CAWA School Chess League
Overview, Structure and Rules
1. Objectives
The Chess Association of Western Australia (CAWA)’s School Chess League (SCL) is a team chess competition designed to achieve the following objectives.
· To promote interest in chess as a mind sport to school students in the Perth metropolitan area.
· To provide opportunities for junior chess players to compete against players from other schools.
· To officiate state level competitions, so as to nurture the chess talents of school students.
· To select a top performing school in each of four sections, namely: Primary Open, Primary Girls, Secondary Open and Secondary Girls; to represent Western Australia at the annual Australian Schools’ Teams Chess Championships, organised by the Australian Chess Federation, in December each year.
2. Teams
Each team shall consist of four (4) players, who should play in estimated order of playing strength.
Each team shall also nominate a captain, who will act as the team’s point of contact and be responsible for coordinating matches and reporting results. The team captain should normally be the school chess club’s supervising teacher, or a member of school staff who is familiar with the rules of chess.
Schools can enter up to a maximum of three (3) teams of four players in separate divisions in either (Primary or Secondary) league.
3. Format
3.1. Divisions
The School Chess League (hereinafter referred to as SCL) will consist of two (2) separate leagues – one for Primary School teams and one for Secondary School teams.
Both the Primary and Secondary leagues will have three (3) divisions – ‘Premier’, ‘B’ and ‘C’ in order of playing strength, with Premier being the strongest. Schools can enter one team per division, up to a maximum total of three (3) teams.
3.2. Regular Season
3.2.1. Zones
For each league, schools will be placed in zones based on their geographical location in the Perth metropolitan area. Zone allocations are at the discretion of the SCL coordinators, and are subject to school team entries across zones and other practical considerations where applicable.
Schools within each zone will then be paired against each other in a round robin (all play all) series of matches, which will form the ‘regular season’ of the SCL.
Example: school X and school Y are placed in the same zone in the Secondary Schools League. School X has entered three teams (Premier, B and C) and school Y has entered two teams (Premier and B). When school X and school Y are due to play against each other, their Premier teams and B teams will play, while school X’s C team will have a bye.
3.2.2. Matches
3.2.2.1. Structure
Consistent with the existing structure of the Australian Schools’ Teams Chess Championships, matches between teams will be played over 4 boards. The two teams’ nominated Board 1 players will play against each other, and likewise for Boards 2, 3 and 4. As mentioned earlier, teams should play in order of playing strength, with the team’s strongest player assigned to Board 1 and the least strong player assigned to Board 4.
For each match, one team will be assigned as the ‘Home’ team and the other as the ‘Away’ team. The ‘Away’ team players will be given the White pieces on Boards 1 and 3, while the ‘Home’ team players will be given White on Boards 2 and 4.
Each match must have a Director of Play, who will read out the playing rules before the match, resolve disputes during matches, and ensure that the games run smoothly and fairly. The Director of Play for each regular season match will typically be the ‘Home’ team captain.
3.2.2.2. Rate of Play
Chess clocks must be used for all matches played in the Primary Premier and Secondary Premier divisions. In each game, Primary Premier Division players will have 30 minutes each, while Secondary Premier Division players will receive 45 minutes each.
For the B and C divisions, the use of chess clocks is at the discretion of the match’s Director of Play. If clocks are used, the rate of play shall be the same as for the Premier divisions. However, if clocks are not used, the match’s Director of Play is responsible for ensuring that games finish within a reasonable time and for adjudicating unfinished games, i.e. declaring the game a win or a draw, in a fair manner.
3.2.2.3. Scoring and Recording of Results
The method of scoring for each match is as follows:
· In individual games, if the game was decisive, the winner receives 1 point and the loser receives 0 points. If the game was drawn, both players receive 0.5 points each.
· Match points are awarded to teams based on the sum of their scores from the individual games, also known as game points. If one team scores a total of at least 2.5 game points, then they have won the match and are awarded 2 match points, with the opposing team receiving 0 match points. If the match score is tied at 2-2, then the match is a draw and both teams receive 1 match point.
Example: team X and team Y play a match. Team X’s players won on the top two boards, and drew on the bottom two boards. Team X then wins the match with 3 game points to team Y’s 1 game points; hence team X receives 2 match points and team Y receives 0 match points.
Before the start of each match, two results sheets should be printed. At the end of each individual game, one of the players involved in that game shall record the result on both sheets. Once all games have been completed, the team captains must sign both sheets to confirm that all individual recorded results are correct. Each team captain should then keep one results sheet for their own record.
The Director of Play is responsible for sending a copy of the signed results sheet to the respective CAWA league coordinator responsible for each league.
3.2.2.4. Scheduling and Logistics
It is expected that regular season matches will be played once a fortnight, starting in Week 5 of Term 1 and finishing by the end of Term 2, with a two week break over the Term 1 holidays.
The league coordinators will send pairings to team captains once a fortnight. From the date when the pairings for each match are sent, the ‘Home’ team captain will have 14 days to arrange with the ‘Away’ team captain a mutually convenient time and location to play the match. The ‘Home’ team’s school is expected to provide a venue and equipment for the match, although the ‘Away’ team’s school may provide support, e.g. extra chess clocks, as required.
