When “sudden death” time controls became popular in chess, rules were created to safeguard the integrity of the conclusion of hotly contested games. Later, digital clocks with a time delay feature were invented to aid in the resolution of difficult cases. The intention is to preserve the natural result of play without the clock's changing it more than it already has.
The rule of Insufficient Losing Chances (ILC) works like this: When a player has achieved what he/she believes is a certain or extremely probable draw on the board (“book draw”) and has less than five minutes remaining on the clock, the player may claim a draw by insufficient losing chances.
DEFINITIONS
Sudden Death. The entire game is conducted in a given period, stated in the tournament announcement, without regard to move count, such as SD/60, or written Game/60. The standard for most elementary school tournaments in Washington, including the State Championship, is Game/30: each player has 30 minutes to play all the moves of the game.
Book Draw. The position on the board will certainly be a draw; that is, a class C player could hold a draw against a master, both players having ample time. These are positions of inadequate or equal mating material: king vs king, king & queen vs king & queen, king & knight or bishop vs king. Or positions where no progress is reasonably possible: Pawn on a- or h-file with opposing K trapping superior side's king in front of the pawn. Pawn on any file with opposing king blockading directly in front of the pawn. Positions with opposite color bishops and superior side's pawns not separated by at least 3 files, with inferior side's king and bishop in blockading positions. Positions with blocked pawns and no or ineffective pieces, and king penetration not possible. And some other positions where a draw seems the certain or most probable result.
PLAYER PROCEDURE
The player has less than five minutes remaining on the clock and opponent has plenty of or more time and continues the game in one of the certainly or most probably drawn positions:
1) Claiming player tells opponent “I need a judge” or “I need a TD.” (A draw should have been offered and declined first, but sometimes there is no time to do this.) (It is unsportsmanlike to offer a draw repeatedly.)
2) Claiming player stops the clock and raises a hand.
3) Judge arrives. Player states: “I claim a draw on insufficient losing chances.”
EXAMPLES OF ILC CLAIMS
1) Black, with 2 minutes remaining, has king on a6. White, 9 minutes remaining, has king on b4, pawn on a3, bishop on g3. Black claims on ILC, the TD arrives and grants the draw. (Black knew that the bishop must cover the promotion square and the game was really a draw. White did not know this and was trying to win.)
2) White, with considerable material superiority (in our case a full rook), looks at her clock and sees less than 30 seconds remaining. Black, with plenty of time remaining, still has mating material (several pawns). White claims a draw on ILC and the TD grants the draw. (White has realized she would win if she had time, but will lose if her flag falls. So she claims to be certain of 1/2 point rather than risk 0. She would never claim if Black had no mating material, because she realizes that even if her flag falls, the game is drawn.)
3) Black, 7 minutes remaining, is down material and wants a draw but opponent declines. He calls the TD and claims insufficient losing chances. The TD refuses the claim and penalizes Black 1 minute on his clock for a frivolous claim. (Black did not listen to the rules explanations; he must be under 5 minutes to claim.)
4) Black, 3 minutes remaining, is in an even and very complex position, and claims on ILC. When the TD arrives, White, 6 minutes remaining, contests the claim, saying “This is anyone’s game.” The TD denies the claim and cautions Black about claiming in other than the simple kinds of positions noted above. (The TD knows the claim is improper, but believes the intention was good and does not penalize; Black at least knew not to claim before being under 5 minutes.)
THE ROLE OF JUDGES AND TDs
1) All judges, when called to a board for an ILC claim, will immediately refer the claim to a Floor TD.
2) No judge or TD will intervene in a game for ILC possibilities, or for any other reason, except to assure the safety of the players, the preservation of equipment (clock banging), or to prevent disturbance of other players. Coach your players regarding the rules before any tournament!
3) The TD may rule a claim correct and grant a draw, may ask for the opinion of a more qualified player, may ask for the game to continue under observation and with the claim to be restated in a certain period (to be described), may put in a digital clock with half the claimant's remaining time and a 5 second delay, or may refuse the claim with or without penalty. The TD may ask each player to state a plan of continuation before ruling.
4) A claim of ILC constitutes the automatic offer of a draw. When the TD arrives, the first question is always: “Your opponent has offered a draw; what is your response?”It is the style of this director to try, via questions, to move the players to their own resolution of the game rather than to make a ruling, which I consider taking the game out of the contestants’ hands. We hope that the players will arrive on their own at the natural result to which they have played on the board.