Interface's adjudication

[phhnguyen]

I start to improve the adjudication function for Banksia (a chess interface).

For human tournament, adjudication is a process to finish and determine the result when time runs out for a match without chess clock. It does not count the cases when a match finished by mating, draw by rules...

Currently, Banksia has a very simple adjudication: A game is announced as a draw when a) there is no material (two Kings only) or b) each side have only same-color Bishops or one Knight. The game is stopped immediately after a move when adjudication conditions are matched without waiting a side be out of time. IMO, it is funny waiting two alone-Kings run around the board for nothing.

Questions:

1) Should I stop adjudicating at all and let chess clock does the job (let one side lose by time)? Clearly, all computer tournaments have always chess clocks!

For adjudicating:
2) Do you think I should wait for one side be time out before adjudicating, even for simple/clear draw cases as above?
3) More complicated adjudications: I plan to adjudicate a match to draw for clear cases when the opponent (of the side run out of time) cannot win (e.g., it has King only). Any other cases?
4) I am considering to use tablebases to adjudicate but have no experience either. Which number of pieces should I use? Should I finish the game whenever tablebases hit? How to adjudicate when tablebases tell the current game is a draw/win for time-out side?

Thanks

[hgm]

Chess rules are such that a game is finished (as a draw) when no conceivable sequence of moves can lead to mate. So this is not an adjudication anymore than recognizing stalemate as a draw.