Proposed rule changes for our distant future

Someday (maybe in 20 years), all tournaments will be played on DGT-like boards (hereafter called “the Board”, uppercase), which can sense the pieces, record the moves, and make rulings.

When this happens, some rules can be changed, deleted completely, or added, in such a way as to improve the chess experience for players and arbiters alike:

  • Scorekeeping (by the players) is not necessary. The Board will take care of that, and keep score visibly in two areas, one for each player. (Could be on white’s left, black’s right, where the clock used to be.)
  • Did I say “used to be”? Yes, I did. Upon determination of each legal move, the Board will stop one clock and start the other, and display the move on the score sheet(s).
  • After the game, the Board will print a copy of the scoresheet for each player, and a third copy for the organizer.

Each player will have a “Draw?” button which can be pressed whenever that player is on the move. Pressing the “Draw?” button is considered to be both a draw offer and a draw claim.

Whenever a player on the move presses the “Draw?” button:

  • The Board will immediately check to see whether the current position (without a move by the player) has occurred for the third time. If so, the Board will immediately declare the game drawn, and print three copies of the scoresheet.
  • The Board will then check for the 50-move rule (without a move by the player).
  • If the 50-move rule is satisfied, the Board will immediately declare the game drawn, and print three copies of the scoresheet.
  • If the Board has not declared a draw, it will then wait until the player makes his next move, and then:
  • If the new position has occurred three times, the Board will declare the game drawn and print the scoresheets.
  • If the new position satisfies the 50-move rule, the Board will declare the game drawn and print the scoresheets.
  • Otherwise, the Board will report the draw offer to the opponent, and write “=?” on the scoresheets to indicate a draw offer.
  • If the opponent now presses his own “Draw?” button, he has accepted the first player’s draw offer, and the Board will declare the game drawn by agreement.
  • Otherwise, the Board will wait for the opponent to make his next move, and the game continues.

Or, if the first player plays a move without pressing the “Draw” button, the game continues.

What do you think of that idea, Baba Looey?

The Board can rule immediately on certain types of draw claims. No need for an arbiter to play over the game to figure out whether there has been a triple occurrence, etc.

Proper draw etiquette is enforced. A player can press the “Draw?” button only when it is his move. Otherwise, the “Draw?” button press is ignored.

If the player on move presses the "Draw? button, the Board checks for a triple occurrence both before and after the player makes a move. This handles both types of triple-occurrence claims (with and without a move by the player) properly.

Same goes for the 50-move rule.

The Board enforces the rule that any draw claim (even an incorrect one) is also a draw offer.

Bill Smythe

When an AI inspired “Data”, who is granted status as a type of humanity, shows up to play on these futuristic digital devices, he will be allowed under USCF “rules” to play and win the tournament. The government agency in charge of regulating AI will require by fiat that he be allowed to play because its “rules” will be prioritized. It will be possible to have tournaments with hundreds of rounds per day, directed seamlessly by a TD robot who posts pairings and updates results in the cloud every second. With the human species having to compete with AI devices, the number of human USCF members will approach zero, except for the Life members who will live on into infinity. The USCF will have to then try to sell memberships to the AI players who will squawk about there being too many membership types and that the cost of membership is too high. By then the Rulebook will be online, but no one will read it.

Ridiculous. The cloud will be retired technology by then. :laughing:

Maybe for chess players it will have been replaced by the outre-net.

I’ll let you handle the appeal the first time somebody is in the washroom and the opponent presses the draw button, makes a move, presses the absent opponent’s draw button, turns in the scoresheet, marks the result and leaves.

Then you can handle the appeal when the opponent is in the washroom and somebody accidentally presses the draw button with an elbow while reaching for a piece.

Then you can handle the appeal when the opponent is in the washroom and somebody on an adjacent board accidentally drops something on the draw button. (one time I was playing a game while tired and erroneously pressed the clock on the adjacent board - so a draw button may be pressed on an adjacent board by accident).

Then you can handle the appeal when the opponent is in the washroom and somebody moving in the aisle between rows accidentally bumps a player and the player accidentally hits the draw button while regaining balance.

In a perfect world the Draw? button would work. Before implementing it, figure out what to do when it isn’t a perfect world. (heck, in a perfect world we wouldn’t even need floor TDs and there wouldn’t be anything that would need to be appealed).

Golf is largely self-policed, with players calling penalties on themselves. Yet recently there was a penalty assessed against a golfer based on an email from a TV viewer!

I’ve been watching a lot of curling during the Olympics, and it is also largely self-policed, about the only time officials get involved is when there’s a measurement.

Watching a lot of curling is a sure sign that you really need to get a life. :sunglasses:

The Bronze Medal winner in Curling has failed a test for a performance enhancing drug, and has been forced to give back his award.

Yeah, but the US Men’s team took the Gold medal earlier today.

And let me know when CNBC spends 3 hours doing chess coverage every day for 12 days.

So because there was no chess coverage you spent a lot of time watching Curling? I guess watching paint dry proved too exciting, so you needed something to calm your nerves. :stuck_out_tongue: