And I can’t forget Daniel Kahneman and Jean Marie Stine whose own books provided the insights, form, and function that resulted in making the text of this work possible.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Note: The following “Table Of Contents” is uncommon. It contains not only the usual interactive chapter headings,
but additionally the interactive mnemonic verses that are the lynchpins of the plain language rulebook tactics system.
Contents PART 1: WINNING STRATEGIES
If an outstretched hand is what you saw, make sure it’s a resignation and not a draw.
Win or lose, report the result of your game to make sure the right score is next to your name.
When your opponent is one hour late a forfeit win is your fate.
A free win may come your way when there is no opponent for you to play.
Only players may make the call if there is a flag fall.
A scoresheet missing three moves is a scoresheet aiming to lose.
Clock move counters have no place when trying to claim a flag fall case.
A sudden death flag fall game allows for an incomplete score to make this claim.
A player’s fallen flag means they can’t brag.
Checkmate ends the game so there is no flag fall claim.
For the claim to not be a bust, mating material is a must.
Part 2: DRAWING STRATEGIES
Make your move, offer the draw, then press your clock—it’s the law.
Reject a draw and be in the know by touching your piece or just saying “no.”
Considering a draw offer can cause the blues: If your flag falls, you can still lose.
If a draw offer is made and accepted then reporting a draw can be expected.
Can’t make a move and it’s your turn? Then a stalemate is what you’ve earned.
It is as easy as ABC to ask for a bye from the TD.
Both flags down may cause a frown.
Without the right stuff a draw is enough.
Make a draw offer or make a draw claim: Either way, they are just the same.
After fifty moves a draw is proved if no pieces were taken and no pawns have been moved.
Three positions exactly the same? You have the right to make a draw claim.
An ILC claim may be apropos with an analog clock and two minutes to go.
Part 3: CLOCK STRATEGIES
Know your clock’s settings! It’s to your benefit; you may not find anyone else who can set it.
Even though they are old school, analog clocks are a useful tool.
If sudden death time controls are used to play, then set your clock with delay.
An increment time control would suggest that an increment clock is the best.
Multiple time controls in your game? Set the clock so they’re not the same.
Pause your clock and get a TD if you have a problem that they need to see.
Use the same hand for your clock and pieces; the chances of a claim then decreases.
End the risk of a silly claim: Stop the clock at the end of the game!
Ask your opponent how their clock works, and then you’ll be familiar with all its quirks.
Move counters are great, but they’re hard to keep straight.
Tick tock, tick tock: Come late to a game and lose time on the clock.
Have no timer for your game? It’ll work out; you’ll get one later, there is no doubt.
If your opponent is there or is not, start your clock on the spot.
Start white’s clock to begin the game, black or white—it’s all the same.
When your claim is upheld by the TD, two minutes of time may be yours for free.
If a clock defect or a wrong setting you see, pause the clock and get a TD.
When your clock is more up to date, ask to swap it even if you’re late.
Part 4: NOTATION STRATEGIES
Taking notation hits the spot; it’s chess law, so give it a shot.
Notation can be a “no go” with only five minutes on the clock to show.
Are you playing an increment game? Then record your moves or face a claim.
Official e-tools for keeping score: MonRoi, eNotate, DGT Projects Electronic Chessboard and nothing more.
First make a move follows the rule, then record it using the right tool.
Checkmarks on a scoresheet can bear the blame for TDs’ rejecting many a claim.
Are you missing moves on your score? Use your rival’s to get more.
Part 5: TOURNAMENT STRATEGIES
Equipment is not provided as a rule, so bring your own and be cool.
Playing black, have no fear: you often get to choose the gear.
If annoying acts cause a migraine, see a TD and make a claim.
There’ll be no ruling in a game without your making a claim.
Leaving a board for more than a quarter hour can result in a score that is sour.
House players get a free game by telling the TD their name.
Special-needs opponents need special care, so there are special rules to make it fair.
Cell phone use of any kind can cause a penalty that you will mind.
Use headphones and enjoy, but check with the TD before using that toy.
If you touch it, then move it or take it.
Complete your move the right way: press your clock to complete the play.
If you don’t say check in the game, it’s still check all the same.
When leaving the event for another quest, signing the withdraw list is the best.
Make your claim right away; after the game you have little sway.
Check the wall charts to be sure that all your info is secure.
Register with your ID, rating, and name before your play your first game.
Wrong results need tweaking ASAP so the right info’s there for all to see.
