Adjourn - Chess Glossary

Adjourn

Definition

In chess, to adjourn means to suspend an unfinished game and resume it later from the same position. Traditionally, the player to move writes a “sealed move” on a scoresheet (without playing it on the board), places it in an envelope signed by both players and the arbiter, and the game is paused. At the resumption, the envelope is opened, the sealed move is executed on the board, and play continues.

Adjournments were standard in classical chess for much of the 20th century, especially when time controls like “40 moves in 2 hours” often left games unfinished at the session’s end. Today, adjournments have essentially disappeared from elite over-the-board (OTB) play due to the availability of strong engines and the adoption of increments and single-session time controls.

How It Is Used in Chess

Historically, tournament regulations specified when a game would be adjourned—commonly after a certain number of moves or at a fixed session end time. The procedure involved:

• The player to move writes the next move in algebraic notation on a sealed-move form (clearly and unambiguously).
• The arbiter places the sealed move in an envelope, along with the position diagram and time records, and both players sign across the flap.
• At the resumption, the arbiter opens the envelope, plays the sealed move on the board, and the game continues under the clock. If one player is late, their clock generally runs.

Online and club-level events today rarely adjourn OTB games; instead, modern time controls are designed to finish in one sitting. Correspondence and daily chess inherently “adjourn,” but without sealed moves; players simply continue the game later within the allotted days per move.

Strategic and Historical Significance

Adjournments had deep strategic implications because the players (and their teams) could analyze the adjourned position extensively between sessions. This created a unique meta-game:

• Sealed move strategy: The player to move could choose a sealed move that forced the game into a line they had analyzed deeply overnight, or that avoided positions the opponent’s team might analyze effectively.
• Resource marshalling: World Championship teams of seconds would study adjourned positions extensively, searching for hidden defenses, winning plans, or drawing fortresses.
• Fairness concerns in the engine era: With the advent of powerful chess engines, adjournments became less about personal skill at the board and more about computer-assisted preparation. This led to their near-total elimination from modern OTB play under current FIDE practice.

Historically, adjournments were a staple of the classical era. Iconic matches—such as Karpov vs. Kasparov (Moscow, 1984–85) and many of Fischer’s matches leading up to the World Championship—featured numerous adjourned games that were analyzed overnight by large teams.

Examples

Example 1: A player reaching move 40 in a technical rook endgame might seal a precise move that forces a favorable tablebase or near-tablebase position, aiming to return with a fully mapped-out winning plan.

Illustrative snippet (not from a specific historical game):

… after 40…Kh7, White to seal move. White chooses 41. Rd1!, intending to build a bridge and activate the king. The envelope is sealed. Overnight, White’s team verifies the winning method against all black defenses. At resumption, the sealed move is executed and White follows the prepared plan with confidence.

Interactive board placeholder:

Note: The placeholder above is a generic PGN sample. In real adjournments, the sealed move is not shown until resumption.

Example 2 (historical context): Many games in Karpov–Kasparov World Championship matches were adjourned. Teams of assistants, equipped with opening monographs and later computers, combed through adjourned positions seeking decisive improvements. The overnight breakthroughs sometimes changed match momentum dramatically.

Interesting Facts and Anecdotes

• Sealed move drama: Ambiguously written sealed moves occasionally led to disputes. Arbiters sought the only legal interpretation from the notation and the position; clear notation was essential to avoid controversy.
• From adjourn to adjudication: If resumption wasn’t possible, some events used adjudication—an arbiter or expert would evaluate the adjourned position and award a result without further play. This practice is now rare in OTB play.
• Engines ended the era: The rise of super-strong chess engines made adjournments unbalanced: superior computational resources could decide positions away from the board. Organizers shifted to single-session formats with increments to ensure games finish the same day.
• World Championship routines: In the pre-engine era, adjournment nights were legendary: seconds analyzed variations deep into the night, sometimes uncovering endgame resources that became endgame classics.
• Practical ploy: A common sealing tactic was to choose a move that narrowed the opponent’s choices, forcing them into your prepared line after the resumption.

Tips for Players (If Adjournments Are Used)

• Write the sealed move legibly and unambiguously (include the from-square when needed, e.g., Nbd2).
• Prefer sealed moves that limit the opponent’s options or steer the game into positions you understand well.
• Record the full position and time correctly on the adjournment form; verify with the arbiter.
• Between sessions, focus on key plans, critical defenses, and forcing lines; do not overlook practical resources for your opponent.

Related and Cross-Referenced Terms

• Sealed move — the written move that initiates an adjournment.
• Adjudication — deciding a result without resuming play.
• Arbiter and TD — officials who oversee adjournment procedures.
• Time control, Increment, Bronstein — timing mechanisms that shaped the end of adjournments.
• Engine, Computer move, Home prep — why adjournments faded in modern chess.
• World Championship, FIDE — events and governance where adjournments historically mattered.
• Endgame study tools: Tablebase, Endgame tablebase, Syzygy.
• Result-related terms: Flag-fall, Draw, Resign.

Why It Matters Today

While adjournments are largely historical in modern OTB chess, the concept is crucial for understanding classic match strategy, the evolution of time controls, and how engines transformed competitive play. For chess historians, coaches, and advanced students, studying adjourned games reveals how deep preparation and endgame technique shaped outcomes across the 20th century.