Former ICA President Produces Long-Awaited 6th Edition

Tournament Directors -- and players alike -- can finally enjoy an updated USCF rulebook after more than a decade.

The Sixth Edition of the USCF's "Official Rules of Chess" was recently released in Kindle format and is scheduled to be published in old-fashioned print August 5.  

Long-time organizer and National Tournament Director Tim Just served as the Editor for the Sixth Edition after co-editing its predecessor in 2003.

 

 

Just's chess resume is too long for one article... but suffice to say the retired Illinois teacher recently completed his tenure as the chair of the USCF's Tournament Director Certification Committee (TDCC) and also previously served as President of the Illinois Chess Association. 

In addition to the content, the format of the current rulebook has Just's imprint all over it. The book contains not just the wording of official rules, but often cites a "TD Tip" providing vibrant color in some otherwise gray areas.

Just says TD Tips actually grew out of a column he frequently contributed to the Illinois Chess Bulletin, "Rulebook Tactics". "That column explained to players the nuanaces of understanding the rules. Simply applying that idea to the 5th edition as "TD Tips" was an easy step," said Just.

Just enjoys walking for exercise. On one such walk he had an ephiphany. "One day it hit me that explaining the rules to TD's -- and how they are typically interpreted and enforced -- would make the rulebook more effective." And the rest is history!

He reflects that his skillset as an experienced TD is different now than it was when he was first starting out. "I now have many more tools in my problem-solving toolbox. The TD Tips help less-experienced TD's use some of the tools I wish I had known about when I was inexperienced."

Tim's background as a classroom teacher further shaped the supplements to the letter-of-the-law rules. "The TD Tips are are really a teaching idea."

Asked what delayed the updated edition, Just suggested, "The "powers that be" always seemed to have other items higher up on their "to do" list. He credits the leadership of NTD Franc Guadalupe in bringing this to reality. Guadaplupe was installed as an interim USCF Executive Director when Bill Hall stepped down in 2013. Says Tim, "He knew he would only have a short time to get a few of his goals implemented. As an NTD, an updated rulebook was one of those goals. He made it happen with one phone call."

Regardless of the formal approval, Just had faith a Sixth Edition would come about someday. "I actually worked on the 6th edition for the last 10 years. Whenever the delegates passed a new rule or regulation, I would update and reformat my 5th edition master copy."

So when the new edition was greenlit, Just says, "I had a lot of the ground work already done. There was still a huge amount of formatting that needed to be checked out -- like creating those "see also" internal links, standardizing capitalization, standardizing grammar" and, of course, correcting little mistakes from the prior version.

Always the diplomat, Tim credits others for their contributions. "For the 6th edition I had to also contact the chairs of various committees to see if they had any new material for the book". Further, he is appreciative of the experienced TD's and professional editors who proofread various drafts.

Just suggests the rules of chess are a blend of "common sense", the collective wisdom of the annual delegates meetings and the discussions arising out of the TDCC. His "one sentence of advice" to tournament directors is "Be fair and be flexible."

Although having access to a rulebook during a tournament is required of all TD's, tournament players may also benefit from reading the material.

"Most players have an OK sense of the rules. It is the details that sometimes causes them to stumble.

"Players in general don't keep up with rules changes. Why? Rules enforcement likely will not have any impact on their game. Most players don't make claims or get involved in one. And reading those rules is a real snoozer if they don't have a direct impact on you.

"If there is a procedure that changes via the rules, most TDs announce it at the start of the tournament," says Just. 

But announcements in a sometimes noisy tournament hall are not necessarily the best way to communicate nuanced ideas and some players don't fully understand all the rules -- and the layers of updates.

Says Tim, "Heck, some players when they talk to me about their pairing still quote the 4th edition rulebook. They don't realize that the pairing rules changed over 10 years ago."

He continues, "And up to that moment, the new pairing rules did not impact their tournaments.  It is that way with most rules; i.e., until the rule directly impacts them personally, players don't pay much attention to the details. They just remember the concept."

Tim observes, it parallels life away from the board. "Most people are the same way, outside of chess, with the law. We think we know the rules and regulations, but until it directly impacts us we don't bother to know the exact details."

Just is optimistic that a more integrated version may follow this one. And if called upon to edit such a book, he stands ready. "Several formats have been discussed. So far there is no front runner. One format lists the USCF and FIDE rules together" on such topics as time controls and forfeitures, touched pieces, castling, TD intervention, notation requirements, etc. In the current version, USCF and FIDE rules are mostly separated by chapters.

Regardless of his involvement in any 7th edition, Tim hints he may have a few other books up his sleeve. Just reports, "Wayne Clark and I are currently working on an e-book that will be filled with some of the more humorous and interesting things that have happened to us over the years. We also plan a more technical e-book that will be aimed at TDs and organizers."

The Kindle version of the rulebook is available for download at Amazon.com. At last visit, the going rate was a bargain at $13.99.