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I have to hold a lesson for B-Trainers about the law of chess, and I have to tell them what has changed in the last years. While I’m quite sure that I can teach the actual LoC (that’s what I regularly do), I cannot remember older versions in every detail. FIDE rules commission has an archive, but my browser shows me only a blank page for the 2014 LoC. Can someone provide a readable link to the archive?

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4 Answers 4

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I think this is what you want. The last one, specifically, however, it is worth putting in the others, which are useful.

https://old.fide.com

https://old.fide.com/fide/handbook.html

https://old.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=32&view=category

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    Thank you Christian. I did not know that either, and I do not normally ask someone to accept, but in this case since you said it was exactly what you were looking for, I made an exception thinking you might not realize you could. Nov 2, 2019 at 18:58
  • This only goes back so far as 2009
    – M.M
    Jan 7, 2020 at 20:20
  • SSL problem - can't view any of these links
    – Laska
    Nov 14, 2020 at 4:24
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The Chess Arbiters Association, which you can join as an associate member, keeps records of the laws going back, in the case of FIDE, to the first set of FIDE laws in French in 1928 and in general the laws back as far as the 1617 version in Italian by Carrera.

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    Didn’t know that page, very interesting! I applied for membership immediately :-) Nov 3, 2019 at 0:05
  • Wow so cool. I have to write an article “touching on” touch move in late 19th century and Wikipedia did not seem to be definitive. Thanks so much
    – Laska
    Nov 4, 2019 at 10:44
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This site appears to have old rules of chess, FIDE and otherwise

I do not attest to the accuracy or completeness of this site

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    Thanks I didn’t know about that site. Seems worth harvesting those documents in case the link disappears. I will contact the British Chess Problem Society to so do
    – Laska
    Jan 7, 2020 at 3:45
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    @Laska I requested web.archive.org to archive it , HTH. It now has a depth-1 recursive save feature
    – M.M
    Jan 7, 2020 at 4:06
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    Thanks @M.M I have contacted BCPS so can maybe find out whose page this is. Not just a question of archival but need to ensure this material is always available, e.g. BCPS site
    – Laska
    Jan 7, 2020 at 7:27
  • @Laska Hmm, you say you didn't know about the site but you commented on it in another answer two months ago :)
    – M.M
    Jan 7, 2020 at 20:22
  • Ha @M.M yes I evidently forgot about it!
    – Laska
    Jan 7, 2020 at 23:42
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The only source I know is The Retro Corner. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been kept up to date, but together with the FIDE site itself, it should give you coverage back to 1977.

The rules are hardly perfect, but there have been continual improvements in writing quality over time. Specific changes have mainly been in various kinds of draws, and filling various funny holes (e.g. Pam-Krabbé castling).

For further back than 1977, I would approach a proper chess historian. Hope this helps.

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    Have you contacted FIDE? I would have to think they keep historical records going all the way back to their start. But that leaves you with the question about changes in the rules of the game of chess not the bureaucratic rules about how chess tournaments are run and games are arbitrated when there are disputes.
    – yobamamama
    Jan 7, 2020 at 3:39
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    Thanks @yobamamama. My contact in FIDE rules committee has retired. It seems another source has been found, can explore that so see if any need to approach FIDE with cold call email.
    – Laska
    Jan 7, 2020 at 7:24

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