Site Playing Rules: A Guide for the Perplexed

Resource

What is it?

Is it permitted DURING Turn-Based (and Vote Chess) play?

Is it permitted DURING LiveChess play?

Asking another person for advice

Includes discussing a game-in-progress in the chess.com Forums

NO* (except during VoteChess - when discussion WITHIN the team is expected)

NO

Books

This is a static resource and involves no calculation of best move.

YES

NO

Chess Engine (chess computer) the move calculator inside such programs as Fritz, ChessMaster

Software (or free-standing gadget) that calculates the best move from a given position

NO (except by agreement of both players, where specifically arranged and must be UNRATED games e.g. in a tournament created for that purpose)

NO

Conditional Moves (Pre-Moves)

Setting your response in advance to one or more of your opponent’s moves

YES

YES

Internet articles; Google searches

This is a static resource and involves no calculation of best move.

YES

NO

Openings Database e.g. Game Explorer

A database (or collection) of previous games, that is searchable. It covers Opening Lines only i.e. the initial few moves.

YES

NO

Separate board for analysis e.g. chess.com’s Analysis Board

YES

NO

TableBases (Endings Database)

The results from an analysis of end games (stored in a database) in which the sequence of moves to achieve the best outcome has been calculated

NO

NO