Chess Arbiter | Benko Chess

Practical Guide for Arbiters, Teachers and Organizers

This page is intended for arbiters, assistant arbiters, teachers and organizers who want clear, practical and applicable guidance. It is designed as a compact tournament-working library: from school competitions and over-the-board rules to Fair Play procedures, pairings, tie-break criteria and the final report.

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School Competitions

Organization, regulations, entries, equipment, reports and arbiter situations at school competitions.

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Arbiter Guide

A detailed guide to rules, procedures and practical arbiter situations.

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Test Your Arbiter Knowledge

150 multiple-choice questions with solutions and short explanations.

Most Useful Topics from the Arbiter Toolkit

The working toolkit highlights the topics most useful in real tournament practice, so an arbiter can quickly find what needs to be checked before, during and after an event.

Laws of Chess in Practice

Legal moves, touch-move, checkmate, stalemate, dead position, draw claims and the sequence of events at the board.

Rapid and Blitz

Time controls, illegal moves, use of both hands, flag fall and timely player claims.

Chess Clock

Fischer and Bronstein increments, games without increment, clock settings, using the same hand for the move and clock, not keeping a finger on the clock, and pausing only when the rules allow it.

Claims and Decisions

Correct draw claims, incorrect claims, stopping the clock, checking scoresheets and calmly explaining a ruling without arguing at the board.

Fair Play

Phones, smartwatches, discreet handling of suspicions, recording facts and protecting the dignity of players.

Swiss System and Tie-Breaks

Score groups, floaters, colors, Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, direct encounter and clearly published criteria.

Ratings and Titles

FIDE ID, time controls, validity of results, forfeits, reports and checking current regulations before submitting an event.

Arbiter Checklist

Announcement, playing hall, clocks, scoresheets, starting list, result entry, final standings and the chief arbiter’s report.

1. The Role of the Arbiter

The arbiter ensures normal playing conditions, correct application of the FIDE Laws, order in the playing hall, fair play and equal treatment of all players. The arbiter does not play the game for the players, give advice or comment on positions, but decides on the basis of the rules, facts and competition regulations.

Basic rule: when an assistant arbiter is unsure, they do not guess; they calmly prevent escalation and call the chief arbiter.

Sound judgment: the rules cannot anticipate every possible situation. When no article applies directly, the arbiter first establishes the facts, then looks for the closest applicable rule, uses logic, fairness and the specific circumstances, and explains the decision briefly and calmly.

Monitors the course of games, clocks, scoresheets and results.
Responds to irregularities in accordance with the rules and authority granted.
Maintains calm and the dignity of the event, especially when children are playing.
Records important incidents for the chief arbiter’s report.

2. Before the Round

Board and Pieces

A white square must be on the right from each player’s perspective. Queens stand on their own color: White’s queen on a white square, Black’s queen on a black square.

Clocks

Clocks must be set correctly before the round starts. The clock is placed where the arbiter decides.

Regulations

Before the event begins, the time control, system, number of rounds, tie-break criteria, appeal procedure and rules on electronic devices must be clearly published.

3. Moves, Touch-Move and Special Moves

Situation	Arbiter Decision
Own piece touched	The player must move that piece if a legal move exists.
Opponent’s piece touched	The player must capture that piece if the capture is legal.
Pieces of both colors touched	If legal, the player must capture the first touched opponent’s piece with the first touched piece of their own. If it is unclear what was touched first, the player’s own piece is considered to have been touched first.
Adjusting a piece	Allowed only for the player whose turn it is and who clearly says “I adjust” or “j’adoube” before touching the piece.
Castling	The king and rook must not have moved previously; the king may not be in check, cross an attacked square or finish in check.
Promotion	A pawn on the last rank must be replaced by a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same color. The choice of piece is final only when the new piece touches the promotion square.
En passant	Possible only immediately on the next move after the opponent’s pawn has advanced two squares.

Castling and Touch

Castling is a king move. If a player deliberately touches the rook before the king, they may not castle on that side on that move and must move the rook if legal. If the player touches the king first and then the rook, but castling is illegal, another legal king move must be made if one exists.

Pawn Promotion

The player may choose a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same color and may change that choice until the selected piece touches the promotion square. The pawn does not have to be placed on the last rank first; removing the pawn and placing the new piece may be done in either order.

Released Piece

Once a piece has been released on a legal square, it cannot be moved to another square on the same move. If none of the touched pieces can legally move or capture, the player may make any legal move.

Arbiter note: An upside-down rook remains a rook even if the player says it is a queen. If a player moves a pawn to the last rank, fails to replace it with a piece and presses the clock, the move is illegal. If the arbiter sees a violation of the touch-move rules, the arbiter should intervene immediately.

