The touch-move rule says that if you deliberately touch one of your pieces you must move it, and if you touch an enemy piece you must capture it, whenever a legal move or capture exists.
The rule keeps players honest over the board. Once you intentionally touch one of your own pieces, you’re committed to moving that piece if it has any legal move. Touch an enemy piece, and you must capture it if any of your pieces can legally do so.
If you only want to straighten a piece on its square, you must say ‘j’adoube’ (or ‘I adjust’) first, on your own move. A move is finally complete once you release the piece on its new square — until you let go, you can still place it elsewhere if it was a legal destination.
It mainly matters in serious over-the-board play, where an arbiter can enforce it. In casual or online games it doesn’t apply, but practising it builds the good discipline of deciding on your move before you reach for a piece.
Then touch-move doesn’t apply to it — you’re free to play any other legal move. The rule only forces you to move a touched piece when at least one legal move for it exists.
Announce ‘j’adoube’ or ‘I adjust’ before touching it, and only on your own turn. That signals you are repositioning a piece on its square, not choosing to move it.
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