Derbyshire Individual Competition Rules
DERBYSHIRE CHESS ASSOCIATION COUNTY INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONSHIP RULES
Approved at the 2022 AGM.
Changes introduced in 2022 (from 2021) are simplification of entry requirements, venue of matches and introduction of half point byes.
1. Format
(a) The individual championship shall be contested annually between 1st October and 31st May, over seven rounds (if sufficient entrants) organised under the 'Swiss Tournament' system.
(b) All applicants must be registered with ECF and either be a Resident in Derbyshire or a member of a club that participates in Derbyshire competitions. The controller may refuse entries that are deemed inappropriate.
(c) All games must be played within Derbyshire county boundaries, except by mutual consent.
(d) Acceptance of entry requires the completion of an entry form, and the payment of the entry fee by the closing date for entry, normally 30th September. The Controller may refuse entry to players who have not played all their games in previous years, or have not paid by the due date.
(e) The rules for the Championships may only be amended at an A.G.M. or Council meeting of the D.C.A. by a majority of those entitled to vote.
(f) A list of addresses, telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and grade or playing strength of all entrants will be issued to individual entrants along with the pairings for the first round.
(g) Players may request a half point bye for one round during the event, except for the last two rounds. This must be requested in advance of the draw for the round being requested.
2. Playing rules
1. The controller will issue notice of the pairings and time scale for each round. Four weeks will usually be allocated for each round.
2. The player with the black pieces will have choice of venue, and, within three days of receiving pairings, must offer his opponent a venue and choice of three dates, one on a Saturday or Sunday.
3. The player of the white pieces must respond within three days of receiving the offers, either accepting one of the dates or proposing alternative dates.
4. If the players are unable to reach agreement on a date for any round within six days of notification of pairings and start date for that particular round, the Controller must be notified immediately and will attempt to resolve the difficulty. Failure to contact the Controller may result in defaults. THE CONTROLLER WILL NOT NORMALLY EXTEND THE TIME SCHEDULED FOR A PARTICULAR ROUND.
5. The player with the black pieces will provide a chess set and board, chess clock and score sheets.
6. A minimum of 4 hours must normally be available for the game, unless the shorter options in rule 7 are agreed.
7. The default time control will be 120 minutes for each player for all moves. If both players agree, either 105 minutes or 90 minutes may be used instead. Alternatively, incremental controls as used in the League, between 75 mins + 10 secs down to 55 mins + 10 secs, which may be required by the venue. The principle here is that it is by mutual agreement. If no agreement, the longest agreed control applies.
8. In the event of a tie between two players in any section, the winner will be determined by a playoff using the standard competition time controls. The colours for this playoff will be the reverse of their match played during the competition. If they did not meet during the competition, then the player who has had the fewest matches as white will have the white pieces. If they played the same number of matches as white, colour will be determined by toss.
9. If the result of the playoff is a draw, then the winner will be the winner of their direct match in the seven rounds. If they did not meet, or if they drew, the one with the highest sum of opponents scores will be declared the winner. If sum of opponents scores is inconclusive or inapplicable then then a further playoff will be arranged by the controller, which may include shorter time controls and more than one match in a session.
10. If more than two players tie in any section, the two players with the highest sum of opponents scores will play off as above. If sum of opponents scores is inapplicable, then an additional play off may be required.
3.Results
1. The result of each pairing must be sent to the Controller by the winner, or both players in the event of a draw, by the closing date of each round.
2. A player who does not complete the previous two games scheduled will be deemed to have withdrawn from the competition.
3. The Controller will inform all entrants as to the state of the competition either individually or via the D.C.A. Bulletins as the competition progresses.
4. All results will be submitted for rating.
4.Trophies Three trophies will be awarded:
1. Lt Colonel Robinson Board. The overall winner of the competition will be the County Individual Champion and hold the Lt. Colonel Robinson chess board and case for one year.
2. The Harry Broughton Cup. This will be awarded to the highest placed non seeded player for one year. Seeding will be decided by the controller based on ratings and total number of entrants.
3. The Dorothy Harrison Cup. This will be awarded to the highest placed player under a threshold rating at the start of the season, which will be determined by the controller based on ratings and total number of entrants. No player will be eligible for more than one of the above. In addition, the association will award personal mementos to all three winners.
5.Disputes
The Controller’s decision will be final on all matters pertaining to the Championships, but is subject to appeal through the disputes committee. Written notice of any such appeal must be submitted to the General Secretary of the D.C.A. within seven days of any dispute.