Made move

A made move is the stage at which the physical choice of move has become fixed. In the ordinary case, the piece leaves its origin square, the square where the movement began, and the player releases it on the destination. It can no longer be transferred to a different square as part of the same turn. Being made does not by itself prove that the move is legal.

When special moves are made

• For a capture, when the captured piece has been removed and the capturing piece has been released on its new square.
• For castling, the special move involving the king and a rook, when the rook has been released on the square crossed by the king. Releasing the king first does not yet finish the physical execution of castling.
• For promotion, when the pawn has been removed and the new queen, rook, bishop, or knight has been released on the promotion square.

Making the move does not always complete it. In a clock game, the player normally still must press the clock to stop their own time and start the opponent’s. This distinction lets the rules describe a move that is fixed on the board but not yet finalized through the clock.

The entire action must follow the one-hand rule, which requires the complete move to be made with one hand. A player who cannot move the pieces may use an assistant only when that assistant is accepted by the arbiter, the official who applies the rules.