What if You Knock Over Pieces During a Move?

In over-the-board play, restore every displaced piece to its correct square in your own time before pressing the clock. If the position is uncertain, pause the clock and call the arbiter. Use card one.

Yes. FIDE Article 7.4.1 requires the player who displaces pieces to re-establish the correct position. Restore the rook before pressing in card one.

Yes. They must be restored in the responsible player's own time, so the position should be corrected before that player presses the clock. Reject the press-first sequence in card three.

No. That shifts the restoration onto the opponent's time and does not follow Article 7.4.1. Restore first, then press. Use card three.

Restore it to its correct square in your own time, then complete the normal clock sequence. Use the white rook on a1 in card one.

The same restoration duty applies. Put the opponent's piece back on its correct square before pressing. Use the black rook in card two.

Restore all displaced pieces accurately. If any square is uncertain, pause the clock when permitted and ask the arbiter for assistance. Use card four.

Yes, if necessary to seek the arbiter's assistance under FIDE Article 7.4.2. Do not use the pause merely to gain thinking time. Use card four.

Yes. Preserve the board and ask the arbiter rather than guessing. The arbiter can reconstruct the last identifiable position. Use cards four and five.

No. An uncertain guess may create a wrong position. Pause when permitted and let the arbiter use scoresheets, witnesses, or other evidence. Use card five.

FIDE Article 7.6 says play continues from the last identifiable position before the irregularity. The arbiter determines that position and any clock adjustment. Use card five.

Yes. When an irregularity requires restoration, Article 7.1 allows the arbiter to determine the appropriate clock times and move counter. Use the Official FIDE Rule Basis section.

Yes. Article 7.4.3 permits the arbiter to penalise the player who displaces pieces. Repeated, careless, or disruptive conduct may justify a stronger response. Use card six.

Not automatically. It is a displacement that must be corrected. A separate illegal board move or clock violation may create additional consequences. Compare this page with the Illegal-Move Procedure route.

Clearly accidental contact is not treated as move intent under FIDE Article 4.2.2. Restore the piece accurately, then make the intended legal move. Use card seven.

A genuine restoration should only re-establish the known position. If the contact appears to show move or capture intent, touch-move may become relevant. Call the arbiter if intent is disputed.

No. Restoration returns pieces to their previous correct squares; it is not an opportunity to improve or alter the position. Use the last-known-position cards.

If it was already legally captured, it remains off the board. If a piece still in play is knocked off, restore it to its correct square before pressing. Confirm the move sequence with the arbiter if unclear.

It is displaced and must be placed on its correct square. If the original square is disputed, pause the clock when permitted and call the arbiter.

Restore the king to its correct square. A fallen king is not automatically a resignation under FIDE rules; the position and any expressed resignation determine the result. Ask the arbiter if disputed.

Do not guess the settings or restart it yourself. Pause play and call the arbiter, who can replace or reset a defective or displaced clock using best judgement.

Yes, ordinary restoration is done in the responsible player's own time. Pause the clock only when necessary for valid arbiter assistance. Use cards one and four.

The player who displaced the pieces bears the restoration duty. If assistance or the correct squares are disputed, involve the arbiter rather than both players rearranging the board.

Stop the sequence and call the arbiter. The correct position and clocks may need reconstruction. The responsible player should prevent this by restoring before pressing.

Article 7.6 requires restoration to the position before the irregularity, or the last identifiable position if necessary. The arbiter directs the reconstruction and continuation.

No. Spectators must not interfere with a game. They may inform only the arbiter of an observed irregularity. Use the Tournament Procedure section.

Restore the agreed position before continuing. A clock penalty may not matter casually, but accurate restoration still prevents disputes. Practise the OTB sequence in card one.

There are no physical pieces to restore. A display or synchronisation problem is handled by the platform, and the server position normally controls. Use the OTB Versus Online section.

Restore first, press second. If you are unsure where anything belongs, pause and call the arbiter instead of guessing. Replay cards one, three, and four.

Next study clock handling, touch-move, illegal moves, same-hand pressing, and piece adjustment. Follow the related-rule cards after completing this trainer.