Club Championship 2022

We are again running the Club Championship over the summer. Apologies for the late publication of dates.

Format
It will be organised as a 5-round Swiss event, using Fischer Timing (75 mins + 15 sec / move).

Rounds
We have set aside the following club nights for the five rounds:

Round 1:   2nd June
Round 2:   16th June (or before the next round by prior agreement)
Round 3:   14th July (or before the next round by prior agreement)
Round 4:   28th July (or before the next round by prior agreement)
Round 5:   25th August (or at or before the next club night, 1st August, by prior agreement)

Entry
The event is open to all club members holding ECF membership. Pairings for round 1 will be finalised “on the day” allowing you to simply turn up to enter. If you want to enter but would like to take a bye in the first round, please notify the organiser, Steve Lovell.

Byes
Entrants may nominate one round as a half-point-bye, and must do so before that round is paired. A second bye will be permitted, but this will be a zero-point bye. For the purpose of pairing, a player in the top half of the draw who has received a zero-point bye will treated as having scored a half-point.
Failure to play in three rounds will result in automatic withdrawal from the competition.

Members may also express an interest in playing as a “filler” if they know in advance they will not be available for sufficient rounds to fully participate. If both players agree, these games will be rated.

Pairings and Flexible Dates of Play
Pairings for rounds 2 to 5 will be made available in advance as soon as the organiser can manage. Games for rounds 2 to 5 need not be played on the listed dates. However, if they are not to be played on the listed dates, the date of play must (a) be agreed by both parties before the date listed for the round and (b) be before the date listed for the following round (or for the final round, on or before the following club night).

Where not playing on the listed date, the agreed date of play should be communicated to the organiser, Steve Lovell, before the listed date. This allows a player present on the listed date to claim a default should their opponent be absent, though we will repair if possible. Players will be responsible for sourcing the necessary equipment (board, set, clocks, score sheets), though the organiser may be able to assist if help is required.

To prevent delay in producing pairings for subsequent rounds, where a game has not yet been played, it will be assumed to have been won by any player rated 150 or more points higher than their opponent, and otherwise to have been drawn. The players scores will be corrected retrospectively if required.

Notification of Results
Both players in any game must notify the result to the organiser, Steve Lovell.

Tie-Breaks
(1) Direct encounter
(2) Rapid or Blitz Playoff, playing once with each colour
(3) Step (2) will be repeated until a winner is determined

The first tie break is the result between the players involved in the tie. If this is not decisive or not all the players involved in the tie have played each other, then those involved will play an all-play-all mini-tournament to decide the winner, with each pairing occurring twice to ensure a fair colour distribution. Those involved in the tie-break will decide between time controls of 25m+10s or 3m+2s (because these are easily set on a DGT 2010). If agreement cannot be reached, the time control will be decided by the toss of a coin. These games will take place at the earliest opportunity which is convenient for the players (and not necessarily all in one evening).