythe