Expert: Wuyanbu Zutali - 10/16/2006

Question
If your kings in check and you dont move your king you move another piece is that still checkmate.
from kate

Answer
Hello Kate,

This is tricky. Yes, it is still mate. In USCF rated tournament games, (United States Chess Federation/uschess.org)  if a player makes an illegal move, it's the player's responsibility to stop the game and tell the tournament director/monitor of the illegal move. The move is taken back and the game is over.
However, sometimes in tournament games, players are playing fast and make an illegal move such as overlooking check. The game goes on until either player recognizes the error and corrects it by moving out of check.  This is why chess notation is very important.

I hope this helps.



Wuyanbu Zutali