See a TD to complain if someone intervenes in your game.
You can stay looking your best: Don’t talk to others during your contest.
Special tournament rules should be checked—look at the postings, what the heck.
Avoid analysis in the tournament hall so it stays silent for one and all.
Part 6: PRIZE STRATEGIES
Guaranteed prizes are paid no matter what; small, large, or medium, that’s a lot!
Based-on prizes are famine or feast; you could get the most or the least.
Multiple ties for many prizes can create cash awards of many sizes.
There are lots of prizes beyond first, second, and third, including class prizes that can be secured.
Sections of players all the same get section prizes, glory, and fame.
An under prize is a different story: many classes compete for the same glory.
A trophy award is a long path: it takes loads of calculations and loads of math.
Your total rewards increase in size when you qualify for a special prize.
If your prize is limited you may frown, because your final total may go down.
Some prizes can be divided and others not; win them both, and you get a lot.
Pay a re-entry fee and start anew; get more games and prizes too.
Want your prize ASAP? Check with an organizer or see a TD.
Part 7: PAIRINGS STRATEGIES
Swiss System Pairings
Divide a score group above and below; then players get paired down the row.
It is not very nice to play someone twice.
Avoiding unwanted pairings can be tough with extra restrictions, restraints, and other stuff.
A no-pairing request can be had, but it may not be honored, so don’t be sad.
There are lots of rules that have a say in what color you might play.
To fix color glitches, there are limits to pairing switches.
A full-point win is the order of the day when there is an odd number and no one to play.
Ask for a half-point bye: it gets added to your score, and you don’t have to try.
The rating to use in any event is the same as that month’s supplement.
A ratings restricted section is a clue that you’ll be paired against others just like you.
Re-enter a tournament and start anew so your pairings are all new.
Accelerated pairings will do the trick when there are too many players for a top pick.
While your pairing may not be ideal, as long as it is legal, there is no appeal.
Round Robin/Quad Pairings
Play every opponent once or twice; you’ll play them all, and that is nice.
APPENDIX: FIDE STRATEGIES
APPENDIX: SCHOLASTIC STRATEGIES
Ten Scholastic Notes
FORWARD
We all know how the chess pieces move. We read books, use software, and go online to find that magic chess strategy that will improve our game. We will spend hours going over some new line in the opening or studying chess tactics. We think nothing of having our software GMs help us analyze our games and offer us ways to improve our win-loss record. We go over the games of masters and harvest material that we can put to use in our own contests. We also gloss over the rules and regulations that govern how tournaments and games are conducted. Those rules and regulations can spell the difference between a win, a loss, or a draw in some cases, but we usually only have a vague idea on how to use them to such good effect—or, worse, we have the wrong idea about what the regulations actually mean. It is time to change that today.
The USCF Rulebook is a massive document filled with the necessary technical wording to govern the smooth running of chess tournaments. There are a lot of lawyerly-sounding rules and regulations that challenge even the most legal-minded player. This book will take the mystery out of those regulations by putting them in plain language. Mnemonic verses help you remember the ideas behind each rule. Some Classic Tips, examples, and advice are thrown in for good measure. Not every rule is covered in this text. Odd, obscure, and rare situations are not the focus here. Instead, I will offer handy ideas and strategies to woodpushers which have proven their worth time and again in dealing successfully with typical, usual, and common, but technical, chess tournament policies in a straightforward way. One thing you might want to remember about this work is that the rules change yearly. You can keep up with the changes, and their “chess law” language, on the USCF website. Most of the rules here are fairly standard and deal with the most usual tournament situations; however, if you are interested in the exact wording, get yourself a copy of the current rulebook and all of its updates. The use of “Classic Tips,” “Applications,” and “Rulebook Notes” are the main tactics that provide you with a handy way to understand the concepts behind each rule without turning to the exacting procedures of a rulebook. With the introduction of the chess clock, rules were developed for dealing with the unintended consequences that came along as extra baggage. We will look at those developments and how you can best deal with them. We will take a look at today’s regulations and their relationship with the variety of old and new clocks along with their features. The bottom line is that this work covers essential rulebook procedures for the tournament player in nontechnical language. The reader should also be aware that the original manuscript for this work was formatted in a style that was not compatible with the e–book format; therefore, some material had to be reformatted and it may appear a bit odd as you review it. My apologies. If you are looking for Blitz Rules, 5
th Edition rulebook updates, a Glossary, Winning Tips, and FAQs, then go to the
web page: http://main.uschess.org/content/blogsection/19/28/. So you want to join the USCF? Or, find out more about USCF activities? Then, log onto: www.uschess.org/.
