Thanks all. Here was the game that confused me - ( Seems it took me 7 moves to get to this 3 position repetition. Don't know WHY I didn't take the pawn) lichess.org/XPeZiiya/white#71
So if the same position is reached 3 times in the game, even if it took 7 moves to do it, it's a draw. I always thought it had to be reached 3 times IN A ROW. So only the computer or possibly a GM may have seen this one game I posted as a draw; as who would have remembered it after the 7th move.
Moves have nothing to do with it. If the same position occurs 3 times, a player can claim a draw.
Note that -everything- about the position has to be the same - the location of each piece, the player who's turn it is, en-passant privileges, and castling rights all have to be the same. It's not often discussed, but it's an important nuance!
Feel free to check out the video "The Rules of Chess ... and when a Grandmaster Forgot them!" on my site for more: chesspathways.com
Note that -everything- about the position has to be the same - the location of each piece, the player who's turn it is, en-passant privileges, and castling rights all have to be the same. It's not often discussed, but it's an important nuance!
Feel free to check out the video "The Rules of Chess ... and when a Grandmaster Forgot them!" on my site for more: chesspathways.com
This may confuse for some people because they imagine that the moves need to be sequential. But a curiosity of this rule is that the positions can be, 1: appearing for the first time in move 47, 2: appearing in move 60 and the 3: appearing in move 71. It is curious to remember that if a pawn was moved, say in move 36, all previous positions can be discarded (maybe a useful information for those who are programming chess software who should check this!).
#13 Exactly. With respect to threefold repetition of position, here's the FIDE rule (Lichess doesn't implement 5fold or 75-move rules):
Article 9: The drawn game www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=171&view=article
9.1
The rules of a competition may specify that players cannot agree to a draw, whether in less than a specified number of moves or at all, without the consent of the arbiter.
However, if the rules of a competition allow a draw agreement the following shall apply:
A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before pressing his clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid but Article 11.5 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In both cases the offer cannot be withdrawn and remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other way.
The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on his scoresheet with the symbol (=).
A claim of a draw under Article 9.2 or 9.3 shall be considered to be an offer of a draw.
9.2
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, when the same position for at least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of moves):
is about to appear, if he first writes his move, which cannot be changed, on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move, or
has just appeared, and the player claiming the draw has the move.
Positions areconsidered the same if and only if the same player has the move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares and the possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same. Thus positions are not the same if:
at the start of the sequence a pawn could have been captured en passant.
a king or rook had castling rights, but forfeited these after moving. The castling rights are lost only after the king or rook is moved.
9.3
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, if:
he writes his move, which cannot be changed, on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move which will result in thelast50 moves by each player having been made without the movement of any pawn and without any capture, or
the last 50 moves by each playerhave been completed without the movement of any pawn and without any capture.
9.4
If the player touches a piece as in Article 4.3, he loses the right to claim a draw under Article 9.2 or 9.3 on that move.
9.5
If a player claims a draw under Article 9.2 or 9.3, he or the arbiter shall stop the chessclock (see Article 6.12a or 6.12b). He is not allowed to withdraw his claim.
If the claim is found to be correct, the game is immediately drawn.
If the claim is found to be incorrect, the arbiter shall add two minutes to the opponent’s remaining thinking time. Then the game shall continue. If the claim was based on an intended move, this move must be made in accordance with Articles 3 and 4.
9.6
If one or both of the following occur(s) then the game is drawn:
the same position has appeared, as in 9.2b, for at least five consecutive alternate moves by each player.
any consecutive series of 75 moves have been completed by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. If the last move resulted in checkmate, that shall take precedence.
9.7
The game is drawn when a position is reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal moves. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing this position was in accordance with Article 3 and Articles 4.2 – 4.7.
Article 9: The drawn game www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=171&view=article
9.1
The rules of a competition may specify that players cannot agree to a draw, whether in less than a specified number of moves or at all, without the consent of the arbiter.
However, if the rules of a competition allow a draw agreement the following shall apply:
A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having made a move on the chessboard and before pressing his clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid but Article 11.5 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In both cases the offer cannot be withdrawn and remains valid until the opponent accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other way.
The offer of a draw shall be noted by each player on his scoresheet with the symbol (=).
A claim of a draw under Article 9.2 or 9.3 shall be considered to be an offer of a draw.
9.2
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, when the same position for at least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of moves):
is about to appear, if he first writes his move, which cannot be changed, on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move, or
has just appeared, and the player claiming the draw has the move.
Positions areconsidered the same if and only if the same player has the move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares and the possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same. Thus positions are not the same if:
at the start of the sequence a pawn could have been captured en passant.
a king or rook had castling rights, but forfeited these after moving. The castling rights are lost only after the king or rook is moved.
9.3
The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, if:
he writes his move, which cannot be changed, on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move which will result in thelast50 moves by each player having been made without the movement of any pawn and without any capture, or
the last 50 moves by each playerhave been completed without the movement of any pawn and without any capture.
9.4
If the player touches a piece as in Article 4.3, he loses the right to claim a draw under Article 9.2 or 9.3 on that move.
9.5
If a player claims a draw under Article 9.2 or 9.3, he or the arbiter shall stop the chessclock (see Article 6.12a or 6.12b). He is not allowed to withdraw his claim.
If the claim is found to be correct, the game is immediately drawn.
If the claim is found to be incorrect, the arbiter shall add two minutes to the opponent’s remaining thinking time. Then the game shall continue. If the claim was based on an intended move, this move must be made in accordance with Articles 3 and 4.
9.6
If one or both of the following occur(s) then the game is drawn:
the same position has appeared, as in 9.2b, for at least five consecutive alternate moves by each player.
any consecutive series of 75 moves have been completed by each player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture. If the last move resulted in checkmate, that shall take precedence.
9.7
The game is drawn when a position is reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal moves. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing this position was in accordance with Article 3 and Articles 4.2 – 4.7.
You may ask, "OK, how exactly do I write the move on my scoresheet in case of a 9.2.a claim (that 3fold is about to appear)?"
Answer: click the "offer draw" button (offer a draw; you may need to double-click it) and then play the 3fold-position-creating move which converts the offer into a claim (even if the opponent rejects the offer).
(Alternatively you could move and try to hit "claim draw" before the opponent moves.)
Answer: click the "offer draw" button (offer a draw; you may need to double-click it) and then play the 3fold-position-creating move which converts the offer into a claim (even if the opponent rejects the offer).
(Alternatively you could move and try to hit "claim draw" before the opponent moves.)
I once claimed a draw after making my move in my second ever tournament against a young chess prodigy. The arbiter told me I had to claim the draw before touching my piece. So, we played on and after a few moves my opponent forfeited on time.
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