Should a player be forced to move a piece that he has picked up after a spectator knocked it off the board? While anyone can answer this, I do have official FIDE arbiters in mind.

I am following a discussion on chess.com about the worst way you have lost a game. Someone related this story:


  This didn't happen to me, but it's the worst way to lose a chess game
  that I ever witnessed:
  
  I was playing in a tournament in Saint John, NB. It was raining
  outside, and there were a few spectators circulating around the
  playing hall... very likely, they just came in to get out of the rain.
  
  A player (let's call him "White pieces") at the table next to mine had
  just played his King from g1 to h1, to get out of an awkward pin on
  the c5-g1 diagonal. His opponent made his reply, and it was White's
  move again.
  
  A spectator wearing a heavy raincoat turned away from the game, and
  the corner of his coat clipped the White King (sitting on h1) and
  knocked it off the table. White pieces reached down to pick the King
  up and set it back on the board.
  
  His opponent said "Touch move".
  
  The tournament director upheld his claim. White pieces was forced to
  move his King, and the only available square was right back to g1...
  back into the pin on the diagonal.
  
  White lost the game a few moves later; as much because the "touch
  move" incident had left him completely demoralized as because of the
  two wasted moves K(from g1)-h1 and then back to g1.


I replied that I could not believe any reasonable TD/Arbiter would enforce that, but someone replied that that is what the rule says. I believe that intent to move it matters, so I am still skeptical. What would the rules say that apply and how would you rule?

As a note, another similar post regarded someone accidentally knocking over his king, and the opponent saying that it amounted to resignation.

I also would not mind a USCF interpretation if anyone has one.

Thank you.
I am not an arbiter, but here's what the rules say:

Rule 4.3 (emphasis added)


  if the player having the move touches on the chessboard, with the intention of moving or capturing


I think it should be clear to any reasonable person that picking up a piece that was knocked down by a spectator does not imply intent to move.

Perhaps the arbiter went with an overly narrow interpretation of "accident", though, from 4.2.2:


  Any other physical contact with a piece, except for clearly accidental contact, shall be considered to be intent.


I would still argue that picking up a piece that was knocked down is an accident according to the spirit of the rules. Obviously the piece must be "adjusted" since it's not just a matter of centering it a little bit on its square, but of picking it up from the floor. Therefore the intent to "adjust" is implied.

The USCF rules are similar in that they refer to intent to move, but additionally, there is a rule that might have helped in this case: 10H says "there is no penalty for touching a piece that is off the board". The main idea given the rest of the paragraph concerns promotion, but I think it would also apply here. (And I just noticed that the FIDE wording on the rule also says "on the chessboard". I don't know how I missed that the first time!)