In this chapter we will look at the most common ways for you to score a point besides checkmate and what you should do after the game is over. The most common ways to win revolve around your opponent’s resigning (just giving up) and your making a time forfeit, or “flag fall,” claim (opponent is out of time). While those procedures are exacting, they are easy to understand and follow using the strategies outlined here. 1. Resignations 2. Flag Fall (out of time) claims 3. Byes 4. Reporting Your Results
If an outstretched hand is what you saw, make sure it’s a resignation and not a draw. Your opponent reaches out and shakes your hand after stopping the clock. Are they resigning? Are they accepting a much earlier draw offer? Make sure you know the answer to those questions before you report the game results. A simple “Thanks for the game. I’m sorry you lost,” will usually do the trick in solving this dilemma. Of course, a tipped-over king is a better clue that your opponent has quit the game. Application: You offer your opponent a draw on move 34. They don’t accept the offer at that time, and they continue to play. On move 37 you make what is, in your opinion, a strong move. Your opponent reaches out, shakes your hand, and thanks you for the game. When you go to report your win, you notice your opponent has reported the game as a draw. So what did that handshake mean? Sorting this out is not going to be pleasant for you, your opponent, or the tournament director. Many players don’t realize that draw offers are off the table after they have made a move or declined the draw. They frequently believe, as your opponent here incorrectly does, that the draw offer may still be accepted many moves later. In this case you might consider saying, “Thanks for the game. You played well, and I am sorry you lost.” How about when your opponent mumbles something and stretches out their hand? Is that a resignation or a draw offer? If you are not sure and want to avoid a messy situation, find out what your opponent mumbled before you shake their hand.
Win or lose, report the result of your game to make sure the right score is next to your name. When your game is over, make sure you report the results, usually on the pairings sheet. In the space provided, place a “1” by the winner’s name and a “0” by the loser’s name, or “½” or “.5” by both names if the game was a draw (see Illustration 1). TDs usually announce if it is to be done differently. If you miss this step, even if you lost the game, you could be unpleasantly surprised by your next round’s pairing and the long-term effect on your tournament score. Some TDs even double-forfeit the players in games with no reported results. How YOU Report Your Score
When your opponent is one hour late a forfeit win is your fate. Rulebook Note 1: You start your opponent’s clock on time. You wait for your opponent to arrive. If they don’t appear, and make a move, before one hour runs out on their clock, you win. Tell a TD to verify the win. Classic Tip 1: If your opponent does not show up within an hour from the start of the game, you win by forfeit. Make sure you ask a TD about how to report that result. Usually, you enter the result on the pairings sheet with a big F by the “1” and a big F by the“0” (see Illustration 2). That way your opponent will usually not be paired for the next round—and not cause any other player to sit around waiting for a no-show. There are no rating points involved, but you do get one point added to your total tournament score, which counts for prizes and for pairings. How YOU Report a Forfeit Win
Bd Score White Score Black
119. .5 Rubin, Alex .5 Ricky, Ross
120. 0F Flahttyn, Mike 1F YOU
121. 0 Blale, Maurine 1 Turtle, Yuri Illustration 2 Rulebook Note 2: You start your clock on time. You wait for your opponent to arrive. They appear with seconds left on their clock before their one-hour arrival deadline. They sit down, make their move, and press their clock before their 60 minutes are up. They made it in time to command their chess army against you. The game continues with you having a huge time advantage. Classic Tip 2: You may be tempted to allow your opponent to be more than one hour late for the game while not making a claim with the TD. If you opt for this, make sure that the opponent’s clock is ticking away while your own clock is idle. With clocks running and no claim in sight, when your foe does show up you still get to essay a rated game (a claimed forfeit win would not be rated) with a huge time advantage. The downside is that your adversary may not show up at all. Or, if they do appear at the board, they may still beat you, even if they are later than one hour and way down on time. When the time control is less than one hour—for example, G/45, delay 5 (each player gets 45 minutes for the entire game with a 5-second delay), check with the TD about how long you need to wait for your opponent to show up before claiming your one point. Watch out for special situations. Sometimes the TD has publicized, posted, or announced a different policy regarding late opponent arrivals. And when a tardy opponent sits down at your board, does not make a move, and does not press their clock before their 60 minutes is up, it is time to get a TD to help you sort out this predicament.
