Answers.Body: <p>Under <a href="https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/LawsOfChess.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">FIDE rules</a></p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>... if the player having the move deliberately touches on
  the chessboard:<br />
  a. one or more of his own pieces, he must move the first piece touched which can be
  moved</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>There is no penalty for touching a piece that can't be moved.</p>
  <p>There <em>is</em> a two-minute penalty (or rather, a two-minute bonus for the opponent) when an illegal move is executed in §7.4:</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>a. If during a game it is found that an illegal move, including failing to meet the requirements of the promotion of a pawn or capturing the opponent’s king, has been completed, the position immediately before the irregularity shall be reinstated. ... The game shall then continue from this re-instated position.<br />
  b. After the action taken under Article 7.4.a, for the first two illegal moves by a player the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to his opponent in each instance; ...</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>National rules may deviate from this, but especially 'accidental' touches as you mention, I don't think they will be punished. Where I used to play over-the-board chess, in the Netherlands, knocking over your king was a gesture that you resign. I lost track of how often that happened accidentally, especially during blitz.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-08-31T15:04:51.813Z
Answers.Text: Thanks. So touching a piece which can't be moved doesn't count as an illegal move. Am I right?
Answers.UserDisplayName: S.H.W
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-08-31T15:14:53.220Z
Answers.Text: Correct. For a move, you need to *release* (at least) one of your pieces at a different square than it used to be (and press the clock), so touching something is never a move, let alone an illegal one. If you *deliberately* touch the wrong piece too many times during a game, the arbiter may impose some kind of penalty, but that should be very rare.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Glorfindel
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2024-08-31T13:42:39.900Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2024-08-31T20:25:09.727Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2024-08-31T20:25:09.727Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Glorfindel
Body: <p>Suppose in an official tournament game, White's king is in check by the Black queen. If I accidentally touch a pawn that cannot legally remove the check, how is the touch-move rule enforced? After researching, I've found conflicting answers: some sources mention a two-minute time penalty, while others suggest no penalty at all. For example, see these discussions on <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/myworg/touching_a_piece_with_no_legal_moves_in_a/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Reddit</a> and <a href="https://www.quora.com/What-happens-when-a-chess-player-touches-an-immovable-piece-in-a-tournament" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Quora</a>. What is the correct ruling, and is this a rule that varies by tournament?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2024-08-31T10:25:47.287Z
Comments.Text: If playing under FIDE laws for standard play  games you may make any legal move without penalty. Different time limits or jurisdictions, e.g. USCF, *might* be different, I don't know off the top of my head. When not on my phone I'll dig out the relevant FIDE sections.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Ian Bush
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2024-08-31T15:01:28.137Z
Comments.Text: To be clear: even if you accidentally touch a piece that *can* be moved, under FIDE rules there is no obligation to move it. Only deliberate touches are relevant. https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/LawsOfChess.pdf Section 4.3 as quoted in Glorfindel's answer.
Comments.UserDisplayName: James Martin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2024-09-01T06:36:36.620Z
Comments.Text: @JamesMartin: 4.2.2 instructs arbiters to be very aggressive in interpreting touches as "deliberate." If the arbiter cannot tell whether something was deliberate or not, the rules explicitly require them to treat it as deliberate.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Kevin
Tags: <rules><learning><fide><check><touch-move>
Title: What happens when touching a piece which cannot make a legal move?
ThreadText: # What happens when touching a piece which cannot make a legal move?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2024-08-31)
  
  Suppose in an official tournament game, White's king is in check by the Black queen. If I accidentally touch a pawn that cannot legally remove the check, how is the touch-move rule enforced? After researching, I've found conflicting answers: some sources mention a two-minute time penalty, while others suggest no penalty at all. For example, see these discussions on [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/myworg/touching_a_piece_with_no_legal_moves_in_a/) and [Quora](https://www.quora.com/What-happens-when-a-chess-player-touches-an-immovable-piece-in-a-tournament). What is the correct ruling, and is this a rule that varies by tournament?
  
  **Tags:** rules, learning, fide, check, touch-move
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: If playing under FIDE laws for standard play  games you may make any legal move without penalty. Different time limits or jurisdictions, e.g. USCF, *might* be different, I don't know off the top of my head. When not on my phone I'll dig out the relevant FIDE sections.  
  > **username_2**: To be clear: even if you accidentally touch a piece that *can* be moved, under FIDE rules there is no obligation to move it. Only deliberate touches are relevant. https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/LawsOfChess.pdf Section 4.3 as quoted in username_4's answer.  
  > **username_3**: @username_2: 4.2.2 instructs arbiters to be very aggressive in interpreting touches as "deliberate." If the arbiter cannot tell whether something was deliberate or not, the rules explicitly require them to treat it as deliberate.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2024-08-31. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  Under [FIDE rules](https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/LawsOfChess.pdf)
  
  > ... if the player having the move deliberately touches on
  > the chessboard:  
  > a. one or more of his own pieces, he must move the first piece touched which can be
  > moved
  
  There is no penalty for touching a piece that can't be moved.
  
  There *is* a two-minute penalty (or rather, a two-minute bonus for the opponent) when an illegal move is executed in §7.4:
  
  > a. If during a game it is found that an illegal move, including failing to meet the requirements of the promotion of a pawn or capturing the opponent’s king, has been completed, the position immediately before the irregularity shall be reinstated. ... The game shall then continue from this re-instated position.  
  > b. After the action taken under Article 7.4.a, for the first two illegal moves by a player the arbiter shall give two minutes extra time to his opponent in each instance; ...
  
  National rules may deviate from this, but especially 'accidental' touches as you mention, I don't think they will be punished. Where I used to play over-the-board chess, in the Netherlands, knocking over your king was a gesture that you resign. I lost track of how often that happened accidentally, especially during blitz.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Thanks. So touching a piece which can't be moved doesn't count as an illegal move. Am I right?  
  > **username_4**: Correct. For a move, you need to *release* (at least) one of your pieces at a different square than it used to be (and press the clock), so touching something is never a move, let alone an illegal one. If you *deliberately* touch the wrong piece too many times during a game, the arbiter may impose some kind of penalty, but that should be very rare.  
  
  ---
  
  