50-move rule: FIDE wording seems weird FIDE rules seem to say that I have to claim draw (3-repetition and 50-move) before I actually touch/move my piece. And if I move my piece first, and then claim the draw, it doesn't count.

1) Is this really what FIDE is saying?

2) If so, why??? It's the (seeming) inconsistency which confuses me.

Why not either:

a) I cannot claim draw before I move, nor can I claim draw after I move

a) I am able to claim draw before I move, and I am able to claim draw after I move (but before I hit my clock)



Here's the sentence from the rules:

If the player touches a piece as in Article 4.3 without having claimed the draw he loses the right to claim, as in Article 9.2 or 9.3, on that move.

Here is more context:

9.2

    The game is drawn upon a correct claim by the player having the move, when
    the same position, for at least the third time (not necessarily by a
    repetition of moves):

        a. is about to appear, if he first writes his move on his scoresheet and
        declares to the arbiter his intention to make this move, or

        b. has just appeared, and the player claiming the draw has the move.

    Positions as in (a) and (b) are considered the same, if the same player has
    the move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares, and
    the possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same.

    Positions are not the same if a pawn that could have been captured en
    passant can no longer be captured in this manner. When a king or a rook is
    forced to move, it will lose its castling rights, if any, only after it is
    moved.

9.3

    The game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the player having the move, if:

        a. he writes his move on his scoresheet and declares to the arbiter his
        intention to make this move, which shall result in the last 50 moves
        having been made by each player without the movement of any pawn and
        without any capture, or

        b. the last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each player without
        the movement of any pawn and without any capture.

9.4

    If the player touches a piece as in Article 4.3 without having claimed the
    draw he loses the right to claim, as in Article 9.2 or 9.3, on that move.
Hi thanks for the question! 

Yes this is what FIDE are saying. If you are about to play the 50.0th move of the sequence, or to cause a position to occur for the third time, then you need to claim before you move.

I think this is because after you have moved the piece, your opponent is allowed to respond, without waiting for you to punch the clock. If you then say "hey wait a minute" then this could be disruptive when one or both players are in time trouble. Best make the draw claim when it's clearly your turn to take the next action, i.e. before the piece is moved.

I am sure that people sometimes forget in the excitement though, which must be very frustrating!