Hello Johannes et al,
I write as a English Chess Federation(ECF) arbiter.
I think there is an obvious difference between an on-line chess game and a
social or business meeting. I would also draw attention to Bobby Fischer's
participation at the 1965 Capablanca Memorial Tournament in Havana in 1965.
Fischer actually played his games in New York and the moves were transmitted by
telex. One game was postponed because a storm knocked out the lines! Plenty of
practical problems there, and that was 56 years ago!
I do not play in on-line events but I have been asked for my opinion on various
aspects over the last year. I have seen several games forfeited by non-arrival
of a player and they have almost been in the first round. Sometimes (a)
competitor(s) never arrived at all and they were withdrawn by the controller.
It is not easy to offer a hard and fast rule because there may be mitigating
circumstances. However, according to what time limit is being used there should
be a definite cut-off point. Whatever that cut-off point is the controller
should always make every effort to start on time.
It should be noted that in events with increments there is usually one game per
event that goes on to an extent that it impinges on the preparation time (i.e.
pairings by the aribter) for the next round. For this reason alone I would be
unlikely to condone delaying a start time to the cut-off point. My personal
point of view is that being late is discourteous and I don't see why a
controller should bend over backwards to accommodate a late-comer. Other
controllers may disagree with me.
Needless to say there are grey areas here and it wouldn't surprise me to hear
differing opinions.
I would just like to finish by reminding you of the FIDE motto - Gens una sumus
or 'we are all one family'. Even our opponents are in the same family even if
they are thousands of miles away!
Regards,
Tyson
On 26 April 2021 at 10:08 Johannes Grib <johannesgrib@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Dear all,
Was recently asked what my thinking is on the forfeit and starting time of an
online chess game where one of the opponents is either late or a no-show.
I supported my response with the FIDE laws of chess which governs over the
board tournaments.
As I was given some time to re-consider my answer, I thought of making use of
your collective knowledge and expertise to gather a broader understanding.
The responses of qualified chess arbiters will be highly valued.
The scenario is that of a scheduled appointment between 3 people, a
timekeeper and 2 opponents, playing using the skype communication software.
The culture of the group who posed the question is to have as few rules as
possible and to have set rules as user friendly as can be.
What for example, in your opinion, is the difference between an appointment
of an online chess game vs a social or business meeting?
If the rules of an online tournament state that a forfeit is given after 30
minutes, is it polite to let the volunteer timekeeper and opponent wait 25
minutes without starting the clock before second player show for the game?
Please feel free to elaborate on the scenario and to include various issues
like connectivity problems, load shedding, computer troubles and whatever
other challenges you might think of.
Yours in chess.
Johannes
