adjournment Chess Puzzles
In chess, adjournment is the practice of pausing a game before it is finished and resuming it later, often at a scheduled time. Historically, this allowed long games to continue without forcing players to finish in one sitting. The player to move would usually seal a move in an envelope so the position could not be analyzed by the opponent before play resumed.
To spot adjournment in older games, look for a break in the score sheet or a note that the game was suspended and continued later. As a practical idea, adjournment matters because the player who uses the break best can study the position, calculate endgames, and prepare opening-like plans for the restart. In modern chess, adjournments are rare, but understanding them helps you read historical games and appreciate how preparation influenced results.
Frequently Asked Questions: adjournment
- What does adjournment mean in chess?
- Adjournment means a game is paused before it ends and resumed later, usually at a set time. It was common in serious over-the-board chess before modern time controls and computer analysis.
- Why were chess games adjourned?
- Games were adjourned mainly because they ran too long to finish in one session. This gave players and organizers a practical way to continue the game later without losing the position.
- How did sealed moves work in adjournment?
- When a game was adjourned, the player to move wrote their next move on a slip of paper and sealed it in an envelope. The move was revealed when play resumed, preventing the opponent from seeing it in advance.
- Do adjournments still happen in chess today?
- They are very rare in modern chess because time controls and digital tools have largely replaced them. You may still see adjournments in some historical events, special formats, or older tournament records.