4. Irregularities and Penalties

An illegal move is a move that is not legal: leaving the king in check, illegal castling, moving a piece incorrectly, improper promotion, using both hands for a move, or pressing the clock without making a move.

When is an illegal move completed? An illegal move is considered completed only when the player presses the clock. If a player makes an illegal move on the board but has not yet pressed the clock and notices the error, the move may be corrected and a legal move made; this does not count as a completed illegal move.

First Completed Illegal Move

For the first illegal move in rapid and blitz, one minute is added to the opponent’s time. In a standard game, two minutes are added. The position is restored to the state before the irregularity.

Second Completed Illegal Move

On the second illegal move by the same player in the same game, that player loses, unless the opponent cannot checkmate by any legal series of moves; then the game is drawn.

Important: in arbiter practice, the sequence of events is crucial: move on the board, release of the piece, pressing the clock, a player’s claim, the next move, checkmate or flag fall.

Additional Arbiter Irregularities

Illegal Position

If an illegal position is found to have arisen, the game is restored to the last known legal position. If that cannot be reliably established, the arbiter makes the fairest decision based on the evidence, scoresheets and the position on the board.

Rapid and Blitz: the Next Move

In rapid and blitz, timing is crucial. If the opponent has already made the next move, the earlier illegal move is generally no longer corrected, except in situations where the rules explicitly require intervention.

Board and Clock After 10 Moves

In rapid, after 10 completed moves by both players, claims about an incorrect initial setup, board orientation or clock setting are generally no longer accepted, unless an incorrect clock setting would seriously disrupt the event schedule.

Both Kings in Check

If in rapid or blitz the arbiter sees both kings in check, or a pawn standing on the last rank without promotion, the arbiter waits for the next completed move. If the illegal position remains, the game is declared drawn.

5. Chess Clock

A move is made with one hand, and the clock is pressed with the same hand used to make the move.
It is forbidden to keep a finger on the clock or hover over the button.
A player who knocks over pieces must restore them on their own time, unless the arbiter decides otherwise.
A flag fall results in a win only if the opponent has a possible checkmate by some legal series of moves.
If a legal checkmate has already been delivered, checkmate takes precedence over a later flag fall.
If both flags have fallen and it cannot be determined which fell first, the arbiter applies the rule for the relevant time control and the competition regulations; in practice this often leads to a draw.

Example: if the opponent has only a king and cannot checkmate, a flag fall does not result in a loss but in a draw.

Open the Benko Chess digital clock

6. End of the Game and Draws

Result	Explanation
Checkmate	The game ends immediately if the checkmating move is legal.
Stalemate	The player is not in check but has no legal move – draw.
Dead Position	Neither side can checkmate by any legal series of moves – draw.
Threefold Repetition	A player may claim a draw if the same position has appeared, or is about to appear, for the third time.
Fivefold Repetition	Automatic draw; the arbiter must intervene when the same position has appeared five times.
50-Move Rule	A player may claim a draw if the last 50 moves by each player were made without a capture and without a pawn move.
75-Move Rule	Automatic draw unless the last move was checkmate.

Same Position

A position is the same only if the same player is to move, pieces of the same kind and color occupy the same squares, and all pieces of both players have the same possible moves. If castling was possible in one position but no longer is later, the positions are not the same. The same applies to an en passant possibility.

Draw Claim

A claim based on threefold repetition or the 50-move rule may be made only by the player whose turn it is. If the position is about to arise, the player first writes down the intended move, does not play it, stops the clock and calls the arbiter.

Incorrect Claim

If a draw claim is incorrect, the arbiter adds time to the opponent and the game continues: two minutes in a standard game, and one minute in rapid or blitz when the rapid/blitz rules apply. If the claim was based on an intended move, that move must be played if legal.

Remember: threefold repetition and the 50-move rule require a player’s claim; fivefold repetition and the 75-move rule are automatic draws. A draw offer is correctly made in this order: make the move, offer the draw, press the clock. The offer remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it verbally or by making a move, or the game ends in another way.

7. Scoresheets and Notation

In standard chess, players are required to record their own moves and their opponent’s moves clearly, legibly and regularly, except in time trouble when the rules allow otherwise.

The scoresheet must remain visible to the arbiter throughout the game.
Moves must not be written down in advance, except when making a draw claim as prescribed by the rules.
A draw offer should be recorded on the scoresheet.
When a player has less than 5 minutes and no increment of at least 30 seconds per move, the player may be exempt from regular notation.
After the game, both players verify the result, sign the scoresheets and submit them to the arbiter or organizer.

One Player Is Not Recording

After the time-trouble period ends, the player must complete the scoresheet before making the next move. If it is that player’s turn, the opponent’s scoresheet may be used, but it must be returned before the move.