If a match cannot be arranged within the allotted 14-day period, the ‘Home’ team captain is responsible for informing the appropriate league coordinator and for arranging an alternate date for the match. However, all matches must be completed by the official close of the regular season. Any unplayed matches may be scored by the league coordinators as double forfeits, i.e. both teams receive 0 match points and 0 game points, unless one team can demonstrate that they have made significant efforts to arrange for the match to be played.
3.3. Finals
After the completion of the regular season, the top performing teams for the Primary Premier and Secondary Premier Divisions will be invited to participate in the SCL finals. The finals will be held at a neutral location over two days during the Term 2 school holidays.
The champion school in each of four sections (Primary Open, Primary Girls, Secondary Open and Secondary Girls) will subsequently be selected by the CAWA to represent Western Australia at the annual Australian Schools’ Teams Chess Championships, held in December each year.
3.3.1. Qualification
In each zone, the two (2) teams in the Premier divisions with the highest aggregate game points from regular season matches will qualify. In the event of a tie, the following tiebreak criteria will be used, in descending order:
1) Match points
2) Number of match wins
3) Result of direct encounter(s) between teams
If a girls’ team is not among the top 2 teams in a zone, the top scoring girls’ team will also be invited to the finals, with the above tiebreak criteria also applicable if necessary.
3.3.2. Structure
The finals will be played as two team tournaments – a Primary School teams’ final and a Secondary School teams’ final. Each final will use the same rates of play and scoring system as used in the regular season, and all teams will start the final with 0 match points and 0 game points.
Each final will either be run as a round robin event or a Swiss-style event, depending on team entries. Upon confirmation of the number of team entries, teams will be informed of the format of the finals.
Aggregate game points will once again be used to determine the winning team in each final, which will be awarded the title of Primary or Secondary Open Champion School. The top scoring girls’ team in each final will be awarded the title of Primary or Secondary Girls Champion School.
In the event of a two-way tie for a title, a playoff will be held to decide the title and the school selected to represent WA in the Australian Schools’ Teams Chess Championships. If there are more than two teams tying for a title, then the above tiebreak criteria will determine the winner.
4. Playing Rules
Before each match begins, the Director of Play for each match (typically the ‘Home’ team captain) shall introduce him/herself to the players and read out the following rules of play.
All games must be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess. Laws that should be highlighted to the players are:
· All mobile phones must be switched off. If a player’s phone makes a sound or vibrates during a game, they will instantly lose the game.
· The ‘touch move’ rule must be applied. However, it may only be enforced if a reply move has not yet been made.
· Talking should be kept to a minimum during games and opposing players are not allowed to converse, with some obvious exceptions, e.g. resigning or offering a draw. A player should not distract another player in any way.
· Players must not give advice of moves to other players during the game. Players who do so may incur a penalty, e.g. loss of one game point for their team.
· Spectators are welcome but must remain quiet and never interfere with any game. They should also keep a reasonable distance from the boards, so as to not disturb the players.
· In the event of any kind of problem, players must pause the clock and raise their hand to seek help from the Director of Play.
A detailed set of guidelines for the Director of Play will be provided to all team captains.
5. Entry Fees and Prizes
The team entry fees are identical for both the Primary and Secondary School Leagues:
Number of teams / Entry fee1 / $40
2 / $70
3 / $90
At the SCL finals, trophies will be awarded in each section (Primary Open, Primary Girls, Secondary Open and Secondary Girls) as follows:
· Champion School at the SCL final – also receives a perpetual trophy and qualifies for the Australian Schools’ Teams Chess Championships in December.
· 2nd and 3rd placed school at the SCL final.
Trophies will also be awarded for outstanding performance during the regular season to:
· Any player who played in every regular season match for their school and scored 100%.
· The winning school in each division (Premier, B and C) for each zone.
Upon accepting their selection for the Australian Schools’ Teams Chess Championships, the champion schools’ teams may also receive financial support from the CAWA for interstate travelling expenses, depending on the total number of SCL team entries. Prior to the finals being played, teams will be informed of the details of any potential financial support.
6. Disputes and Appeals
As the league coordinators will not be present at regular season matches, the SCL will generally rely on the competent, sound and absolutely objective judgement of each match’s Director of Play in resolving disputes between players.
When a dispute arises, the Director of Play should make every effort to resolve matters by reconciliation. When this is not successful and/or the nature of the dispute is such that penalties are appropriate but not specifically defined in the Laws of Chess, the Director of Play shall impose penalties at his or her discretion. In doing so, the Director of Play should aim to maintain discipline and offer other solutions which may placate the offended parties.
Any appeals against decisions made by the Director of Play during a match can be lodged with the league coordinators in writing, no later than 24 hours after the conclusion of that match. The appeal will then be referred to the CAWA’s Appeals and Disputes Committee. The decision of the Appeals and Disputes Committee shall be final.