Devon County Chess Association
RULES FOR INDIVIDUAL COMPETITIONS
Issue 1 14 Aug 2013
The individual competitions are:
The Thomas Winter-Wood Memorial Trophy for club champions
The County championship for the Winter-Wood Championship Cup (above 169)
The Ladies championship for the Ladies Championship Challenge Cup (Open)
The Intermediate championship for the Festival of Britain (140 to 169)
The Minor championship for the E J Winter-Wood Trophy (under 140)
Entries and Fees
Any member of the Devon County Chess Association, whom is also at least a Bronze member of the English Chess Federation, may enter an individual competition with the exception of the Thomas Winter-Wood Trophy (see below). A player may participate in only one individual competition except that a club may enter their current champion, or at their discretion the runner-up, in a formal competition, for the Thomas Winter-Wood Memorial Trophy competition for which the Competition Secretary will invite entries at the end of the season. Fixtures will be arranged on a similar basis to other individual competitions, except that play will take place during the summer.
Individual Competition Fixtures
The Competition Secretary will provide schedules of pairings and details of opponents to participants in each competition. The ‘home’ players have the black pieces and are responsible for providing the venue (normal club standard playing conditions) and for contacting their opponents to agree the date and start time for the fixture within the timescales notified to them. No fixture should clash with any other relevant chess event. No fixture may be arranged outside the timescales notified without the prior agreement of the Competition Secretary.
Conditions and Rules of Play
At the time scheduled for start of play, the clocks of the player(s) with the white pieces shall be started. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the captain of the home team, or the ‘home’ player in an individual competition, should not seek to exploit the situation if it is possible to take such circumstances into account.
Conditions and Rules of Play
Individual competition games each player starts with 100 minutes on the clock (set clock at 4.20) and must complete at least 40 moves before the flag falls. At the completion of Black’s 40th move each clock shall be set back 20 minutes and the game must be completed within the time then remaining. However if both players agree a shorter time control can be played providing the competitions secretary agrees.
Results
The result of each game in an individual competition, signed by both players, complete with copy of the game score sheets, must be sent to the Competition Secretary by the winner or, in the event of a draw, by the ‘home’ player, to arrive within seven working days.
Ties
In Individual Competitions if two or more players finish level on points then they shall play off using reverse colours and venues to the previous match. If that play off game results in a draw then further play of game(s) should follow using the reversal of colour and venue procedure. If only two players take part in a competition and are level after home and away, they shall agree either a midway venue and toss for colours or both players can agree a venue using ‘home’ players have the black pieces and is responsible for providing the venue.
Trophies
Each trophy remains the property of the Association to be held for one year by the winner whose name shall be inscribed on it. It is a condition of acceptance of a trophy that the holder undertakes to safeguard it and return it on the required date in good condition. The Thomas Winter-Wood Memorial Trophy is normally presented at the Autumn Council Meeting each year and all other Trophies at the Annual General Meeting.
QUICKPLAY FINISHES
(Extract from Article 10 and Appendix D of the 1997 FIDE Rules)
10.1 A ‘Quickplay’ finish is the last phase of a game, when all the remaining moves must be made in a limited time.
10.2 If the player has less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag falls. This concludes the game. He may claim on the basis:
a) that his opponent cannot win by normal means, or
b) that his opponent has been making no effort to win by normal means.
In a) the player must write down the final position and his opponent verify it.
In b) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date score sheet which must be completed before play has ceased. The opponent shall verify both the score sheet and the final position.
The claim shall be referred to an arbiter whose decision shall be final.
10.3 Illegal moves do not necessarily lose. The position before the irregularity shall be reinstated or, if this cannot be identified, the game shall continue from the last identified position prior to the irregularity. For a first illegal move, his opponent shall gain two minutes extra time. For a second illegal move by the same player, his opponent shall gain another two minutes extra time. For a third illegal move, the player who played incorrectly shall lose the game.
10.4 If both flags have fallen and it is impossible to establish which flag fell first the game is drawn.
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