0.2 Preface

The Laws of Chess cannot cover all possible situations that may arise during a game, nor can they regulate all administrative questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by studying analogous situations which are regulated in the Laws.

The Laws assume that arbiters have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute objectivity. Too detailed a rule might deprive the arbiter of his/her freedom of judgement and thus prevent him/her from finding a solution to a problem dictated by fairness, logic and special factors. FIDE appeals to all chess players and federations to accept this view.

A necessary condition for a game to be rated by FIDE is that it shall be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess.

It is recommended that competitive games not rated by FIDE be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess.

Member federations may ask FIDE to give a ruling on matters relating to the Laws of Chess.