Touch-move rule

The touch-move rule in chess specifies that a player, having the move, who deliberately touches a piece^[a] on the board must move or capture that piece if it is legal to do so. If it is the player's piece that was touched, it must be moved if the piece has a legal move. If the opponent's piece was touched, it must be captured if it can be captured with a legal move. If the touched piece cannot be legally moved or captured, there is no penalty. This is a rule of chess that is enforced in all formal over-the-board competitions.

A player claiming a touch-move violation must do so before themselves touching a piece.^[2] A player who wants to adjust a piece on its square without being required to move it can announce the French j'adoube ("I adjust") before touching the piece.^[3] While j'adoube is internationally understood, a local language equivalent such as "adjusting" is usually acceptable. A player may not touch the pieces on the board during the opponent's turn.

There is a separate rule that a player who lets go of a piece after making a legal move cannot retract the move. Thus, touching a piece that can be legally moved or captured commits the player to moving or capturing that piece.

Online chess often does not use the touch rule, letting players "pick up" a piece and then bring it back to the original square before selecting a different piece, and also allowing players to premove pieces while waiting for the opponent to move. A few sites such as the USCF and FIDE online chess websites enforce touch-move by disallowing any other pieces to be played after picking up one. In the case that the piece cannot move, the player is free to choose another piece.

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