4.5 Correct a move or board position

4.5 Handling illegal or incorrect moves#

Find the situation below and correct the highlighted squares before continuing. The board checks moves against the rules of the selected chess variant.

4.5.1 King in check (standard move or accidental exposure)#

If a move leaves your king in check, the moved piece, attacking piece and king flash three times. Choose one of these corrections:

• Return the moved piece to its original square.
• Move it directly to a legal square if that corrects the position. You do not need to return to the original square first when a direct legal correction is possible.

For example, a pawn may be moved straight to g3 instead of returning it to g2 and then playing g3.

4.5.2 Illegal castling#

Castling through or into attack, or with a king that has already moved, triggers three flashes on the squares involved.

1. Return the king and rook to their original squares.
2. Check that the full position is restored.
3. Make a legal move.

4.5.3 Incorrect pawn promotion#

An invalid promotion piece makes the promotion square flash red three times and then stay red.

1. Remove the invalid piece.
2. Place a valid promotion piece of your color on the square. In standard chess, use a queen, rook, bishop or knight.

Placing another invalid piece repeats the three flashes. Promotion choices follow the rules of the selected variant.

4.5.4 Unrecognized or missing piece#

Unrecognized piece

The affected square flashes red three times and then stays red. Remove the piece that does not belong to the game.

Missing or poorly positioned piece

1. Return a removed piece to its square.
2. If the piece is present but the square remains red, move it closer to the center of the square.

A piece near the edge can be outside the occupancy sensor’s range. Keeping pieces centered also helps extend battery life.

4.5.5 Moving out of turn or with the wrong piece#

Moving out of turn or moving the wrong side’s piece makes the status bar on your side flash red three times.

1. Follow the highlighted starting and destination squares.
2. Return the piece to its original position.
3. Continue when the board position is correct.

4.5.6 Illegal move#

The incorrectly occupied square flashes red three times and then stays red.

1. Return the piece to its original square or move it to a legal destination.
2. If the illegal move involved a capture, restore all pieces involved to their original positions.

4.5.7 Incorrect placement of remote opponent’s piece#

If you reproduce the remote opponent’s move on the wrong square, that square flashes red three times and stays red.

1. Follow the destination shown by the app and the board.
2. Place the correct opponent’s piece on that square.
3. If you moved a different opponent’s piece by mistake, return it first, then complete the indicated move.