Adjournment (games)
Encyclopedia
Some boardgames, such as chess
or Go
, use an adjournment mechanism to suspend the game in progress so it can be continued at another time, typically the following day. The rationale is that games often extend in duration beyond what is reasonable for a single session of play. As in chess, there is sometimes a sealed move, where the next move that would be made is sealed in an envelope, to be played out (usually by an independent third party, normally the director or arbiter).
In chess, the practice of adjournment is far less common today than it was a few decades ago, due to a trend towards shorter time controls and the advent of strong chess computers.
When an adjournment is made, the player whose move it is secretly writes his next move on his scoresheet but does not make the move on the chessboard
. He places both his and his opponent's scoresheets in the sealed-move envelope and seals it. The names of the players, the colors, the position, the time on the clocks
, and other data are recorded on the envelope. The arbiter keeps possession of the envelope until it is time to restart the game. The arbiter opens the envelope, makes the sealed move on the board, and starts the opponent's clock. If the sealed move is ambiguous and subject to more than one interpretation, the opponent of the player making the sealed move may choose among the reasonable interpretations . If the sealed move is illegal and there is no reasonable interpretation, the player making the sealed move loses the game .
Schedules allowing for adjournment usually fall into either of two categories:
The rules for adjourning a game are as follows:
The first three rules are designed to encourage players to continue games until the end of the session, but no longer. The last rule ensures that neither player knows upon adjournment what the position will be when it is next their turn to move. It is still generally considered advantageous to be the player to make the sealed move;especially if the move forces a specific response from the other player.
Considerations on when to adjourn a game can be complex, and often involve an extra dimension of psychology that is not part of the strictly logical struggle on the board. Analysis of adjourned positions is an art in itself.
With the advent of strong chess playing computer programs, which could be used to analyze adjourned positions, most tournaments have abandoned adjourning games in favor of shorter time controls. The first World Chess Championship
not to use adjournments was the Classical World Chess Championship 1995
, while the last one to use adjournments was the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996
.
This rule was passed to replace various attempts (such as forbidding possession of a personal chess set while on the chess competition premises) to discourage players from analyzing the adjournment position during the adjournment period, e.g. if a long game had to be adjourned overnight.
. Major Japanese title matches like the Honinbo
, Kisei
and Meijin
commonly have thinking time of over 8 hours per player. Such matches are played over 2 days and use a sealed move during the adjournment. As in Chess
, a sealed move may have a forced response, giving an advantage to the sealing player. Sealing a move that has no purpose beside forcing a particular answer is considered poor etiquette
.
or Shogi
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
or Go
Go (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
, use an adjournment mechanism to suspend the game in progress so it can be continued at another time, typically the following day. The rationale is that games often extend in duration beyond what is reasonable for a single session of play. As in chess, there is sometimes a sealed move, where the next move that would be made is sealed in an envelope, to be played out (usually by an independent third party, normally the director or arbiter).
Chess
When an adjournment is made, the player whose move it is secretly writes his next move on his scoresheet but does not make the move on the chessboard
Chessboard
A chessboard is the type of checkerboard used in the board game chess, and consists of 64 squares arranged in two alternating colors...
. He places both his and his opponent's scoresheets in the sealed-move envelope and seals it. The names of the players, the colors, the position, the time on the clocks
Game clock
A game clock consists of two adjacent clocks and buttons to stop one clock while starting the other, such that the two component clocks never run simultaneously. Game clocks are used in two-player games where the players move in turn...
, and other data are recorded on the envelope. The arbiter keeps possession of the envelope until it is time to restart the game. The arbiter opens the envelope, makes the sealed move on the board, and starts the opponent's clock. If the sealed move is ambiguous and subject to more than one interpretation, the opponent of the player making the sealed move may choose among the reasonable interpretations . If the sealed move is illegal and there is no reasonable interpretation, the player making the sealed move loses the game .
Schedules allowing for adjournment usually fall into either of two categories:
- 2½ hours per player for the first forty moves, followed by adjournment (a five hour session)
- two hours per player for the first forty moves, followed by one hour for the next twenty moves, followed by adjournment (a six hour session)
The rules for adjourning a game are as follows:
- Once the time controlTime controlA time control is a mechanism in the tournament play of almost all two-player board games so that each round of the match can finish in a timely way and the tournament can proceed. Time controls are typically enforced by means of a game clock...
has passed, either player has the option of adjourning, and may do so on their move. - If a player exercises that option, they lose as much time on their clock as there is until the end of that session.
- When the duration of the session has ended, it is imperative for the player with the move to adjourn the game.
- A player adjourns the game by recording their move secretly in an envelope and sealing it. Upon resumption, the arbiter makes the sealed move and the game continues.
The first three rules are designed to encourage players to continue games until the end of the session, but no longer. The last rule ensures that neither player knows upon adjournment what the position will be when it is next their turn to move. It is still generally considered advantageous to be the player to make the sealed move;especially if the move forces a specific response from the other player.
Considerations on when to adjourn a game can be complex, and often involve an extra dimension of psychology that is not part of the strictly logical struggle on the board. Analysis of adjourned positions is an art in itself.
With the advent of strong chess playing computer programs, which could be used to analyze adjourned positions, most tournaments have abandoned adjourning games in favor of shorter time controls. The first World Chess Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
not to use adjournments was the Classical World Chess Championship 1995
Classical World Chess Championship 1995
The Classical World Chess Championship 1995, known at the time as the PCA World Chess Championship 1995, was held from September 10, 1995, to October 16, 1995, on the 107th floor of the former World Trade Center in New York City. Garry Kasparov, the defending champion, played Viswanathan Anand, the...
, while the last one to use adjournments was the FIDE World Chess Championship 1996
FIDE World Chess Championship 1996
The FIDE World Chess Championship 1996 was a chess tournament held by FIDE to determine the World Chess Champion.-Background:At the time the World Chess Champion title was split....
.
This rule was passed to replace various attempts (such as forbidding possession of a personal chess set while on the chess competition premises) to discourage players from analyzing the adjournment position during the adjournment period, e.g. if a long game had to be adjourned overnight.
Go
Adjournments are common in long matches of the game of GoGo (board game)
Go , is an ancient board game for two players that originated in China more than 2,000 years ago...
. Major Japanese title matches like the Honinbo
Honinbo
Honinbō was the name of one of the four major schools of Go in Japan. Easily the strongest school of Go for most of its existence, it was established in 1612 and survived until 1940....
, Kisei
Kisei
The Kisei is a Go competition. The title, meaning go sage in Japanese, was a traditional honorary appellation given to a handful of players down the centuries. The element ki can also apply to shogi, and there were also recognized kisei in the shogi world.-Background:Kisei is a Go competition...
and Meijin
Meijin
Meijin , literally translated, means "Brilliant Man." It is the name of the second most prestigious Japanese Go Tournament. It also refers to a traditional Japanese title given to the strongest player of the day during the Edo period.- The tournament :...
commonly have thinking time of over 8 hours per player. Such matches are played over 2 days and use a sealed move during the adjournment. As in Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, a sealed move may have a forced response, giving an advantage to the sealing player. Sealing a move that has no purpose beside forcing a particular answer is considered poor etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
.
Other games
Other games that use adjournments and sealed moves are typically also strategic two player board games, such as XiangQiXiangqi
Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China...
or Shogi
Shogi
, also known as Japanese chess, is a two-player board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, and Chinese Xiangqi, and is the most popular of a family of chess variants native to Japan...