When can you claim a draw?
“Same position” includes rights
Matching piece placement is necessary but insufficient. Article 9.2.3 requires the same player to move, the same kinds and colours of pieces on the same squares, and the same possible moves for both sides.
Scroll the table sideways to compare all columns.
| Difference | Equivalent position? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Same board, different player to move | No | The turn is part of the position |
| King or Rook moved and returned, losing castling rights | No, compared with the earlier right-bearing position | Returning home does not restore the right |
| En passant was possible earlier but is no longer possible | No | The legal capture opportunity changed |
| Same rights and turn, reached through a different move order | It can be | Repetition concerns positions, not an identical move sequence |
A mere FEN en passant target is not a substitute for checking whether the capture was legally possible. Nor does a momentarily blocked castling path mean the right has been permanently lost.
Count occurrences, not pairs of repeated moves
The starting position below is occurrence 1. Nf3 Nf6 Ng1 Ng8 returns it for occurrence 2. After the second cycle it is occurrence 3 and White may claim. The example continues to a fifth occurrence to show the automatic threshold.
Count moves by each player
Fifty moves by each player means 100 individual moves without a pawn move or capture; 75 means 150. The replay counts individual moves so you can see the boundary. A pawn move or any capture resets that count to zero.
These teaching positions start with counters at 99 and 149. Their FEN counters are illustrative assumptions, not evidence of an actual tournament’s earlier moves. Over the board, establish the history with the scoresheets and arbiter.
After Rb2 the counter reaches 100: the player now to move may claim. Before that move, White could also use the intended-move procedure if the full required history were established.
After Rb2 the counter reaches 150 and the draw is automatic. If the last move instead delivered valid checkmate, mate would take precedence under 9.6.2.
Here b3 is a pawn move: it resets 99 to zero. A capture would do the same. Promotion is also a pawn move.
One repeated position, two different ways to claim
In the knight replay, the initial position returns after 2… Ng8, then again after 4… Ng8. The starting position itself counts as the first occurrence.
White claims after 4… Ng8. It is White’s turn and the third occurrence is already on the board. White should make the claim before touching a piece to move it.
Black claims before 4… Ng8. Black has the move, but the third occurrence is still a proposed result. Black records Ng8 on the paper or electronic scoresheet and tells the arbiter the intention to play it before making the move. The indicated move cannot be changed. This is Article 9.2.1, not the “already appeared” route in 9.2.2.
The same distinction applies at the 50-move boundary. Use a claim based on the present record when the threshold is already met, or the intended-move procedure when your next move will meet it. Do not play first and assume the right to claim follows you into your opponent’s turn.
Make a claim in the right order
- Check that it is your turn. If you already touched a piece as in 4.3, Article 9.4 removes your 9.2/9.3 claim right for that move.
- If the position or count already qualifies, claim on that basis. If your intended move will create it, write or enter that move on the scoresheet first and declare your intention to the arbiter. Do not play it first and surrender the turn.
- You or the arbiter pause the clock. You cannot withdraw the claim or change the indicated move.
- The arbiter checks the record. A correct claim draws immediately. An incorrect one adds two minutes to the opponent; play resumes and an indicated move must be played in accordance with Articles 3 and 4. Rapid A.3 and blitz B.3 change the time addition to one minute.
Articles 11.11–11.12 require both players to assist with reconstruction and verification. A claim under 9.2/9.3 also counts as a draw offer under 9.1.2.3; it is still different from an automatic result.
FAQ
Can I claim after playing the move that makes the third occurrence?
The claimant must have the move. When your proposed move will create the third occurrence, use 9.2.1 before playing it: record the intended move and tell the arbiter. Once you play, the opponent normally has the move.
Does checking the King reset the 50-move count?
No. Only a pawn move or a capture resets this count. Check may change the legal position, but does not by itself reset the move-count rule.
Does a rook move reset the fifty-move count?
An ordinary rook move without a capture does not. Only a pawn move or a capture resets that count. Losing castling rights changes repetition comparisons, which is a separate issue from the fifty-move count.
Related rules
Sources and scope
FIDE Laws of Chess · 2023 · 9.1–9.6; 11.11–11.12.
Effective 1 January 2023. These guides explain over-the-board play. The official text and any event regulations permitted by it govern competition; teaching positions are not tournament records.