Help with USCF castling rules

Hi,

(I've posted something on this topic, but I can;'t figure out how to find it.)

In USCF, when you castling, (based on what I remember from my prior post and your responses), the king must be moved first, before the rook.

However, I'm confused about this "move".  Does it mean a complete move, where the king is also put down on its destination square?  Or can it also mean that I only pick up the king first, i.e. allowing for the following sequence of actions:

1. pick up king

2. pick up rook

3. place king

4. place rook

(having both pieces simultaneously off the board).

I know in a real game, this deal isn't important.  But I'm working on an electronic chess board where this detail is really needed.  Thanks!

Pick up King, place on correct square. With the same hand, pick up your rook and set it on the correct square. Castling is complete.

Thanks craftsmanshipbymark. While that's how I play it; is it also a requirement of the rules?

I think that is the USCF rule now, but no TD is going to force you to move the Rook if you touch it first - they will warn you first, and only if the opponent complains.

Another bad thing about USCF is they won't publish their tournament rules online, you have to buy their book. The rule book is a consistent best seller for them.

It is a rule to only use one hand, so while the situation you describe is possible with one hand, I've never seen it.

You really should always move the king first and use only one hand. It eliminates confusion or potential touch move claims. But, it is allowed to move the rook first in USCF only events.

Plus, one hand and moving the king first is a requirement for FIDE rated events.

Doing it electronically, if you are using something like an arm, you should just go with the FIDE implementation.

It is really pretty easy for all to see if you pick up the King first and move it 2 squares because it is the only time the King moves 2 squares.....that is the reason for the rule, avoids any questions. Just get in habit of moving King first two squares to avoid any problems before they even come up.

The USCF doesn't own the copyright to publish the rules. The book seller does.