“Dear Chess Doctor – If your opponent forgets to hit his clock, is it bad etiquette to not remind him? Also, is it rude to pretend to be thinking of your move while running his clock? This question goes for regular games as well as blitz. Have you ever used this strategy, or would you?“
GM2B reader Sumeet Barai poses a great question for tournament players, as this is a situation that will most likely come up at some point or another in practice, and opinions vary on how to handle it properly. Is it more sportsmanlike to point out the error, or is it permissible to take advantage of the opponent’s small moment of weakness? Chess is a sport, after all. As a player myself, I have been in such a situation more than once, with differing results. It is worth noting that such oddities could pop up more and more, with so many new chess players learning the game and practicing mostly with online play.
My first “clock etiquette” experience was at a Scholastic event, and while I did not verbally point out the miscue, I did give pretty clear signs that my opponent had failed to press the clock. He noticed the error and corrected it swiftly. The second occasion on which my opponent failed to hit the clock, I let his time run before making a move of my own. I have to admit that, in the latter case, my position was borderline lost, and I was a bit sore about this fact, which contributed greatly in my decision to stay silent.
There have also been incidents resulting in forfeiture of the game due to forgetting to hit the clock at astonishingly high levels. Most notable, to my eye, was acclaimed chess author and Grandmaster Boris Avrukh’s slip at the 2009 European Club Cup. Avrukh showed a superior understanding of the King’s Indian defense against his 300 points lower opponent, and, following some well calculated tactics, reached a position that black could have resigned on the spot.
By this point, I’m sure you can guess what happened. Instead of stopping the clock, Rudolf “thought” for as long as was needed – until Avrukh lost on time, ending the game in black’s favor. It turned out that the Israeli GM had pressed the clock on the board directly adjacent to his!
Having described a few examples, it is time to get back to the original question – is it bad etiquette to not remind the opponent when they fail to press the clock, and, in the same vein, is it fair to use any extra time gained from such mistakes to consider the position at hand?
By and large this subject is a matter of opinion, and any two chess players you ask are likely to have come to an entirely different conclusion. To make matters worse, neither FIDE nor USCF sets any ground rules in their respective rulebooks. Thus, it is entirely up to the affected player to decide how they want to handle it when the opponent forgets to hit his clock.
In my view, there is nothing at all wrong with thinking on the opponent’s time if they have played their move on the board and forgotten to hit the clock. It is a simple duty that needs to be carried out after each move, and if, for whatever reason, one of the players forgets to carry it out, it is no one’s fault but their own. However, on the flip side, my opinion is that one should let the opponent know when such an error has been made. That’s just what I believe to be the right thing to do.
I hope this helps answer the original question! As always, you’re welcome to submit a question of your own by clicking the button below or going to https://grandmaster2b.com/chess-doctor/
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