Hi Leland, I recently noted the comment on Charlotte’s message board regarding “moving before button pushed.”  I feel it is incumbent upon me to take issue with some of the statements made, especially since it was I who brought the matter into question by requesting a TD ruling during a game at Bertucci’s XVII.  I do think that USCF rules address this issue specifically.  Under Rule 6. The Right To Move, 6B. A player on move.  A player is said to be on move or to have the move when the opponent’s move has been completed.  See also rule 9, Determination and Completion of the Move. I will paraphrase parts of rule 9 for the sake of brevity.  It basically states that a determined move is when the piece has been released, and a completed move is after the clock has been punched.  This is significant for many reasons; for one, this is the proper time to make certain claims of draws, or to offer draws.  I am stating this for the benefit of others who may read this, and wish to read the relevant text for themselves. When a player moves instantly before his opponent can hit the clock, he eliminates the natural interval between determination and completion of a move wherein one may choose to make certain claims (such as three fold repetition).  He also gains the benefit of using little or no time on his clock by using his opponent’s time.  Finally, he may gain a real or imagined psychological edge due to his annoying and distracting behavior.  Mr. Sabine’s suggestion is not an adequate remedy for all of these concerns.   No offense to Jay Sabine, but the idea he presented is found nowhere in the rules.  It is one man’s interpretation, a “tit for tat” remedy when someone moves on your time.  The fact that it appears to be a solution in and of itself makes evident the problem:  someone moving on their opponent’s time.  It does offer a modicum of relief for the time lost; however, the best remedy for such problems is to ask the tournament director for a ruling, not to take matters into your own hands.  A TD ruling in the spirit of “an ounce of prevention” could address the matter in its entirety.    I researched this issue beyond my own reading and understanding of the rules.  The question has come up before on USCF’s TD forums.  I found it reassuring that John Hillery, a USCF master and National Tournament Director, seems to concur with my interpretation of the pertinent rules. The question of enforcement of these rules can be tricky.  If someone is trying to move instantly before their opponent can hit the clock to gain some actual or psychological advantage, this is clearly wrong.  However, what if your opponent forgets to hit the clock?  Technically, there is still no “right to move” on your part.  Practically, though, the person who forgot to hit the clock is not likely to object or even notice that you executed your move on his time.  Since the problem was created by him forgetting to hit the clock, this is more of a mistake than a deliberate violation.  A reasonable tournament director would take this into account. I may well attend future Bertucci’s tournaments, or other tournaments, and face Mr. Pealer over the board again.  For this reason, I wanted to present my position on the rules in question. I want to make it clear that I bear animosity neither toward Mr. Pealer nor TD McCartney.  TD McCartney’s ruling that Mr. Pealer had not moved before I hit the clock was a matter of perception.  As such, I did not question it.  I consider the game a learning experience. Respectfully, Tom Hales, LTD ****************************************************** Mr. Hales: Hope you are doing well. I must respectfully disagree with you, Sir. All of what you stated from the rules is correct. However, it does not state anywhere in the rulebook that a player may NOT make a move before his opponent has pushed his button. For your information, the incident in question took place between me and Michael Kliber. In a severe time scramble he pick up a Rook and set it on a square, and then removed his fingers from the piece. He then tried to pick up the piece again and place it on another square at the same time I was making my move. He claimed that he had not completed his move by pushing his button and therefore, I could not move yet. The Director upheld my claim that he had, in fact, released his hand from the piece and, of course, could not change the move. (But, because the rules are quite nebulous in the book, was not completely sure about whether I could execute my move before the button was pushed). Respectfully, Mr. Hales, I have many more years of experience in tournament chess as a player and a Director than you do. And, I have participated in National as well as International competition. (FIDE rules are different). I have observed Grandmasters make their move in time scrambles before their opponent pushed their button many times and, according to NTD Bill Goichberg, the interpretation that Mr. Sabine offered is correct. A player still has a right to make a claim whether the other guy has made a move or not, just so he conforms to the rules. The other player's move, in this case, would simply not count if the claim is granted. Your argument that one player is playing on the other players time can not be honored since players often forget to punch their clock. That shouldn't prevent another player from playing at a naturally more rapid pace, since he is also in time trouble. Again, the first player still has a right to push his button, to which his opponent will push his button back immediately. And, since when do players keep score when they are in severe time trouble, anyway?? Obviously, the USCF needs to carefully observe and revise the rules pertaining to this very situation and provide a more specific interpretation.  On another note, I remain diasppointed that you chose to conduct a tournament on the same weekend that I had planned the Carolinas Challenge. In my opinion, you had plenty of time to re-schedule your event. Not that I assume that any of the players who participated in your event would have necessarily participated in mine, it still would have been a more co-operative and friendly thing to do. NM Leland Fuerstman Senior TD