The Touch Move Rule in Chess Tournaments
The touch move rule in chess tournaments is very important. It is a tool to avoid withdrawing a just finished move on the board. This promotes fairness in the game so that no player will have double chances to re-strategize a play. To explain this rule in detail here is a description.
The touch move policy means merely touching a piece—or clicking on a piece in online chess—obligates us to continue with the move using the same touched or clicked on piece. There's no withdrawing or recalling allowed, no matter how disadvantageous the move may be to the player making it.
Touch move rule is more enforced with capturing moves. In traditional chess, when we have touched the enemy piece to be captured and see that the opponent will be doubly favored by it eventually, we cannot put back the piece in its former place and opt for another move. We are obligated to capture the piece no matter what the consequence will be.
In online chess, the same holds true. Once we have clicked to effect a capture we cannot recall the move in favor of another move. In some games a deduction is made from our points for such a withdrawal to be allowed.
In most tournaments the player withdrawing a move is forced to continue with the move. A miscalculated touch-move can be disastrous to our win strategy. It can suddenly turn the table on us even when leading in a game.
For instance, if we're not careful, we can sometimes put our queen right in front of an enemy pawn diagonally. Once we touch our queen and then discover too late that the square where we plan to put it is a sure trap, we cannot but proceed with moving the queen. However, if there is another available square where we may put it, then we can save our queen from lethal danger.
But once we have landed the queen on the square where the enemy pawn is positioned to capture it, then we can no longer take it back. It must be placed there to be captured.
Hence, it is important to be doubly sure about a move before we touch or click on any piece. What about merely adjusting a piece that is somewhat off the center of a square? Then we should inform the opponent of our intent to merely adjust it.
The touch move rule is crucial in tournaments. They can make or break a win strategy.
