Before you play in a tournament, there are lots of rules and etiquette to understand.

Be on time. The pairings for each round will be posted in advance of the start time, always on paper in the tournament hall, but often online as well (either on the tournament registration page, SwissSys or Chess-Results). Check the pairings to find out what board you’re playing on and who your opponent is, and then find your board. It’s a good idea to arrive early when you’re playing in a location that you haven’t been to before – you might need time to find parking and find the tournament hall as well. When the round begins, the clocks are started, and if you’re late, you’ll find that your time is already running. The tournament director provides some introductory remarks before the first round begins and this a good opportunity to remind yourself of all of the rules you’ll need to follow.

Each game starts and ends with handshake. Chess is a classy game, and players always shake hands at the beginning of the game before making the opening move, and a chess player always respectfully shakes their opponent’s hand before leaving the board, even if they’ve just suffered a devastating loss.

Touch move. If you touch a piece, you have to move it. No exceptions.

Illegal moves. If you make two illegal moves in a game, you’ve automatically forfeited your game. In other words, you lose.

Write down your moves. This is required for regular rated games (50 or more minutes per side), but for active tournaments (30 minutes or less) writing your moves is not required.

Getting up from the board. For games with long time controls, players may need to stretch their legs or take a washroom break. As long as you have made a move and your opponent’s time is ticking, you can get up from the board and walk around. You must not discuss your game with anyone, nor access your device and if you’re walking around to look at other games, keep an eye on your board so that you see if your opponent has made their move.

No devices. As noted above, use of any electronic device is strictly forbidden, and is grounds for having your game count as a loss and possibly also being disqualified from the tournament.

Quiet in the tournament hall. Players are not allowed to talk, even to their opponent (unless they’re offering a draw). When you are sitting at the board, be sure that you’re not fidgeting, tapping on the table, banging the pieces repeatedly or any other action that could be considered a disturbance or distraction to your opponent. The Golden Rule applies here – behave as you would like your opponent to behave: how would you feel if your opponent was bouncing around on their chair or hopping up and down while you were deep in thought and trying to find the best move to win the game?

No eating in the tournament hall. Following the rule of being quiet, players cannot eat in the tournament area, but as long as you’re following the rules of when you’re allowed to get up from your board, you can have a quick snack outside in the hallway outside and then come back in to keep playing. Small snacks help to keep your energy up!

Asking for help from an arbiter. If your opponent isn’t following any of the above-noted tournament rules, pause your clock and lift your hand and an arbiter will come over to your board. You can then explain the situation and the arbiter will make a decision. An arbiter’s decision could include adding extra time to a player’s clock as compensation for the opponent’s transgression.

Skittles room. Many tournaments have what’s called a ‘skittles room’ which is a room adjacent to the tournament hall where players can play casually or review and discuss their game after it’s done. Players should not be in the skittles room until after their game has concluded, but it’s a great place to discuss the game with your opponent after it’s over, or just kick back and play some casual games while you wait for the next round to start. If the skittles room is close to the tournament hall, keep in mind how noise can travel to the playing area.