Absolutely! Our tournaments are open to players of all ages and skill levels, so if you’re an absolute beginner, no problem. We’ll place you in the lowest section.

 

All you need to play in our tournaments is a membership or other fee (either for a single round or the whole tournament) and a valid CFC membership or tournament rating fee.

 

You also need to know how to use a clock and how to record moves, both of which are pretty easy.

 

 

First of all, enjoy yourself! We know that you'll be a bit nervous your first time out, but here are the key things.

 

Pairings will be printed prior to the beginning of the round. Know what section you’re playing in, and find your name on the appropriate pairing sheet.

 

When the pairings are issued, find your board and have a seat. When the arbiter announces the beginning of the round, shake hands with your opponent and the game begins.

 

You may leave your board to use the washroom or for other reasons, but leave your phone at the table when you do. (Usually players will leave their board after having completed their move. It can look suspicious to leave the board when it is your move.)

 

You must not refer to any chess materials while your game is in play. This includes any electronic devices, books, and boards in the skittles room. Players should not discuss their games with others while games are in play.

 

When your game is complete, shake hands with your opponent, record the result on your scoresheet, and submit the top (white) copy to the arbiter at the front desk. Typically players pack away their board and pieces after the game.

 

Once all this is done, you can go to the skittles room to review your game or play some casual chess.

 

Players are not allowed to do things that distract their opponents or other players. This includes: eating at the playing table, talking to your opponent (with a very few exceptions), muttering, looming over the table, drumming fingers or tapping feet, touching the board or clock when it is not your move, offering draws when it is not your move, and offering draws repeatedly.

If you have an electronic device that sounds or vibrates during your game, you immediately lose, so make sure these are off! (If you have a valid medical or emergency reason to have an active device, please clear this with the arbiter.)

 

If your opponent (or another player) is doing things that irritate or distract you, you may stop the clock and summon the arbiter.

You may leave the board for washroom breaks or other reasons, but you must leave all electronics behind. Typically players will leave the board after having completed their move. It can raise suspicions when a player leaves the board on their own time.

Players may not access any chess information while their games are in play. This includes: any electronic device, chess literature, conversations with others that reference any specific chess positions, and boards in the skittles room.

Players are expected to be good sports at all times. Opponents should shake hands at the beginning and end of their games. Never argue with your opponent. If there is a dispute, please summon the arbiter.

Time control describes the length of time that a game will take.

At ACC our regular tournaments have a time control of 90+30, meaning that each player stars with ninety minutes on their clock (the starting time), and thirty seconds is added to their clock on the completion of each move (the increment.) This is a very common time control for slow (classical) chess. Games typically last two to four hours.

Our Youth section has a shorter time control of 30+30, and these games typically last no longer than one hour.

Faster time controls are common in chess as well. We sometimes hold rapid tournaments (where games last less than one hour. 15+10 or 10+5 are common time controls for rapid play.) Blitz games typically take less than ten minutes. 3+2 is a common blitz time control.

When the game begins, the player with the black pieces starts the clock by pressing the start/stop button below the display in the middle, and White's clock starts to run down.

After you move, you press the clock with the same hand you moved the piece. (All actions in chess are made with a single hand.) You may not make a move with one hand, and press the clock with your other hand. This is illegal, and can result in a penalty.

It is considered poor form to press the clock with a piece that your have captured.

You may not pick up the clock, move it, treat it roughly, or press your opponent's clock. Do not hit the clock aggressively, as this can be distracting. A gentle touch is enough.

The clock is always placed at Black's right-hand side, and may not be moved from that position. The arbiter must always have a clear view of the clock.

Please do not try to reprogram or reset the clocks. That is the arbiter's job.

If there is a dispute that requires the arbiter, you may pause the clock (by pressing the start/stop button) and summon the arbiter.

You may not make any action on the chessboard when it is your opponent's move, so you cannot adjust, offer a draw, or touch the board or pieces. However, if your opponent makes a move and forgets to press their clock, you are free to think and move on your opponent's time. You are not obliged to remind your opponent to press their clock.