A free win may come your way when there is no opponent for you to play. To make pairings, TDs need an even number of players. So what happens when there are an odd number of players? Someone will not get to play. Classic Tip: If you are the player who does not get assigned an opponent (that makes you the “odd” player), the TD can award you an automatic one-point win. As with a forfeit win, there are no rating points involved, but you do get one point added to your total tournament score, which counts for prizes and for pairings. If you are the odd player, your name will usually appear on the pairings sheet with “See TD,” “Bye,” or “Please Wait” next to it. In this situation, some TDs are able to find you a game by using a house player or making a cross-section pairing. If you would rather play a game than take the free point, then ask the TD whether one of those alternatives is available. Each TD deals with this process differently.
Only players may make the call if there is a flag fall. What happens when your opponent runs out of time? You get to claim a win if you still have time left on your own clock. But only you get to claim the win, no one else: not even a TD, parent, friend, relative, or coach.
Flag fall (left timer) on analog clock
Flag fall (0:00) on digital clock Application: There is a crowd around an exciting contest with both players desperately trying to gain an advantage and simultaneously trying not to lose to a flag fall. And then it happens: One of the observers yells out, “Flag!” Now we have a mess. Only the players in the game may make that call. Spectators have no rights in a chess tournament. If their friends or coaches or family make that call for them, that gives them an unfair advantage over all the other players, including their opponent, at the tournament. Had the bystander not made that call, for example, then perhaps the flags of both players would have fallen, and the game would be a draw. The “what ifs” are mind-boggling. Now the result of the game is up in the air, with the TD expected to make an equitable decision. Perhaps the TD will allow the flag claim to stand while ejecting the bystander from the tournament room—or the entire tournament. Perhaps the TD will call the game a draw. Perhaps the TD will forfeit the player who got help from the audience.
A scoresheet missing three moves is a scoresheet aiming to lose. When your opponent runs out of time before making the right number of moves in the allotted time (you know, stuff like 45 moves in 90 minutes, or 40/90—sorry, sudden death, increment, quick chess and blitz don’t count here), you may claim a win only with a completed scoresheet. The scoresheet has to be accurate. It can only have three missing or inaccurate move pairs—not just three missing or inaccurate moves, but three missing or inaccurate pairs of moves. And check marks don’t count as moves. (See Illustration 3). Incomplete Scoresheet 32. d7 ___ Move 32 is an example of one missing black move and one missing move pair. 33. c7 Ra7
34. __ Kg7 Move 34 another missing move pair and one missing move for white. 35. √ √ Move 35 uses two check marks. These check marks count as two missing moves but only one missing move pair. 36. b5 Ng7 Move 36 for black (…Ng7) is an impossible and inaccurate move; therefore a missing move pair. 37. ___ ___ Move 37 is an example of two missing moves but only one missing move pair. 38. e6 Bf7 Illustration 3
Clock move counters have no place when trying to claim a flag fall case. When your opponent has to make a given number of moves in a set period of time (for example, 40 moves in 90 minutes, or 40/90) and they don’t, they lose. Only a scoresheet counts as evidence when making this claim. Please don’t rely on move counters: there are too many reasons why they may be off by a move or two. Application: The game clock says that 37 moves have been made in 90 minutes. The time control is 40 moves in 90 minutes (40/90)—just a regular classic time control with no sudden death or increment. During a time scramble, both you and your opponent stopped keeping score (as you are allowed to do in the last five minutes for this time control). Your opponent makes a flag fall claim based on the move counter. Without an accurate scoresheet, that claim is denied by the TD. Clock move counters may not be used to make such claims. Sometimes they are set or reset wrong. Sometimes they are started incorrectly (more on that later). Sometimes they are inaccurate due to players’ pressing the clock too much or too little. They just can’t be relied on to be accurate.
A sudden death flag fall game allows for an incomplete score to make this claim. The one claim that you don’t need to have an exact scoresheet for is when you are playing a sudden death time control and you claim a flag fall. Neither quick chess nor blitz chess, which are types of sudden death time controls, require the use of scoresheets. Classic Tip: The very nature of sudden death is that you have to finish the game before you run out of time. The number of moves does not matter, only that your flag is still up and your opponent’s is down. Besides, most sudden death games don’t even require notation in the last five minutes (or in the case of quick chess and blitz chess, not at all); however, your scoresheet still needs to be correct and complete to make other claims. So, it is still a good idea to take notation even when it is not required.
