Taylor Kingston wrote:
Dave, I take it you have a set of FIDE rules handy?

Yes, as do you:

http://www.fide.com/official/handbook.asp?level=EE101

If so, can you tell me, is there any penalty for a false announce-
ment of check? By this I mean saying "check" when making a move that
actually does not give check.

Well, of course, there's no requirement to announce check or, indeed,
say anything to one's opponent except to adjust a piece, resign or
offer a draw. The only relevant law that I can see is law 12.6: `It
is forbidden to distract or annoy the opponent in any manner
whatsoever. This includes unreasonable claims or unreasonable offers
of a draw.'

So, if the arbiter felt that the opponent was being distracted or
annoyed by the false claim of check (most likely, there would have to
be several), he could apply any of the penalties from Law 13.4 that he
felt to be appropriate: warning the offender, adjusting the clocks
(either decreasing the offender's time or increasing the opponent's),
forfeiting the game, adjusting the points scored by the players for
that game or expelling the offender from the event.

In practice, I imagine a warning would be sufficient, if any action
was felt to be required.


Dave.

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