Yeah, Scribbles, I think you've convinced me. Although I don't think recording a single move is a huge advantage, I think it is at least a slight unfair advantage.
And, if my TD allowed my opponent to leave multiple crossed out moves on the scoresheet, I'd consider this to be a clear violation of the prohibited analysis rule, and I'd be tempted to file a formal protest on the ruling. (I'm sure TDs just cringe when someone actually goes as far as filing a protest.)
Originally posted by DoctorScribblesNo way! It's a slight advantage but it's certainly not as big as physically moving the piece.
But that's just the point.
For anybody competent enough to play in tournaments, having the written move stored provides nearly the same advantage as moving the piece on the board, as both fix the next ply and shift the search to the second-next ply.
You'd be amazed at the types of people who show up to play in tournaments.
The type of people I see doing such things are at the bottom of the rating list and I don't believe they can see ply's deep.
So no way!
Just a quick thanks to everyone who responded to this thread. The answers were fascinating. (And to answer an earlier post, no, I do NOT mean touching the pieces, I mean counting on your fingers to keep track of who's ahead in a complicated series of exchanges.)
Thanks for all the comments!
C.I.