NCA Competitions Rules

Last Amended 5th June 2009

General

1 The FIDE Laws of Chess as adopted by the English Chess Federation at the 75th FIDE Congress at Calvia October 2004, coming into force on 1st July 2005 are to govern all Competitions conducted by the Norfolk County Chess Association unless amended by any of the following rules which then take precedence.

2 These rules may be amended either at an NCA Annual General Meeting by a majority vote in favour of prior proposals submitted to the NCCA Committee; or by discussion and agreement of at least 75% of those present following the inclusion of a proposal on the agenda at a Committee Meeting at which 8 or more voting members are present.

The League Championship
3 Teams are to consist of four players arranged in order of playing strength.

4 Team Captains are to agree the playing order and enter player‘s names on the result slip provided before any game in a match starts. By starting a match Team Captains are deemed to have accepted the playing order.

5 Visiting teams are to be white on boards one and three.

6 No player is to play more than one game in any one match.

7 No player is to play for more than one club in any one competition in any season. However in exceptional circumstances a player may apply to the Competitions Controller for this rule to be waived. At the discretion of the Competitions Controller and in consultation with other Team Captains in the competition, the Competitions Controller may grant the players request. The Competitions Controller‘s decision is final.

8 Players belonging to clubs with more than one team are to be nominated to one team only before their first game, otherwise they will be nominated to the first team that they play for.

9 Each team is to consist of at least two players nominated to it, but the third and fourth players may be nominated to another team within the same club provided that no player plays more than five games in a season outside the team to which he is nominated.

10 Rule 9 does not apply to players graded 125 or under who may play for any team in the same club as a nominated player for that team. They must still be nominated to one team only in order to comply with rule 12.

11 The maximum grade of players guesting in Division 2 is to be 165 and in Division 3 it is to be 150.

12 Notwithstanding rules 9, 10 and 11, in matches between teams from the same club all players are to be nominated to the team for which they are playing.

13 Any known defaults at the start of a match are to be made starting on board 4 and subsequently on the next higher board.

14 The move rate is to be thirty moves in the first hour and a quarter. After Black‘s 30th move has been completed, both the clocks are to be retarded 20 minutes for a quickplay finish.

15 If any player has not arrived at the playing venue within half an hour of the club‘s published starting time then that player‘s game will be forfeit. This rule is to apply whether or not a clock has been started and regardless of what time has elapsed on that clock.

16 (a) The result of a match is to be sent to the Competitions Controller immediately after a match by the Home Team Captain using the result form provided.
(b) With the prior consent of the Competitions Controller, Team Captains may submit results by e-mail.

17 If the result has not been received from the home team Captain by the Competitions Controller within 7 days of the date scheduled for a match then 2 penalty points are to be deducted from the home team‘s aggregate league score; or if a match is not played and the Competitions Controller is not informed by the postponing team captain of the postponement then 2 penalty points are to be deducted from the postponing team‘s aggregate league score.

18 No scheduled match is to be postponed. If either team fails to turn up for a match then they will default it 4-0 to their opponent's.

19 Any scheduled match may be re-arranged by mutual agreement between the two Captains at any time before it is scheduled to be played provided that it is not re-arranged for later than the 15th April in the current season. The Competitions Controller is to be informed when a re-arrangement is agreed.

20 In the event of extreme exceptional circumstances such as the blockage of a road by accident or weather then the Competitions Controller may rule that a match is to be re-arranged as outlined in rule 19. If the two Captains arev unable to reach a mutual agreement on a new date within ten days of the scheduled date then the Competitions Controller is to schedule a new date.

21 Any Match which is not played by agreement between the two captains is not to be recorded as being played and no league or cup points are to be attributed to either team.

22 League Championships, promotion and relegation will be decided on game points. If teams are level on game points then match points, two for a win and one for a draw, will be used to decide. If teams remain tied after this then the Competitions Controller is to arrange a deciding match. Promotion and relegation may be waived at the Competition Controllers discretion in order to maintain a balanced league structure or following a request from a Team Captain whose playing squad has significantly changed.

The Williamson Cup and Plate
23 NCCA Competitions Rules 1 to 16 apply unless amended by any of the following rules within this section.

24 The draw for the first round of this competition will be published in Zugzwang and the winners will be entered into a draw for the next and subsequent rounds by the Competitions Controller who is to notify Club Secretaries by publishing the draw in En Passant.

25 All first round losing teams will be entered into the Williamson Plate competition which will be run using the same rules as the Williamson Cup competition.

26 If a match is drawn then board elimination starting with board 4 is to be used to decide the winner.

27 If all four boards are drawn then the match is to be replayed during the following week with reversed venues. The Competitions Controller is to be informed of the revised date and the results of both matches are to be submitted together. Failure to comply with this rule may lead to one or both teams being eliminated from the competition.

28 No player is play for more than one Williamson Cup or subsequent Williamson Plate team in any one season.

The Norfolk and Suffolk Cup
29 NCCA Competitions Rules 1 to 16 apply unless amended by any of the following rules within this section.

