The Laws of Chess (1931)

Edward Winter

‘At last ... there is a standard book of rules which is effective all the world over’ (BCM, October 1931, page 446).

The text below, which comes from pages 245-283 (odd-numbered pages only) of the British Chess Federation Year Book, 1951-1952 (London, 1952), includes annotations by John Thomson Boyd (1878-1962), who was then a Vice-President of the Federation.

Select bibliography on the drafting and translation of the rules:

• Procès-verbal du Ve congrès, La Haye, 1-5 août 1928, page 11;
• Schweizerische Schachzeitung, September 1928, pages 139-140;
• Procès-verbal du VIe congrès de la FIDE, Venise, 26-30 septembre 1929, page 6;
• Schweizerische Schachzeitung, December 1929, pages 185-186;
• BCM, October 1931, page 446;
• BCM, November 1931, page 485.
• American Chess Bulletin, December 1931, page 185.

The full unannotated text can be found, under the heading ‘International Chess Code’, on pages 207-224 of Chess for Fun & Chess for Blood by Edward Lasker (Philadelphia, 1942).

From page 47 of the February 1932 BCM:

‘The new law of the International Code against draws by mutual agreement before 30 moves have been made by Black was invoked once, a score of a drawn game being brought up and refused when only 23 moves had been made.’

A problem composed to highlight a perceived flaw in the laws (regarding castling) was given in C.N. 9300.

Latest update: 18 April 2021.

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