Saying Check outloud...

[TiderInsider]

I was reading somewhere that saying "check" outloud is rude. It presupposes that your opponent cannot see that he is in check. What do you guys normally do when you're playing in person. I have always politely said "check" - unless I'm playing with the Bama Gambler, in which case I say "check, b**ch."

[ACCtuary]

It so seems part of the game,I cannot imagine not saying it. Besides, without saying 'check' out loud, chess players would have no conversation at all :-)

Since the game can become illegal if a check is ignored, it is reasonable to say it as a routine. In Go, you can alert your opponent if a capture is threatened, but it is considered optional. But there, the game continues if the capture is ignored.

I think it is more polite to say 'check' out loud than to have to say 'you can't move that piece, you're in check'.

[Utanapishtim]

It so seems part of the game,I cannot imagine not saying it. Besides, without saying 'check' out loud, chess players would have no conversation at all :-)I agree. Except that the trash talk between players makes for plenty of conversation, but maybe that's just my games.
I think it is more polite to say 'check' out loud than to have to say 'you can't move that piece, you're in check'.From my perspective, I think it is more polite to be told I'm in check before, rather than after, I try to make a (subsequent) stupid move -- and more satisfying to be able to cry "check!" as soon as I do it, rather than just let my opponent figure it out. (:

[E. Blackadder]

I was reading somewhere that saying "check" outloud is rude. It presupposes that your opponent cannot see that he is in check. What do you guys normally do when you're playing in person. I have always politely said "check" - unless I'm playing with the Bama Gambler, in which case I say "check, b**ch."
In a tournament it's clearly rude, because of the other 100 players in the room. There's also a thread on this in the aussie section.

In a crowded restaurant, if you don't say "check" out loud, you have to stay until the place closes down.

Does anyone say "guardez" anymore? I hope not.

[TiderInsider]

There's also a thread on this in the aussie section.We have a chess section for the aussies?

[E. Blackadder]

Looks like it got reefed (http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=68712&highlight=check). Dunno why, it was a fairly major source of aussie posts.

[Mel-o-rama]

How many times have you heard that if you don't say "check" then you automatically lose? This is what my child's chess coach at school was trying to tell her. (And to think Traci has it hard! Forget prayer in schools! This is far less forgivable!)

I know that I grew up believing that you "must" say check or lose, so it's not just that one chess coach. I bet this is one of those often misunderstood misconceptions about chess rules. It's probably up there with "You can't move your rook through 'check' when you castle" or "You can't castle if your rook is under attack" or "You can't have more than one queen on the board."

[E. Blackadder]

The FIDE and USCF rules are readily available in bookstores. Even online (http://www.fide.com/official/handbook.asp?level=EE101), I think.

There ain't no such rule, and I never heard it when I grewed up.

nevermind, for the latter. misread your post re rooks and check. If they got that wrong, you better check on you child's en passant knowledge, too!

just for completeness...

5.1 The game is won by the player who has checkmated his opponent`s king. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the checkmate position was a legal move.

The game is won by the player whose opponent declares he resigns. This immediately ends the game.

5.2 The game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in check. The game is said to end in `stalemate`. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the stalemate position was legal.

The game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate the opponent`s king with any series of legal moves. The game is said to end in a `dead position`. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the position was legal.

The game is drawn upon agreement between the two players during the game. This immediately ends the game. (See Article 9.1)

The game may be drawn if any identical position is about to appear or has appeared on the chessboard at least three times. (See Article 9.2)

The game may be drawn if each player has made at least the last 50 consecutive moves without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. (See Article 9.3)


For a bit of amusement, it's reported that the rules on castling have changed in the last few years:


This is a move of the king and either rook of the same colour on the same rank, counting as a single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is transferred from its original square two squares towards the rook, then that rook is transferred to the square the king has just crossed.

(1) The right for castling has been lost:

if the king has already moved, or

with a rook that has already moved

(2) Castling is prevented temporarily

if the square on which the king stands, or the square which it must cross, or the square which it is to occupy, is attacked by one or more of the opponent`s pieces.

if there is any piece between the king and the rook with which castling is to be effected.

The underlined bit was the addition, otherwise you could -- even if no one ever seems to have done it -- promote your e-pawn to a rook, and castle your unmoved king towards your opponent. ;-)

[Amphiblitz]

How many times have you heard that if you don't say "check" then you automatically lose? This is what my child's chess coach at school was trying to tell her.
How old is your child? It seems that some latitude should be given depending on the age-group of the chess club.

[Mick Fan]

If you're playing in a tournament with the rule that if you touch a piece, you must move it, not knowing you're in check can be pretty devastating. If you are checked with a bishop and don't realize it and move your queen, you are then required to interpose with your queen if you can do it.

In my limited tournament experience, most people said "check." When you play on-line, the system says "check" for you.

[DW Simpson]

Looks like it got reefed (http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=68712&highlight=check). Dunno why, it was a fairly major source of aussie posts.

:)

We're working on it. The Aussie section, that is.

[Mel-o-rama]

How old is your child? It seems that some latitude should be given depending on the age-group of the chess club.

She was 7-yr old at the time. It's a little frustrating though, when I play her and I have to unlearn the silliness she was taught!

[Mel-o-rama]

The underlined bit was the addition, otherwise you could -- even if no one ever seems to have done it -- promote your e-pawn to a rook, and castle your unmoved king towards your opponent. ;-)

That's an interesting point. I should have these guys look over my HOA covenants!

[E. Blackadder]

:)

We're working on it. The Aussie section, that is.
As Malik once said, "Ouoof, ouoof!"

[E. Blackadder]

If you're playing in a tournament with the rule that if you touch a piece, you must move it, not knowing you're in check can be pretty devastating. If you are checked with a bishop and don't realize it and move your queen, you are then required to interpose with your queen if you can do it.

In my limited tournament experience, most people said "check." When you play on-line, the system says "check" for you.
If you don't know you're in check, you probably aren't about to make a good move.

[win diesel]

It gets really annoying when someone checks in the dark.

[Jonas Grumby]

I recall that when I started playing regular club chess after high school, that saying check was not required and was indeed considered rude because it interrupted the (as I interpreted it) hypersensitive thought patterns of the checker's neighbors.

Since then, I think I've only actually heard someone say check a couple of times in over-the-board tournament play.