Double forfeit

A double forfeit means that both players lose the same game. It is not a draw: neither player receives a win and, unless the event regulations specify another permitted scoring system, each loss scores zero points.

The FIDE Laws provide a direct case. Persistent refusal by a player to comply with the rules can be penalized by loss of the game; if both players are guilty of that conduct, the game is declared lost by both. Event regulations may also address other administrative situations, but the exact ground must be checked in those regulations rather than inferred from the result alone.

In records, the game result may appear as -/- when both players lose by forfeit in an unplayed game. This code distinguishes the case from ½-½, which represents a draw, and from +/- or -/+, where one player receives a forfeit win.

It is also different from a walkover. In an ordinary walkover there is an administrative winner and loser; in a double forfeit no win is awarded to either player.