Thoughts.

My introduction into chess was an introduction to this rule. For context, I have been playing chess for twenty-four years. One of the first books I purchased was a rule book to learn the dos and don'ts. Am I wrong to expect that this rule is implied?- because according to the rule book, it should not be. It is a rule that should be adhered to. With instruction comes proper teaching methods. Should not the club be the sparring ring for eventual tournament play (for the enthusiasts) if the individual aspires to? Are we not leaving a stain on the game if even one rule is to be violated without consequence, e.g., touch and move?

I have lost a handful of games to this transgression, (against strong players) and I feel like I am the outlier by constantly pointing - what by now - seems intentional. That aside, did I react like r Nimzowitsch - who upon losing a chess match exclaimed, "Gegen diesen Idioten muss ich verlieren!"? ("That I should lose to this idiot!"), not quite, but this was with great restraint. In all seriousness, am I wrong about this? If I am, how so? Lastly, shouldn't stronger players - some of whom take several minutes to move - have to commit to the piece they touch first? One commenter suggested that this rule could be arbitrarily applied between novices, or a novice and a stronger player: "casual play" being his rationale. My counter is that if this rule is arbitrarily applied, what about en passant? pawn promotion, white moving first, etc.?

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