THE HISTORY OF CHESS

The true origin of chess is a controversial topic and

cannot be accurately pinpointed. The first documented records of
chess have been found in the East in Islam, Persia, India, and
China. The oldest known chess books were written as early as 850
A.D., and with references to the game found in other documents it
can be traced back to around the year 600. Before that there is
only archaeology and conjecture. Chess was introduced into
Western Europe at an unknown date before 1000 A.D. The
earliest references to the game in Europe are dated to around
1050, but they are short and ambiguous. Thusly, a definite route
of introduction into Europe cannot be accurately traced. After the
year 1100, chess had become a regular feature of noble life, and
there were many stories explaining its origin in the west. The
invention of chess was attributed indifferently to the court of
Charlemange, the court of King Arthur, and the siege of Troy.
The latter was extremely popular among westerners as the date
for the invention of chess. During the Middle Ages there was
much experimentation with the rules of chess. There were
demands for new rules to be applied in order to speed the game
up. Such rules included allowing pawns to move two spaces on
their first move, and allowing the king and queen to jump squares
in the opening turns so as to get them into play faster. Despite
many modifications to the rules of chess during the Middle Ages,
it was essentially the same game at the end of the period as the
one taken from Islam 500 years before. In the Middle Ages and
during the Renaissance, chess was a part of noble culture; it was
used to teach war strategy and was dubbed the "King's Game."
Gentlemen are "to be meanly seene in the play at Chestes," says
the overview at the beginning of The Book of the Courtier. The
author explains it further: “And what say you to the game at
chestes? It is truely an honest kynde of enterteynmente and
wittie…” Chess was often used as a basis of sermons on morality.
Different chess pieces were used as metaphors for different
classes of people, and human duties were derived from the rules
of the game or from visual properties of the chess pieces: “The
knyght ought to be made alle armed upon an hors in suche wyse
that he haue an helme on his heed and a spere in his ryght hande/
and coueryd wyth his sheld/ a swerde and a mace on his lyft syde/
Cladd wyth an hawberk and plates to fore his breste/ legge
harnoys on his legges/ Spores on his heelis on his handes his
gauntelettes/ his horse well broken and taught and apte to bataylle
and couerid with his armes…” Around the year 1500 there is
evidence of a sudden reform in the rules, creating a game almost
identical to chess played today. There were three major
modifications to the rules of chess. Each pawn was allowed an
extended move on its initial turn. Another change was in the
extending of the range of the bishop, which made rethinking of
strategies necessary. The final change was to the movement of the
queen. The medieval queen was an extremely weak piece, even
weaker than the king. The reformed queen, however, became the
most powerful piece on the board with its ability to move as both
a rook and bishop. It can be seen that from actions in Europe
around the year 1500 that chess had become strongly engrained in
western society and has remained so ever since.
 EQUIPMENTS
CHESS PIECES

Chess pieces must be of the staunton style. The staunton

style is the very classical look of pieces that most of our sets
feature. This includes the King with a cross, a queen with a spiked
crown, a rook that looks like a tower, a bishop with a diagonal slit,
a knight that looks like a horse head, and a round-headed simple
pawn. Many "fancy" sets are too detailed and it becomes hard to
tell the pieces apart. Some modern sets feature pieces that look
almost identical and can be frustrating for opponents who are not
familiar with the pieces. Each set of chess pieces must also be
significantly different in color - one light set and one dark set
(usually white/cream/natural/light wood vs. black/dark
brown/dark wood). Chess pieces are generally measured by the
King's height. Tournament chess pieces should be between 3.5"
and 4.25" (King height). The base should be 40-50% as wide as
the height. The pieces should not be overly shiny and should be
made of plastic or wood. The pieces should also be significantly
weighted as to not tip over easily. Generally if your pieces weigh
at least 1 lb. for all 32 pieces you are fine. Heavier pieces are not
needed, though they do feel nice. If you have any questions about
your chess pieces check with your tournament director.
*Classic staunton style
* 3.5" - 4.25" King height
* Made of plastic or wood
* At least 1 lb set of 32 pieces
CHESSBOARDS

