TOS and Obligations of References

Under the TOS Registration Obligations, letter b states

"While a game is in progress you may not refer to chess engines, chess computers or be assisted by a third party. Endgame tablebases may not be consulted during play but you may reference books, databases consisting of previously played games between human players, and other pre-existing research materials."

Are Opening Tables illegal such as Nunn's Chess Openings which shows lines of opening play that also show +, -, and = at the end of a table line. There is also Modern Chess Openings which does not have +, -, and = at the end of a table line. If they are legal, why are endgame tables not acceptable references?

Also, is asking someone to show you tips in openings in a general sense, such as for Queen's Gambit Declined, as opposed to specific game moves that we are currently playing? It may be that something shown and/or talked about by the helper will help in a current RHP game even though it isn't direct help about the current Queen's Gambit Declined game a user is playing.

KOP

From a recent thread:

Opening databases are ok to use, but not compulsory. If you don't like them, don't use them.

However, endgame databases are not allowed. The difference between the two is that opening databases involve games between people, whereas endgame table bases involve computer-generated positions traced back from checkmate or draw, and will give you the optimal move 100% of the time. It would be cheating to use this during a game, but as a learning tool or to see where you went wrong afterwards they can be useful.

General advice about openings - probably best avoided while you are playing that opening in a game. Of course you can refer to opening books and Wikipedia at any time.

Hallo,

endgame tables are not allowed, because they are based on analysis by computers: basically, chess has been solved from a certain amount of pieces left on the board, which greatly reduces the number of moves needed to calculate. So, by referring to those tables, people would basically play computer vs computer.

opening tables or books or references (try to) summarize the knowledge accumulated over hundreds (thousands) of years of chess. they usually end up in middle games which can not be computed (yet!). Hence they need a human mind behind.

i believe that any reference table of openings goes ok with the TOS.

t.

Originally posted by KingOnPoint

Also, is asking someone to show you tips in openings in a general sense, such as for Queen's Gambit Declined, as opposed to specific game moves that we are currently playing?

I would say yes, that is allowed. At some point you pick up certain pieces of knowledge about openings through books, internet, experience, coach, etc. You are certainly allowed to apply that knowledge to your games. Otherwise, while you had games going, you could not try to improve by hiring a coach and working on your game in total without regard to the specific day-to-day changes of your gip's. A coach, without knowledge of your games, would be teaching you Chess and not game xxxxx, move 16 at RHP.

A strong word of caution: You can probably see how thin the line might be if >you< are asking the questions. Don't ask about the specifics of any game in progress and you should be fine.