A player’s fallen flag means they can’t brag. This seems kind of obvious, but you need to have time left on your clock (your flag can’t have fallen) before you may claim that your opponent is out of time. If both your and your opponent’s flags are down in a sudden death contest, then the game is a draw.
Checkmate ends the game so there is no flag fall claim. The instant the move is made that delivers checkmate, the game is over. Anything that takes place after that is immaterial. Application: There is a crowd around your game as you and your opponent rush to make each move before one of you are out of time. You have fewer seconds than they do, but you are hunting their king. It is your move, and you
checkmate your foe with a legal move. You run out of time before pressing your clock, and your flag falls. Your adversary claims the checkmating move is incomplete. They tell the TD you did not press your clock in time to prevent your flag from falling; therefore, you are out of time, and the checkmating move is unfinished. After all, to finish your move you have to press the clock. The claim is incorrect. You win the game. Checkmate trumps everything if you can deliver it while it is still your move. At the instant the mating move is made, the game is over, and time stops. Classic Tip: Of course, if you let your flag fall first and then make a mating move, you are out of luck. Why? It is no longer your turn. You are out of time, and your opponent may make a flag fall claim. The rule of thumb is that whichever occurred first, the flag fall or the checkmate move, determines how the contest ends. When it can’t be determined which one took place first, then the checkmate gets the nod. And watch out for the times when you and your opponent are in time trouble and one of you delivers checkmate, but neither of you realizes it while you both continue to play on. When this happens and it affects the outcome of the game, get a TD, even if your discovery of the checkmate takes place in analysis after the game.
For the claim to not be a bust, mating material is a must. Another nice little condition is that if you’re making a flag fall claim, you have to have mating material to win. Without mating material, you may still call your opponent’s flag down, but the best you can do is get the game declared a draw. Remember, while a single knight, a single bishop, or a lone King is not mating material, a single pawn may be (you can get a queen for that pawn!). Application: Your opponent has lots of time left. You have mere seconds of playing time. Your flag falls. You are out of time. Your opponent has a king and bishop and claims a win on time. Your opponent would never be able to mate you with that kind of material, even if there were no clock on the game. The game is a draw. For a list of all the combinations of material that don’t count as mating material, see the rulebook. Review, Learn, and Remember: If an outstretched hand is what you saw, make sure it’s a resignation and not a draw. Win or lose, report the result of your game to make sure the right score is next to your name. When your opponent is one hour late a forfeit win is your fate. A free win may come your way when there is no opponent for you to play. Only players may make the call if there is a flag fall. A scoresheet missing three moves is a scoresheet aiming to lose. Clock move counters have no place when trying to claim a flag fall case. A sudden death flag fall game allows for an incomplete score to make this claim. A player’s fallen flag means they can’t brag. Checkmate ends the game so there is no flag fall claim. For the claim to not be a bust, mating material is a must.
Part 2: DRAWING STRATEGIES Half a Loaf Is Better Than None!
Let’s examine all the different ways to net that half-point. You may not be able to score a victory, but having something added to your score is better than a goose egg. Getting that half-point is a bit more technical under USCF chess law. Some of the steps you will need to understand are also exacting and must happen in just the right way. The most common way to end a game in a draw is via a draw offer by one of the players. Next on the list is a draw claim: a declaration that the procedural rules governing draws have been met. And remember, after the draw offer is accepted, or when the draw claim is made, stop the game timer. This helps keep the draw procedures neat and clean while lowering the odds that you will run out of time and your flag will fall, which could add unwanted confusion to the mix. 1. Draw offers 2. Draw claims 3. Repeating positions 4. The 50-move rule 5. Stalemate 6. Byes 7. Insufficient losing chances 8. Reporting your draw results
Make your move, offer the draw, then press your clock—it’s the law. Make your move before offering a draw, then offer the draw, then press your clock. That is the correct procedure for you or your opponent when splitting the point by agreement. It does not matter whether you have tons of time left to play the game or are scrambling to beat the clock. Either way, these are the exact steps that should take place when you are offering a draw to your opponent. If you offer the draw without moving on your turn, then your opponent can make you move before they decide what to do. They get to see what was on your mind before making up theirs, and then the likelihood of your making a blunder, rather than a drawing move, increases. If you make any draw offer incorrectly (for instance, on their move), you can’t take it back, no matter what. And remember to thank your opponent for accepting your draw offer. That way you are sure that your rival does not think you are offering your handshake as a sign of resignation. Handshakes really don’t mean a thing, though they are a nice gesture of sportsmanship. Application: There you are, staring at the position. Considering how stagnant the position has become, even though it is your opponent’s move, you offer a draw. Your adversary goes into a deep think before deciding what to do with your draw offer. You continue to look over the position. Then it hits you: you see the winning move! Your opponent can do nothing to stop it. You tell your opponent you are retracting your draw offer. Your opponent sees the same winning line for you, so they accept your (improper) draw offer instead of moving. The game ends in a draw. There is nothing you can do about it. You can’t take the draw offer off the table after it is made. Application: You offer a draw. Your opponent observes that the game indeed looks like a draw. You both make a few more moves, and you checkmate your rival. Your opposing general claims that the two of you agreed to a draw and that you were now both just analyzing. First, the two of you should not be analyzing in the tournament room. Once a game is over, stop the clocks and leave the tournament room. If one of you objects to this procedure, then perhaps there is a misunderstanding about the outcome of the game. Playing on after the game score is determined creates a lot of problems. Now you will need a TD to help sort this mess out.