If a player flags (that is, their clock runs of time), they lose, unless their opponent has no series of legal moves that can lead to a checkmate. In that case, the game would be a draw.

Players who are new to tournament play often feel pressure to move quickly because of the clock. Do your best to ignore this feeling. Moving without thinking carefully is the fastest route to chess failure!

With a 90+30 time control, you have plenty of time to consider and make your move. You can spend an average of three minutes considering any move, and some players will spend as much as twenty minutes thinking about a particularly challenging position!

Recording moves, or keeping score, is a very important part of tournament play. If you are unfamiliar with chess notation, don't fret. It's actually easy and logical, and this Wikipedia page about it is very clear and comprehensive.

Our club provides scoresheets so that you can keep a record of your games. At the top of the scoresheet, you must record the name of the event, date, board number, round number, section, and the full names of both players.

Both players are required to record every move of the game, as neatly as possible.

In our regular tournaments, you gain 30 seconds with every move you make, which is more than enough time to record your move, even when you have limited time on the clock. Therefore, players must record moves, even when they're in time trouble.

When the game is complete, you must record the result on your scoresheet: 1-0 for White wins, 0-1 for Black wins, 1/2 (or 1/2 -1/2) for a draw. You must sign your scoresheet and your opponent's scoresheet.

Please ensure the correct information and result have been recorded! Your signature is a confirmation that the information on a scoresheet is correct. If you win a game but sign a scoresheet that says you lost, well, you've confirmed that you lost!

The correct order of action, when it is your move, is: make your move, press your clock (with the same hand that made the move), and record your move.

The correct order of action, when your opponent moves, is: record your opponent's move, then consider your next move.

You may not record your move prior to making it (except for certain draw claims.)

You may not doodle or make notes on your scoresheet (or anywhere else.)

Players may not fall behind in keeping score. If your opponent is not keeping score, you may stop the clock and summon the arbiter. The player who has fallen behind must then catch up (referring to the opponent's scoresheet if need be) on their own time.

If you realize that you've fallen behind in keeping score, you may request your opponent’s scoresheet for reference to catch up. This can only be done on your own time.

When your game is complete, submit your scoresheet to the arbiter. (At ACC, bring the scoresheet to the arbiter's desk.) The white copy is club property and must be submitted. The yellow carbon copy is yours to keep.

An accurate scoresheet is critical for several reasons. First, you need an accurate record of the game in order to claim certain types of draw or make other claims. Second, reviewing your game is an excellent way to improve. It is common for players to analyze their games together in the skittles room. This is a great way to improve!

Our scoresheets can contain fifty moves. If your game lasts more than fifty moves, a second scoresheet will be delivered to you and your opponent. You should record the same information at the the top of additional scoresheets, and note that this is sheet 1 or 2, etc. All scoresheets must be signed by both players, and the result accurately recorded.

Our club offers double-size scoresheets for which are useful for young players with large handwriting, or players with visual impairments. These are available at the front desk.

In tournaments, we play with touch move rules.

Touch Move/Touch Take

If you deliberately touch one of your pieces and it can be legally moved, you must move it. If a touched piece cannot be moved, you are free to make a different move.

If you touch your king with the intention of castling, and castling is impossible, you must move your king.

If you start the castling move with the rook, you may not castle, but must move the rook. (The castling move must start by moving the king.)

If you deliberately touch one of your opponent's pieces, and it can be legally captured, you must capture it. If a touched piece cannot be captured, your are free to make a different move.

Once a piece has been moved, and the player's hand lets go, the move is considered to be made, and cannot be altered. The exception is if a player makes an illegal move and corrects it before pressing their clock.

One Hand

All actions on the chessboard must be completed with a single hand, including moving, capturing and castling.

The hand that makes the move presses the clock. You may not use one hand to move and the other to press your clock.

