Pushing a pawn to the 8th rank!

My friend at a tournament was playing his opponent getting crushed but having 1 pawn on the board. It was USCF and his opponent was low on time until he pushed the pawn and hit the clock. The TD added 2 minutes to my friend's clock which didn't affect the game. Did the TD do the right thing. Please help me!!!

Thanks,

Sidg123

See article 7.5 of the Fide laws of chess.

so what is this about exactly?

did you friend bump a piece out of position.

I read 7.5 and it says nothing about clock penalties for bumped peices.

the only thing it seems to say is that an arbiter has the right to adjust the clock (and position!) back to a place before the irregularity occurs.

besides, you make it sound like your friends opponent pushed a pawn to the 8th rank (and promoted), whats wrong with that?

(what Am I  missing ?....)

If it was a game with a classical time control, it was right

NO!  The OP Mentioned it was a USCF tournament, not a FIDE tournament.  Rules are different!

If the USCF tournament is also being FIDE rated, only then does it follow the FIDE rules of chess.  Below are the differences:

FIDE:  If a player pushes a pawn to the 8th rank (1st rank for Black) and hits the clock without making the pawn a Knight, Bishop, Rook, or Queen, it is deemed an illegal move.  If it is that player's first illegal move of the game, the non-offending side gets 2 minutes added to his clock, and the offending side is now under obligation to make it a Queen, even if that results in a draw by stalemate or gets the promoter mated (I had to promote once to a Knight because it was with check and lead to a draw while all other moves lost for me - so it can happen - I of course don't hit my clock though without promoting).

Another little tidbit to keep in mind if you are a USCF player playing for the first time in a tournament that is FIDE rated, even if that tournament is in the United States.  FIDE DOES NOT treat upside down rooks as Queens.  A rook is a rook is a rook, no matter how you position it.  If you need a queen, and don't have one, you must stop the clock, and summon the director to get you a Queen.  USCF allows you to use an upside-down Rook as a Queen provided the event is not FIDE rated.

USCF: Pushing a pawn to the 8th rank and not making it something is not an illegal move.  However, the non-offending side is under no obligation to make a move, and can hit his clock without moving, and no explanation is required.  I one time faced someone that made 3 illegal moves in the game (gained 6 minutes on him) and he proceeds to push for promotion, not promote, hit the clock, I slap it back at him, and he hits it again, I immediately slap it back at him, he's like "It's your move", and I'm like "No, it's still yours", and he was confused, and lost on time!  The 3 illegal moves were not getting out of check.  The non-promotion isn't illegal, but he ran out of time because he thought one could just assume it's a Queen and leave it a pawn.

Trust me, I hate USCF rules, and wish the stupid clowns of the USCF board would go back and change the rules so that they'd be in line with FIDE.  Things like "If a mate is physically possible, it's a win for the opponent of the player that runs out of time" or "Cell Phone Ring = Immediate Forfeit" or "Must move the piece before writing it", along with numerous other things.

Hope this clarifies!

No Lasker1900.  What he's saying is, hypothetically, that White plays a pawn move, a7-a8, and leaves it as a pawn on a8, and doesn't promote it to a piece, probably on the assumption that you will "assume" it's a Queen.

FIDE that's an illegal move.  USCF it's not illegal, and all Black can do in that case is hit is clock without moving, which he does have the right to do, or he can play on assuming that's a Queen since the player must call the illegal action, not the director, when it comes to USCF.  FIDE, the director can call things like Flag or Illegal Move if witnessed.

oh!why thank you Thriller.

that makes a lot more sense.

Thanks! This helped me a lot, now I will tell my friend!!

Thanks for good explanation.