By the way, most TDs will probably rule this game a draw, because both of you said the magic word “draw.” So be careful how you reject any draw offers.
Reject a draw and be in the know by touching your piece or just saying “no.” If you want to reject a draw offer, you can just say, “No thanks,” or simply touch one of your own pieces before you move it. That draw offer is now gone. It does not stick around move after move.
Considering a draw offer can cause the blues: If your flag falls, you can still lose. OK, your opponent has offered you a draw. While you are deciding what to do, make sure you still have time left on your clock! If your flag falls and you run out of time before you do anything (like accept or reject the draw), your opponent can make a flag fall time forfeit claim and win the game. Application: You and your opponent are short on time. They offer you a draw. While you check over the position, you run out of time and your flag falls. Your opponent claims a win. You accept their draw offer; after all, it took place before your time ran out. Sorry, you lose. You have no time left to accept the draw offer.
If a draw offer is made and accepted then reporting a draw can be expected. After your opponent accepts your draw offer, remember to stop the clocks and thank them for agreeing to the draw. Then post that half-point (.5 or ½) on the pairings sheet next to both your names (see Illustration 4). Classic Tip: When you stop the clocks, you ensure that your draw offer will not get muddied up by a flag fall claim by your opponent; furthermore, by thanking your opponent for accepting the draw, you ensure that your opponent will not mistake the draw offer for a resignation.
Can’t make a move and it’s your turn? Then a stalemate is what you’ve earned. It is your move. You are not in check, and you don’t have a legal move on the board. You can’t move anything. It’s a draw. Classic Tip: Remember our discussion in Part 1 about checkmate instantly ending the game? Well, stalemate also immediately halts the contest. The move that causes the stalemate puts a stop to everything, including any flag fall claims; however, if your opponent’s flag falls before they deliver the stalemating move, then feel free to make that flag fall claim. And if you discover a stalemate during postgame analysis which affects the score, contact a TD immediately.
It is as easy as ABC to ask for a bye from the TD. You can get a free half-point toward prize money and pairings. Requesting a half-point bye is often possible, and that means getting to skip a round. If you simply can’t play every game, see a TD about the details of getting that half-point added to your score for each game you will miss. The most common way to ask for a bye is to sign up
early for that half point on the bye request list put out by the TD. Simply telling the TD without writing anything down opens the door to errors. Signing up for a bye increases the chances that the paperwork gets done right the first time so that everyone is a happy camper. Classic Tip: Some tournaments don’t allow half-point byes, and others have restrictions on the number of half-point byes you can receive and when you may ask for them. When that happens and you still need to skip a round, you may ask for a zero-point bye. Do it well in advance of the scheduled game you need to skip. That way the TD does not pair you for the game you will miss, and you still get to stay in the tournament and be paired for future rounds. Some organizers have special bye request rules for the last round or two of their tournaments. While they don’t mind giving out half-point byes for the early rounds, they restrict the timing of those bye requests for the last few games of the tournament. Don’t be surprised if you must request half-point byes for the last round or two before the event begins, or at least before the end of round 1 or round 2. And you can’t take back your request. Those last-round bye policies were developed to help ensure that in the hunt for prizes, players cannot use byes to manipulate the system when pairings are critical. Each organizer can apply the available bye policy however they see fit, so check with a TD or the organizer about their policy before you request those byes.
