Tournament rules. Most players read them once and forget them. Then the rules decide a game the board should have decided. Learn them as craft, not paperwork.
Arrive on time. Late players can forfeit the game without making a move. Your first decision of the day is when you leave the house.
No phone during the game. No help during the game. The board is yours alone for ten minutes. That is the whole point.
Ten minutes per player, per round. Ten minutes goes fast. Spend your time on the moves that change the game, not on the ones that are obvious.
A draw is not the end of the match. First comes a three-minute blitz game. If that is drawn too, a one-minute bullet game. So when you think about offering a draw, remember what comes next. You are choosing to play faster, not choosing to stop.
Touch-move applies. Touch a piece and you move that piece. Think with your eyes, then your hand.
No takebacks. Once you move and let go, it stands. There is no “wait, I meant.” Let that make you careful, not scared.
Press the clock with the same hand you moved with. One hand, one rhythm. Move, press, breathe.
Single elimination. Lose and you are out. Every round is a final. Play it like one.
Here is the lesson. Every one of these rules asks the same thing. Decide before you act. Do that at home, and the rules will never catch you at the table.
I wish you the best of luck!!
The Chess Zone – Coffee For Dessert.
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