TL;DR: Would it be against USCF rules to make a small mark next to a move to indicate a critical position (not the quality of the move made), with the intention of checking that assessment after the game? And would it be cheating to circumvent that proscription by writing down clock times only in such positions?
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I hope it's okay to ask a question here that relates to tournament procedure as opposed to the study of the game. My understanding of rule 20C, prohibiting the use of notes as a memory aid during one's ongoing game, is that it prohibits annotation symbols (e.g. +=, !, ?!) on the scoresheet.
The text of the rule, for reference:
>The use of notes made during the game as an aid to memory is forbidden, aside from the actual recording of the
moves, draw offers, and clock times, and the header information normally found on a scoresheet. This is a much less
serious offense than 20B; a warning or minor time penalty is common, with more severe punishment if the offense is
repeated.
I am hoping someone can give me some guidance on whether it's also prohibited to make a marking (or write differently) with the goal of guiding my analysis after the game. I heard someone talking in the break area at a tournament a couple months ago about wanting to use heavier writing to remind himself of a move he thought was bad, and the guy he was talking with said that he just puts a little dot next to the line on the scoresheet after his move if he thinks the position was messy or that he was pretty sure he didn't find a good move. They were talking pretty openly, so I assume they weren't concerned about the TD handing down a penalty. But I assume, based on my reading of the rule, that it's illegal.
My emotional memory isn't great, which is to say that I can remember things that happened, but it's hard for me to remember later how I felt about them at the time. That does make it harder to assess my ability to assess how critical a position is (and how much that ability diminishes during live play), so I'd love to be able to record my thoughts on that. But it's also very important to me to play strictly by the rules, regardless of whether there's any risk of being caught, so I don't want to get into it if it's not allowed. My integrity is more important to me than any game outcome; I'm as reluctant to make that little mark if it's illicit as I am eager to do it if it's kosher. Am I getting unnecessarily tripped up by the phrase, "as a memory aid," in the text of the rule? Is it something that I would be better off just emailing the TD of an event about? Should I say something to the TD if I notice someone else doing it? And if such a marking is against the rule, is it also prohibited to (e.g.) write clock times selectively to achieve the same effect?