Both flags down may cause a frown. If both you and your opponent are out of time in a sudden death or increment time control, then the game is drawn. Application: You are hard at work trying to gain that valuable point in a sudden death time control. You take a peek at the game timer and notice that you and your opponent are out of time; both flags have fallen. You are now both out of time. The game is over, and the result is a draw. Application: Your game has two time controls, 40 moves in 90 minutes (40/90) followed by G/30 delay 5 (d5). While examining the position near the end of the first time control, your opponent notices that both your flags are down—you are both out of time in the first time period! The game continues, and neither of you may make a flag fall claim.
Without the right stuff a draw is enough. Back in Part 1, we said, “For the claim to not be a bust, mating material is a must.” If your opponent runs out of time but you don’t have enough pieces to deliver checkmate, the game is a draw; furthermore, if neither of you has enough mating material (for example, king vs. king, king and bishop vs. king and knight . . . well, you get the idea), the game is a draw, even if your flags have not fallen. And remember, pawns count as mating material. Application: During a big time scramble in the last few minutes of the game, you find that you have a king and knight left while your opponent has only a king and a light-square bishop. The game is over, and it is a draw. Neither of you has enough material to checkmate the other.
Make a draw offer or make a draw claim: Either way, they are just the same. Making any draw claim is the same as making a draw offer. You can’t take it back. That means your opponent can accept a draw before the TD makes a ruling for or against you. And the draw offer, via your claim, is still in effect even if the TD rejects your claim. Application: You make a draw claim. Since it is the same as a draw offer, your opponent accepts the offer, and the game is over. It is a draw. The TD does not need to make a decision regarding your claim.
Application: You make a draw claim. Your opponent does not accept or reject it. The TD now gets to decide on your request. The TD rules against you, and the game continues, with or without a penalty. Since it has not been accepted or rejected, your draw offer (via your claim) is still on the table, and your opponent may still accept or reject it in the usual way.
After fifty moves a draw is proved if no pieces were taken and no pawns have been moved. For fifty moves, neither you nor your opponent moves a pawn or takes a piece. It’s time to claim a draw. Just make sure your scoresheet is accurate (check out “A scoresheet missing three moves is a scoresheet aiming to lose” in Part 1). And please pause your clock when you make a claim so that a fallen flag does not create chaos stew. Classic Tip: If you are in time trouble, you may ask the TD to count off those fifty moves for you. Most TDs will help you out with this task. Sometimes the TD will assign an assistant or a bystander to do the counting while they attend to other duties. Don’t rely on your clock’s move counter to make this claim. Remember, if a piece gets taken or a pawn moves, then the fifty-move count starts all over again. And don’t forget that just making the draw claim is the same as offering a draw to your opponent even before a TD gets to decide the outcome of your claim.
Three positions exactly the same? You have the right to make a draw claim. Imagine you are taking a picture of each position on the board as it happens. When three of those pictures are exactly the same, you may claim a draw by “triple occurrence of position” (make sure that is how you word your claim). Make your claim on your move just before or just after that third snapshot is taken. Pause your clock and get a TD if you adversary disagrees with your assessment. Remember, all the pieces have to be able to make the same moves (even castling) in each picture-perfect position. You will have to prove that those three pictures are exactly the same to validate your claim. Your accurate scoresheet is often your best source of proof; however, under some circumstances a TD is able to observe or re-create the threefold repetition. Often those three positions follow each other one after the other (like perpetual check), but it is not required. The three positions may be many moves apart. Please don’t forget that if you make this claim, properly or not, it is still a draw offer that your opponent may accept or reject. Application: You make the same three moves in a row, and so does your opponent. You claim “repetition of moves.” The TD should deny this “claim.” Why? There is no such rule. The wording of your claim in this case is really important. Remember to claim a “triple occurrence of position” instead. By the way, there is also no “perpetual check” rule. Once again, you need to state your claim properly, i.e., “triple occurrence of position.” Application: You look over your possibilities on the board and decide to repeat the position for the third time. You make the move, press your clock (which starts your opponent’s clock), and make your claim. Wrong! The TD should deny your claim. You need to pause your clock —so that neither your clock nor your opponent’s clock is running—before you make your declaration; otherwise, it is not your move, so you have no right to make a claim. Oddly, even though this routine is not proper, the draw claim still doubles as a draw offer until your opponent rejects or accepts the draw.
An ILC claim may be apropos with an analog clock and two minutes to go. “Insufficient losing chances” (ILC) means you do not have enough time to prove you have a win or draw in a sudden death time control when using an analog clock with only two minutes left to go in the game (well OK, if you have a digital clock but don’t have delay or increment set, then it is the same as using an analog clock). If your opponent does not accept this draw offer (draw claims are draw offers), then get the TD to walk you through the multiple steps of this procedure. Remember, you can’t make this claim if you are using a properly set delay or increment clock.
