Some of the facts, keeping in mind that the sequence was unclear
- White had a king and pawn. Black king and knight
- White offered a draw which was accepted by black
- White had likely flagged when the offer was made
- A spectator had loudly pointed out at the flag (it was a rapid with lots of juniors)
- An arbiter observed the flag and declared black winner as there is a series of legal moves that would allow him to win
Am I however correct in thinking that the main thing that matters in this dispute is whether the arbiter observed the flag before or after the draw offer was accepted?
According to the laws of chess, a game ends when a draw offer is accepted or when an arbiter "observes the fact". So whichever comes first is the one that counts.
Further confusion can occur if the arbiter did not hear acceptance of the draw as he cannot then say which event occurred first. On this case, how should he rule?
Am I correct in my interpretation?