30 The Competitions Controller has the authority to change the format of the competition as he sees fit.

31 Teams are to consist of six boards arranged in order of playing strength.

32 Colours are to be decided by the toss of a coin, the winner having the choice of colour on odd numbered boards.

33 If a match is drawn then board elimination starting with board six is to be used to decide the winner.

34 If all six boards are drawn then the winner is to be decided by the toss of a coin.

35 Rules 33 and 34 only apply in a knockout competition format.

36 The winner of the competition will meet the winner of a similar competition played
in Suffolk to decide the overall winner of the cup. This match is to be played at the home club‘s venue on a mutually agreed date in Norfolk in even years and in Suffolk in odd years.

The Handicap Rapidplay Knockout Cup
37 Normal Quickplay rules apply as detailed in FIDE Laws of Chess Appendix B.

38 Teams are to play two matches in one evening at the move rate of thirty minutes per player per game.

39 Before starting a match players for each team are to be placed in strict grading order.

40 Gradings used for this purpose should for preference be Rapidplay Gradings but if a player does not have a Rapidplay Grade then a normal BCF Grade is to be used. In the event that a player has neither grade then that player is to be assessed as the average of all the other graded players in the team. Any queries on grades are to be referred to the Competitions Controller before a match is started.

41 A special result form shall be sent to the home team captain before the match is due to be played, this will include the pairings and colours for each board in each game.

42 The average grade for each team is to be worked out and the winning team shall be decided depending on the difference in average grading as follows.

(a) If the difference in grading is less than 6 and the result is 4 - 4 then the winning team shall be determined by:
(i) Board count
(ii) Bottom board elimination
(iii) The lower average graded team wins

(b) For any other result the winning team shall be determined as follows:
Grade Score needed to win
difference by the higher graded team
6-15 4½
16-25 5
26-35 5½
36-45 6
over 45 6½

Disputes
43 In the event of a dispute then the two Team Captains have the right to stop their own clocks in their games and act as arbiters between the two players to agree a ruling.

44 (a) If agreement cannot be reached by the captains without interference by other players or spectators, then the dispute is to be referred to the Competitions Controller in writing within seven days by either the Secretary of the Club involved or the Captain of the Team.

(b) No disputes will be accepted orally or from individual players.

(c) Each dispute is to be accompanied by a fee of £5 which will be returned to the club whose claim is upheld provided that no appeal is submitted in accordance with NCCA Competitions Rules No 45.

45 (a) If either disputing club wishes to appeal against the Competition Controller‘s decision then they must do so giving their reasons, in writing, within fourteen days of receipt of that decision.
(b) An appeal is to be accompanied by a fee of £10.
(c) The Competitions Controller will request that an Appeals Committee consisting of three committee members independent of either club involved be set up by the NCCA County Chairman. The decision of the Appeals Committee shall be final and binding on all parties.
(d) If the appeal is successful then the full amount of fees received will be refunded.

46 (a) In the event of a claim for a draw being made under FIDE Rules Appendix D1(a) or D1(b) and the opponent rejecting the claim then the claim is to be submitted to the Competitions Controller by the Secretary of the Club involved.
(b) The claim is to be accompanied by a fee of £10.
(c) If the claim is upheld by the Competitions Controller then the fee will be returned.
(d) Any claim submitted under this rule which is not submitted in the correct format as per FIDE Rules Appendix D1 will be returned to the Secretary of the Claimants club and the claim will fail.

Recording the moves
47 If a player writes down his move before playing the move he is to receive a warning. For a second and third offence his opponent is to be given an extra two minutes on his clock for each offence. If he offends for a fourth time then he is to lose the game.

PDAs and other electronic equipment
48 Any player found consulting a PDA or any other electronic device will lose his game.

Mobile telephones
49 At the start of a match the Team Captains are to request that all mobile telephones be turned off. The mobile telephones are to be turned off for the duration of the match not just for the individual player‘s game.

50 If a player feels it is imperative that his mobile telephone be turned on then he is to ask the two Team Captains for their permission. The mobile telephone is to be switched to vibrate only mode. If the player receives a call then he is to leave the playing area before answering the call. The mobile telephone is not to be used for any other purpose.

51 The penalty for an audibly ringing mobile telephone is the loss of the game. This will still apply even if the game has already been completed. If the game has been completed then the opponents score will not be adjusted and the original score will be used for grading purposes.

Miscellaneous
52 Any players not registered as ECF Direct Members at the start of the season but who play more than two games are required to register before their third game, and their details, completed ECF Direct Membership Application Form and correct payment are to be submitted to the Competitions Controller either before the match or together with the Result Slip for that match .

53 Where a player drops off the grading list for whatever reason and he enters a grade defined tournament then his last published grade will be taken, reduced by 5 points for each ungraded year up to a maximum of 5 years.

54 Any cases of unacceptable conduct or breaches of either the FIDE Laws of Chess or NCCA Competitions Rules are to be reported in writing to the Competitions Controller who will then report them to the next full NCCA Committee Meeting. The NCCA Committee will decide on any action to be taken considering each case on its own merits and the Competitions Controller is to inform the parties concerned of the Committee‘s decision.

55 Any game played in breach of any NCCA Competition Rule will be declared void and no score will be recorded for either player. The game may be submitted for grading purposes providing it meets the criteria for doing so.

56 The NCCA Committee reserve the right to appoint an arbiter at any Norfolk Competition match. In this event each club will be notified in advance.

57 Norfolk County Chess Association provides the playing of chess in a friendly and sporting fashion. Conduct to the prejudice of the standing of chess or the efficient running of competitions may be investigated and appropriate action taken.