Strategy And Etiquette Are Equally Important In The Game Of Chess
Chess is a great game that has many benefits in your everyday life, because it teaches you how to concentrate, plan, focus and think ahead. And the fact that it gives you the opportunity for some friendly competition in a venue where the only thing that gets bruised is your ego isnt bad either. That’s probably why you see so many chess instruction books in stores and online. People have known the game’s benefits for centuries.
But it takes more than just learning chess puzzles to play chess effectively. People new to chess are often surprised to discover that when they first go to a tournament or a chess club. One of the more important of these aspects is specific etiquette that should be adhered to so your opponents will respect you. It’s amazing how many chess players who should know better don’t honor these basic etiquette rules. They should have gotten this information from whoever helped them learn chess, but that doesn’t happen for many who play the game.
Here are some essential chess etiquette tips:
* Cell phones and beepers
Beepers and mobile phone arent allowed when playing in a tournament, even if they’re set to only vibrate. It’s also a good idea to keep them turned off when at a chess club, whether in a tournament or not.
* Talking during a game
When it comes to talking while playing chess, think of the Golden Rule: Do onto others as you would like them to do onto you. If it bothers you to have people talking while you play, then don’t do it to others.
* Moving the pieces
If you touch a chess piece, you have to move it. If you move a piece to a new square and your fingers are still on it, however, you can return it to its original square. You still have to move it, but youre free to choose another square. Once you let go, however, it’s officially considered a move.
* Offering a draw
The correct way to offer a draw is to move a piece and offer the draw before you press your clock. Once you have offered the draw, you can press the clock. Don’t offer a draw while time is running on your opponent’s clock.
* The clock
It’s essential that you use the same hand to activate the clock that you use to move the pieces. Also, once the clock has been pressed, you must move your hand away. When playing a tournament, you should press the clock to stop it if theres ever a need to speak to the tournament director about the game.
These are just some of the rules that should be honored when you play chess. If you play the royal game, you owe it to yourself to learn all of them.