Castling is a special move of the king; the king must be moved first. Place the king down, and then move the rook with the same hand. Moving the rook first and letting it go is a rookie mistake. Instead of castling, you've moved your rook! Picking up both pieces with two hands is not permitted, and is considered an illegal move by FIDE.

Adjust/J'Adoube

If it is your move, and you notice a misplaced piece (say a piece that is straddling two squares), you may adjust it without having to move it by first quietly saying "I adjust" or "J'adoube." You may not adjust pieces on your opponent’s time. This is distracting and can result in a penalty.

It happens to the best of us. You've just made an illegal move. What happens now?

Well, first, we need to make something clear. A move is considered made when the piece has been set down and let go. But a move is considered completed after the clock is pressed. If a player makes an illegal move, realizes their mistake, and corrects this before pressing the clock, then everything is fine.

If the illegal move is completed (by pressing the clock), then the following occurs:

The clock should be stopped, and the arbiter summoned.

The situation should be explained, i.e.: "My opponent moved their bishop but didn't address that they were in check."

The illegal move is taken back, so the position is restored to a legal one.

For the first offence in a game: The arbiter will note that the player made an illegal move, and then give a penalty, which is two minutes added to the opponent's clock, and thirty seconds deducted from the offender's clock (the increment they gained in completing the illegal move.)

After the clock is adjusted, the game resumes. The player who made the illegal move must obey touch move/take rules: the piece moved illegally must be moved legally if possible, and a piece captured illegally must be captured legally if possible.

On a second offence in the same game, the offending player loses the game.

Draws are one of the most confusing aspects of chess, even to experienced players.

There are six types of draw, which we'll explore here.

The most common form of draw is a draw by agreement. A player offers a draw, the opponent agrees, and the game is drawn.

There are some rules about draws by agreement that must be followed.

First, a player may only offer a draw on their own move. It is illegal to offer a draw on your opponent's move. This is distracting and can result in a penalty.

Second, a player must make their move before offering a draw. (So the correct order is: make your move, offer a draw by quietly saying "Draw?", and then press your clock.)

If your opponent offers a draw without having moved, you have every right to insist they make their move before considering the draw offer.

Any use of the word "draw" is a draw offer! So if you ask "Are you playing for a draw?" first the arbiter will say "No talking!", and second, your opponent can say: "I accept your draw offer!"

A draw offer expires after the next move. You can reject a draw offer simply by making a move.

It is poor form to offer a draw in a clearly losing position. It is rude and distracting to repeatedly offer draws. This can result in a penalty if your opponent complains. In short, draws should be offered infrequently and sincerely.

Extending your hand for a handshake is a gesture for resigning, not offering a draw. However, you may accept a draw offer by offering a handshake.

Draw offers should be recorded on the scoresheet with the symbol (=) after the move.

There are two automatic draws, which are: draw by insufficient material and stalemate.

In a draw by insufficient material, neither side has enough material to mate. Examples of this are: king versus king, king and bishop versus king, and king and knight versus king. 

In stalemate, the player with the move is not in check but has no legal moves. This is a draw.

Draw by three-fold repetition and draw by the fifty-move rule must be claimed.

Finally, if a player flags but there is no legal series of moves by which their opponent can checkmate, the game is a draw. Want a deeper dive into draws? Click here!

At ACC, we aim to have a fun, relaxed and welcoming environment. We also like to keep things fairly casual; after all, our members pay to play chess in our club, so we strive to not be overly punitive. However, chess is a serious game, and we do sometimes administer penalties for bad behaviour over the board.

In general, penalties administered by the arbiter can range from: a warning to a time penalty (either time added to the opponent's clock or time deducted from the offenders clock, to loss of game or expulsion from the tournament.

Referring to an electronic device without permission from the arbiter, changing your move after having made it, or having a phone or other device sound during a game are serious offences and can result in loss of game.

Players engaging in distracting behaviour will be warned at first; if this behaviour persists, a time penalty will be administered.

Making two illegal moves in a game results in a loss of game.