VAR in chess
VAR in chess
Main page
2455744

VAR in chess

logo
Community Hub0 subscribers
What are your thoughts?
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
VAR in chess

Video assistant referee system in chess, abbreviated as VAR, is a technology that helps chess arbiters at chess competitions make the right decisions in disputable situations. The International Chess Federation officially announced the video assistance system for arbiters on July 3, 2023. It was first used at the Western Asian Youth Chess Championship among children, boys and girls under the ages of 6–18, held from June 30 to July 10, 2023

Viewing controversial episodes is based on the idChess technology, created by the international IT company Friflex in 2019, that allows to broadcast games played on a real chess board.

According to FIDE, the use of VAR in chess can be divided into three stages:

If a controversy arose, a chess player is able to apply to an arbiter, according to Article 7.4.2 of FIDE chess rules from January 1, 2023: If necessary, either the player or his/her opponent shall pause the chessclock and ask for the arbiter's assistance. If the arbiter has missed the moment of violation, then when making a decision, he can only be guided by the presumption of innocence if the tournament is not broadcast using VAR technology.

The idChess application digitizes the game and records the video of the chess board. Thanks to artificial intelligence, VAR shows which moves were made, which allows the arbiter to quickly find controversial moments. Thus, the arbiter can review the disputed episode using VAR: if necessary, pause the video, rewind it by navigating through the move marks or the timeline. The broadcast of the game is suspended until the circumstances are clarified.

Having reviewed the episode using VAR technology, the arbiter makes the final verdict based on the competition regulations. Then the broadcast of the game continues.

At the beginning of July 2023, FIDE approved the use of the video help system in international tournaments. For the first time, this technology was applied at the Western Asian Youth Chess Championship 2023, held in Kyrgyzstan, where it received positive feedback from international arbiters and representatives of federations

The next major tournament using the VAR system was the Asian Schools Chess Championship 2023. The system was used in the categories under the ages of 7, 9, and 11.

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.