FIDE provides their rules free online.
USCF of course has to be different. There is no link to their rules, but you can send $ to their website where they will graciously send you the latest edition of their antiquated rules.
Well, they all are invited to come over to good ol‘ Germany and get free lessons in FIDE rules (like Josh actually did).
Hm, does it mean that lots of people who claim „insuffient material“ only know this by hearsay and have never read it themselves?
So in future it is sufficient to ask them to provide a link or keep quiet? ;)
The FIDE struggles for making rules more accurate and the USCF simply has home-made, sometimes contrary ones? And it’ll keep them somewhat „secret“? I regard this as an evidence of incapacity.
PS: it‘s like playing with someone who constantly invents new rules.
The "elected body" of the USCF has never been considered completely above board. Much the same as FIDE. Officials have their own agendas, mainly staying in office. It's a good ole boy club, most things get done under the table. This was the prevailing impression from years past. Maybe, things have improved.
My impression of the USCF rules not being freely available is that they want to maintain a type of control over organizers and arbiters. They are required to go through a certification process. The USCF maintains "hands on" ensuring their policies are administered accordingly. Makes some sense, but ultimately it is about whose the boss. USCF has always been the only game in town. Naturally, certification costs $. The latest set of rules, the 6th Edition is not cheap to buy (can be bought in the USCF bookstore.)
Latest changes to the rules can be googled and found easily. They love to tweak the rules, job security.
