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Questions tagged [50-move-rule]

Questions about the fifty-move rule

The fifty-move rule in chess states that after fifty consecutive moves by each player which do not include a pawn move or a capture, the game may be drawn by either player on his turn (see ). The draw is not automatically declared.

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Why is there a 50-move rule and a 75-move rule?

Logically, if 75 moves have been played, 50 moves would've also been played. This sounds ridiculous. It is like saying "I would buy this book if it cost under $60 and it costs under $40". So, what is the logic behind that?
Wais Kamal
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Why was 50 chosen for the 50-move rule?

The reason for the 50-move rule, along with the triple-repetition rule is to make chess definitely finite. How did one arrive at the number 50? What would change if it was 40 or 60? Is the number 50 chosen carefully?
Armen Tsirunyan
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Are there endgames which could be forced wins if not for the 50-move rule?

Wikipedia's article on the fifty-move rule states: All of the basic checkmates can be accomplished in well under 50 moves. However, in the 20th century it was discovered that some positions of certain endgames can only be won in more than fifty…
Daniel
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With only a king left, how many moves remaining until a draw?

I am a beginner in chess. If I have only a king left, how many moves does my opponent have to mate me?
Subhash Singh Rawat
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Why doesn't castling reset the 50 moves rule?

Capturing a piece or moving a pawn irreversibly changes the state of the game and thus resets the counter for the 50-move rule. Since castling irreversible changes the state of the game too, it seems to me that it should reset the move counter too,…
koryakinp
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50-move rule: only the last 50 or any consecutive 50?

Suppose that, as a result of White's move, there have now been 100 single-moves (50 full moves) since the most recent pawn move or capture. White didn't claim a draw because they're going for the win. Every option for Black's next move is a pawn…
Rosie F
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Is the 50-move rule ever used in grandmaster games?

The 50-move rule states that if no capture or pawn move occurs for 50 consecutive moves, then either player may claim a draw. It seems like the 50-move rule is never truly necessary to determine that a game between two sufficiently competent human…
Zubin Mukerjee
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Can Loss by Checkmate be Avoided by Invoking the 50-Move Rule Immediately After the 100th Half-Move?

The FIDE Laws of Chess state the 50-move rule as follows: 9.3 The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by a player having the move, if: 9.3.1 he/she indicates his/her move, which cannot be changed, by writing it on the paper scoresheet or…
Dave
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Identify a problem where a potentially winning move draws because of the 50 move rule

I'm trying to recall a particular chess problem. It's related to retrograde analysis. All what I can remember is this: it's an endgame where there is only one way to reach the position, and during last 49 moves there were no captures, so a potential…
dveim
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What is the order of actions in chess under FIDE rules?

Reading some recent posts about the 50 move rule made me realize that I've never seen an explicit order of actions for chess. By way of comparison, the order of actions in Monopoly is given here: (1) Throw the dice (2) Move the indicated distance or…
Laska
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A 50-move-rule claim turned out to be incorrect - can the arbiter punish me?

I claimed a 50-move draw, but my claim turned out to be incorrect. Can the arbiter punish me by increasing the opponent's time or reducing mine?
double-beep
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Is it OK to look at the list of played moves during the game to determine the status of the 50 move rule?

There are some positions in which you need to know how many moves have been played without pawn move or capture. For example: [FEN "1R5K/8/8/8/8/8/7R/k7 w - - 98 1000"] (1R5K/8/8/8/8/8/7R/k7 w - - 98 1000) Here, white must play Ra2 or Rb1 to force…
boot4life
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Proof of irreversibility of 50 move rule

I recently edited the Wikipedia article 50 Move Rule as follows: The rationale for this rule is that pawn moves and captures are the only '''irreversible''' types of moves. That is, after each pawn move or capture, it is impossible for any…
StaleMate
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I'm confused about the 50-move rule

A player may claim a draw after 50 moves-does this mean 25 moves by each player, which results 50, or 50 moves by each player, which results 100?
Zaherul Imran
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Has the 50 move rule been used in serious games?

There are a lot of questions about the 50-move rule; details on how to claim the draw, why the number 50, etc... But the most interesting question seems to be whether the rule has ever been applied in an actual game! (N.B. I am referring to serious…
yrodro
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