Draw claim

A draw claim is not merely a proposal to end the game peacefully. The player asserts that a condition in the rules exists and asks the arbiter to verify it. The player therefore needs a specific ground and must follow the procedure attached to it.

Under the FIDE Laws, the most common claimable grounds are a third occurrence of the same position and 50 moves by each player without a pawn move or capture. A position counts as the same only when the same side is to move, the pieces occupy the same squares, and the same legal moves are available. These cases belong to the broader idea of a claimable draw.

Timing matters. If the intended move will complete the condition, the player records that move without playing it, declares the intention to the arbiter, and stops the clock. If the condition already exists after the opponent's last move, the player may claim before making a move. A correct claim ends the game immediately. An incorrect one can lead to a clock adjustment and continued play, and the claim cannot be withdrawn.

Not every drawn position requires this procedure. Some conditions produce an automatic draw even without a claim. FIDE also treats a claim as a draw offer while it is being handled: the opponent may accept the draw, but a correct claim does not depend on that acceptance.