Neither Player Is Recording

The arbiter or an assistant should, where possible, observe and record the moves. After a flag fall, the arbiter stops the clocks and helps complete the scoresheets.

Reconstructing the Game

If the scoresheets cannot be completed, the game is reconstructed on another board under the supervision of the arbiter or an assistant, with the current position, times and move number recorded if known.

8. Time Controls: Blitz, Rapid and Standard

The time control is calculated per player for the whole game. When there is an increment per move, the calculation uses the base time plus the increment for 60 moves.

Formula: total time = base time + increment per move × 60. For example, with 5+5: 5 minutes + 5 seconds × 60 moves = 5 + 5 minutes = 10 minutes.

Format	Total Time per Player	Group
Blitz	10 minutes or less	B
Rapid	More than 10 but less than 60 minutes	R
Standard	60 minutes or more	S

Example	Calculation	Answer
45+30	45 minutes + 30 seconds × 60 = 45 + 30 = 75 minutes	Standard
3+2	3 minutes + 2 seconds × 60 = 3 + 2 = 5 minutes	Blitz
5+5	5 minutes + 5 seconds × 60 = 5 + 5 = 10 minutes	Blitz
50+10	50 minutes + 10 seconds × 60 = 50 + 10 = 60 minutes	Standard
15+10	15 minutes + 10 seconds × 60 = 15 + 10 = 25 minutes	Rapid

In faster time controls, the arbiter must pay particular attention to illegal moves, use of both hands, pressing the clock without moving, flag falls, player claims and the sequence of events.

9. Player Conduct and Fair Play

Players must not disturb their opponents.
The use of notes, advice, analysis and electronic devices contrary to the regulations is prohibited.
Spectators must not intervene in a game and may speak only to the arbiter.
When cheating is suspected, the arbiter does not publicly accuse the player, but acts discreetly, records the facts and follows the Fair Play procedure.

Practical point: the rule on phones should be clearly stated in the event announcement and repeated before the first round.

Standard Fair Play Protection

Playing Area

Before the tournament, the playing area, spectator area and a place for leaving phones, smartwatches, headphones and bags should be separated if the regulations provide for this.

Discreet Check

If there is suspicion, the arbiter records the facts, time, witnesses and player behavior. Any check is conducted calmly, in accordance with the regulations and without public accusation.

Report and Record

Serious Fair Play situations should be documented in the report: who reported them, what exactly was observed, what measures were taken and what the final decision was.

10. Swiss System, Ratings, Titles and Administration

Swiss Pairing

The number of rounds must be determined in advance. Players with the same score form a score group, the same pair must not play twice, and the system takes colors and floaters into account.

Tie-Breaks

Tie-break criteria must be stated in the regulations before the competition begins.

Virtual Opponent

For Buchholz and unplayed games, pairing software may use a virtual opponent. The arbiter must therefore check how byes, forfeits and players who withdraw from the tournament are treated.

FIDE Rating

The arbiter checks tournament registration, the time control, FIDE ID numbers, results, forfeits, bye results and reports.

Titles and Norms

Current FIDE regulations apply to international titles and arbiter norms; before applying the rules or submitting a title application, the latest version of the FIDE Handbook should always be checked.

Chess-Results

Chess-Results is the world’s leading portal for displaying pairings, tables, results, standings and tournament statistics. It is especially important because it is connected to Swiss-Manager.

Swiss-Manager

Swiss-Manager is used for player entry, pairings, results, standings and tournament administration. The arbiter must carefully check all data before publishing the event on Chess-Results.

Check Before Publication

Before publishing a round, check the round number, previous-round results, byes, forfeits, colors and any appeals. Only after verification should pairings and standings be shown to players.

11. School Chess Competitions

At school competitions, it is important that the rules are clear to children, teachers and parents. The competition may have individual and team events. Individual events are played by grade with boys and girls in separate groups, while the team event is played on six boards.

Clocks are mandatory.
Competitors must check in no later than 30 minutes before the start.
The regulations and official instructions should be available and clearly visible.
Results must be public.
The competition report is submitted to the responsible coordinator and School Administration.

Open the full page: School Chess Competitions

12. Arbiter Checklist

Before the Tournament

Announcement and regulations.
Participant list and FIDE IDs.
Arbiters and pairing software.
Playing halls, boards, clocks, scoresheets.
Published rule on phones.

On Tournament Day

Check-in and attendance verification.
Clock setup.
Publication of the starting list and pairings.
Brief explanation of the rules.
Result entry after each round.

After the Tournament

Verification of final results.
Publication of final standings.
Awarding certificates and prizes.
Chief arbiter’s report.
Submission of results to the relevant authorities.