Hypothetical arbiter question

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Andrew Zigmond
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Joined: Tue Nov 22, 2011 9:23 pm
Location: Harrogate

Hypothetical arbiter question

Post by Andrew Zigmond » Sat Jan 31, 2026 11:38 am

As per the post title this question is strictly hypothetical and has NOT occurred in any real life incident I've been privy to.

Player A and Player B are paired in a competition and we'll assume a congress. Player B has not arrived at the board at the start of play so Player A starts the clock.

Five minutes later Player B has still not arrived but Player A's phone rings and he is immediately defaulted. However Player B does not turn up within the thirty minute default time (or possibly at all). Would Player B still get the full point on the grounds that the game was concluded by a legal means or would it be a double default?
Controller - Yorkshire League
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Ian Thompson
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Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 4:31 pm
Location: Awbridge, Hampshire

Re: Hypothetical arbiter question

Post by Ian Thompson » Sat Jan 31, 2026 11:54 am

Andrew Zigmond wrote: ↑
Sat Jan 31, 2026 11:38 am
As per the post title this question is strictly hypothetical and has NOT occurred in any real life incident I've been privy to.

Player A and Player B are paired in a competition and we'll assume a congress. Player B has not arrived at the board at the start of play so Player A starts the clock.

Five minutes later Player B has still not arrived but Player A's phone rings and he is immediately defaulted. However Player B does not turn up within the thirty minute default time (or possibly at all). Would Player B still get the full point on the grounds that the game was concluded by a legal means or would it be a double default?
I think that would be covered by the tournament's rules. Normal practice is that you have to turn up at the playing venue on time to get a win, unless told otherwise by the arbiters (e.g. you're the player getting the bye, or your opponent has told the arbiters in advance that they won't be turning up).

Brian Valentine
Posts: 626
Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 1:30 pm

Re: Hypothetical arbiter question

Post by Brian Valentine » Sat Jan 31, 2026 1:11 pm

For a game to be rated, each player must have played at least one move.

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