Chessboards must be plain squares of alternating light and

dark colors. The colors should not be too bright and should also not
blend in too much with the pieces. For this reason the most popular
colors are matte green and blue (and why black/white is usually not
recommended - it blends in with the pieces). The material may be
any material that is not too shiny. Generally vinyl chessboards are
recommended or folding paper boards. Wood may also be used.
The squares must be between 2" and 2.5". They must fit the pieces
proportionally - not too crowded, not too spread apart. *Alternating
light/dark squares
* 2" - 2.5"
* Made of vinyl, paper, or wood
* Not too bright colors

CHESS CLOCKS AND TIMERS

Chess clocks and timers are used to control how much time
each player uses. There are mechanical/analog clocks and
digital clocks. Both are acceptable, though digital clocks are
usually preferred if there is a time delay featured in the
tournament. Clocks should be near silent. The player with the
 black pieces gets to choose on which side of the board they
would like to have the clock.
* Analog and digital clocks are allowed, though digital may be
preferred
* Clocks must be near silent

OTHER TOURNAMENT CHESS EQUIPMENT

Besides pieces, boards, and clocks, you may need some other
materials like scorebooks or scoresheets. Those are used to record, or
write down, your games for record.
 TECHNICAL SKILLS
Chess is a board game played between two players -- White
and Black -- who alternate turns. White always moves first, and
the players move one piece at a time until one side captures the
enemy's king.

The Pieces
Chess uses six pieces, each of which moves in a specific
way. All pieces share some common traits. No piece is allowed
to land on a square occupied by a friendly piece.

If a piece lands on a square occupied by an enemy piece, that

enemy is captured and removed from the board. With the
exception of the knight, pieces are not allowed to jump over
other pieces. Clicking on the name of each piece below will
open a more detailed guide on that piece's movements.

 The rook usually looks like a small tower.

It moves in a straight line horizontally or vertically
for any number of squares.

 The bishop moves in a straight line

diagonally for any number of squares.

 The queen, the most powerful piece in chess,

can move any number of squares in a straight line
horizontally, vertically or diagonally.
  The king can also move in any direction,
including diagonally, but it can only move one
square at a time. 

 The knight, which usually looks like a

horse, moves in an irregular, L-shaped pattern.
From the center of the board, the knight can move
to eight different squares. Though the knight can
leap over other pieces, it doesn't capture pieces it
jumps over; it only captures a piece on a  square it
lands on.
 Pawns are the shortest and weakest pieces
in chess. Pawns are also the only pieces that move one
way, but capture in another fashion. Unlike other
pieces, pawns can only move forward, not backward.
A pawn can only move directly forward one square at
a time unless it is still on the square on which it began
the game; if it is the pawn's first move, it can move one
or two squares directly forward. A pawn cannot capture a piece
directly in front of it. Pawns can only capture a piece by moving
one square forward diagonally.

Some exceptions to the rules include: castling, a move where

the king and a rook both move at the same time; en passant, an
unusual pawn capture; and pawn promotion, a situation that occurs
if a pawn reaches the end of the board, where the pawn may
"promote" to a stronger piece.

Before starting the game, ensure that each player has a light-
colored square in the bottom right-hand corner. Place your rooks
on the bottom-left and bottom-right squares, and then place the
knights on the first row directly adjacent to the rooks. The
bishops take the next two squares toward the center of the back
row. Leave two empty squares in the middle of your back row --
these two squares belong to the king and queen. Place these
pieces using the queen-on-color rule, where the white queen
goes on the light square, while the black queen goes on its dark
square. The king takes the other square. Set up all of your pawns
on the second row, right in front of your larger pieces.

How to Win
When a player's king is under attack and threatened with
capture, you say that the king is in check.

When in check, that player must take action to avoid

having his king captured by moving the king, capturing the
attacking piece, or -- except in the case of a knight check --
blocking the attack.

You win the game via checkmate, where you attack your

opponent's king in such a way that he cannot avoid being
captured. To win the game, the victorious player doesn't actually
capture the enemy king; once capture is inevitable, checkmate
has occurred and the game is over. A player who knows defeat is
inevitable may also resign the game rather than wait to be
checkmated.

The game can end in a draw, where there is no winner.

