The Laws of Chess

[David G Congalton]

Are we going to prevent Parents from being in the playing room?

I don't see where the rules state this at all.

At the Glorney 2013 and Liverpool 2012 junior events, the chief arbiter gave permission for parents and everyone else to be in the playing area before play started to take photographs, wish their children luck and whatever else needed done. Just before black started white's clock the playing area was cleared of all bar arbiters, players and official coaches, who had the chief arbiters permission to be in the playing area.

This didn't seem to cause any major issues.

From my experience, for most events parents are hardly ever in the playing area after play commences. At the South Ayrshire and Ayr congresses I expect most of them will congregate in the downstairs seating area or the analsysis room.

The playing area will be the rooms where boards are set up for competitive play, the boundaries of which are marked by doors, walls and windows.

The playing venue will be the above mentioned playing area, the first floor toilets and the entrance area where the water coolers will be this year. The area set aside for smoking is outside. Anyone daft enough to use a mobile phone or electronic device while they are still playing a game in any of these areas, including outside, will forfiet the game, unless it is a medical emergency.

For those bringing such items into the playing venue they should be switched off in the playing venue during playing sessions.

11.3 b. During play, a player is forbidden to have a mobile phone and/or other electronic
means of communication in the playing venue. If it is evident that a player
brought such a device into the playing venue, he shall lose the game. The
opponent shall win.
The rules of a competition may specify a different, less severe, penalty.

The last line of this rule will be applied. The different, less severe, penalty being no action at all provided the device is switched off, which seems penalty enough for those who suffer phone or ipad withdrawal symptoms, when they are deprived of the use of such products for any length of time.

All that said, it is good that the points have been highlighted, especially for our international teams playing in FIDE events and also for our own domestic competitions, where interpretations can sometimes be misunderstood by players, leading to confusion and a feeling of being done by the application of rules, such as the mobile phone one or the dreaded claim for a draw in the last five minutes.