The most common way to draw a game is by stalemate. Other
draws include threefold repetition with the same position
occurring three times with the same player to move and the 50-
move rule, where no pawn has been moved and no piece has
been captured for 50 consecutive moves by each player.

TACTICAL SKILLS
1) Good chess strategy is to make your first move with the e-
pawn or d-pawn advancing two squares. In either case, you will
open pathways for the pieces to get off of the back rank and
into the fight for the central squares.

2) Good chess strategy is playing each piece one time to its best
square, developing them all in turn, and getting your chess
pieces off the starting squares. You want to get your pieces into
the game rapidly, and posted where they can accomplish
something - either aiding your attack or defense of the center.
Seldom will you move the same piece twice in the chess
opening.

3) Good chess strategy is keeping your King safe, so castle

early and get him behind your wing pawns. Castling is a great
way to safeguard your King from sudden chess tactics and even
checkmate - it gets the King away from the center and develops
one of your Rooks at the same time. Top level chess strategy!

4) Good chess strategy is advancing only one or two pawns in

the chess opening, just enough to stake out the center and
develop your pieces quickly. Moving pawns can weaken your
defenses, and is responsible for many losses in the chess
opening. A pawn move can never be retracted!

5) Good chess strategy is to make a threat when developing the

pieces, which will limit the opponent's freedom of choice. This
is the "initiative", a chess strategy meant to dictate the game's
course. Develop and threaten - good chess strategy!
 RULES AND REGULATIONS
A. STANDARD CHESS

1. Time control shall be One (1) hour plus thirty (30)

seconds increment per move for each player to finish the game
using the digital clock.

2. Recording of moves in algebraic notation is mandatory

throughout the game. Violation of this rule shall be considered
as a minor offense.

3. Illegal moves

Major Offenses:Wrong movement of piece, exposing the

king to an attack; capturing opponent’s king and non-
replacement of piece after pawn promotion.

Minor Offenses: such as using two hands in making a

move; displacement of piece/s on the chess board; use of force
in pressing the chess clock and non- recording of moves, etc.

4. Penalties

Major Offenses
1 st offense addition of two minutes to the opponent’s time
2 nd offense loss of game
Minor Offenses
1 st offense warning
2 nd offense addition of two minutes to the opponent’s time
3 rd offense loss of game

5. The defaulting time is thirty (30) minutes after the start

of each round. The wall clock inside the playing area shall be
the official clock during the tournament.
B. BLITZ CHESS

1. Time control shall be Three (3) minutes plus two (2) seconds
increment per move for each player to finish the game using
the digital clock.

2. Penalties

2.1 Major Offenses i.e wrong movement of piece, exposing the

king to an attack; capturing the opponent’s king and non-
replacement of piece after pawn promotion, shall be penalized
by immediate loss of the game.

2.2 Minor Offenses such as using two hands in making a move;

displacement of piece/s on the chess board; use of force in
pressing the chess clock, etc. shall be penalized by oral warning
on the 1st offense and loss of the game on the 2nd offense.

C. SCORING SYSTEM

A Player is credited 1 point for a win, .5 for a draw and 0 for a

loss

D. TIE BREAKS

The following tie break systems (in descending order of

priority) shall be adopted to determine the final ranking.

1. INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

1.1 Direct Encounter

1.2 Buchholz System

1.3 Median Buchholz

1.4 S.B. System

1.5 More number of wins (forfeits counted)

2. TEAM RESULTS

2.1 Combined Buccholz Tie Breaks of the members of the

team

2.2 Combined Median Buccholz Tie Breaks of the members of

the team

2.3 Combined S.B. Tie Breaks of the members of the team

2.4 Combined Number of Wins of the member of the team

(Forfeits counted)

2.5 Score of the players with the highest number of points

3. A sudden death match (Armageddon) shall be played to

resolve the tie if ties still occur after applying all the tie breaks.

IRREGULARITIES AND PENALTIES

A. Mobile phones and other means of electronic

communications are strictly prohibited inside the playing area.
A player who will violate this rule shall lose his/her game.

B. A team whose member is giving unsolicited advice or

assistance to his teammate while the games are in progress
shall lose their match.