Classic Tip: This rule is at best confusing. All that you need to know is that it does not even apply unless you are using an analog clock in a sudden death time control and there is only two minutes of time left on your clock (therefore, to avoid this messy rule, don’t use an analog clock). It also means you don’t have a losing position. This decree allows you to save yourself from losing via a flag fall claim when you have a non-losing (drawn or overwhelmingly won) position. If you make this claim, you will need a TD. They get to make the final call on how much of a losing chance you have. The most common TD decision is to slap a properly set delay clock on the game after deducting half your remaining time. The idea behind the rule is that if this really is a non-losing position, all you need is the typical five-second delay to stop your flag from going south. And remember, the TD may decide either for or against you! Also remember, a draw claim is a draw offer first and foremost. Application: It is move 30 in a G/45 contest with 10 minutes left on your opponent’s clock. Your opponent requests that the TD swap out the game’s analog clock for a properly set delay clock. This is the most common misinterpretation of the ILC statute (rule 14H). Many players have come to expect that they can just ask for a properly set delay clock at any point during the game via this rule. This is not true. There is no chess law that allows a player to request a clock swap once the game has started. Your opponent’s request should be denied by the TD. Review, Learn, and Remember: Make your move, offer the draw, then press your clock—it’s the law. Reject a draw and be in the know by touching your piece or just saying “no.” Considering a draw offer can cause the blues: If your flag falls, you can still lose. If a draw offer is made and accepted, then reporting a draw can be expected. Can’t make a move and it’s your turn? Then a stalemate is what you’ve earned. It is as easy as ABC to ask for a bye from the TD. Both flags down may cause a frown. Without the right stuff a draw is enough. Make a draw offer or make a draw claim: Either way, they are just the same. After fifty moves a draw is proved if no pieces were taken and no pawns have been moved. Three positions exactly the same? You have the right to make a draw claim. An ILC claim may be apropos with an analog clock and two minutes to go.
Part 3: CLOCK STRATEGIES Timing Is Everything!
In the very old days, games of chess were played in places like coffeehouses. The game was not timed. And some players with no place to go or anything else to do could take hours and hours to make just one move. Needless to say, this became a “dirty trick” that proved very useful against an opponent who was winning the game but had to
leave and go about the day’s business. All you had to do was out wait your challenger; thus, the introduction of chess timers as the third player into the royal game. The popularity of the new digital timers has far surpassed the sales, and usage, of those classic analog chess clocks. No matter which style of clock you own, I will have some helpful suggestions for navigating the highways and byways of the chess rules that govern their use. At the end of this section you should understand: 1. Time controls 2. Essential clock procedures 3. Dealing with late players 4. No opponent actions 5. Appropriate clock settings 6. Proper game clock choices
Know your clock’s settings! It’s to your benefit; you may not find anyone else who can set it. Know how to set your digital delay (or increment) clock. TDs don’t know how to set all of the clocks in existence. Practice at home before you go to a tournament. Better yet, find out the time control(s) of the tournament you are about to play in and set your clock beforehand. Bring your clock manual with you to tournaments. Some clocks even have settings help on the bottom of their base. Classic Tip: While your clock may be the slickest thing since grease, not everyone else knows how to set it. There are so many chess clock manufactures, features and settings, plus dozens of fancy bells and whistles, that it becomes problematic for a TD to know and remember how each one works. And remember, if it can’t be set, then you can’t use it. Application: You sit down to your assigned game with your new clock that you just purchased at the chess bookstore, onsite at the tournament. You are not sure how to set it, but one of the other player’s claims to know how. He sets it for you. As your game progresses, you notice that the game timer display does not seem to reflect the G/90 time control. You pause the clock and get a TD. You and your opponent find that the digital timekeeper was set for game in 90 hours instead of game in 90 minutes. If neither you, the TD, your opponent, nor any other player knows how to set this new clock for G/90, then you are in the position of having to borrow a clock or play without one. No matter how the problem gets solved, you cannot be sure that any new clock settings will accurately reflect the correct amount of thinking time used by both you and your adversary.
Even though they are old school, analog clocks are a useful tool.
Analog clock set for G/90 (4:30 is 90 minutes until the flag fall at 6:00) Digital delay chess clocks and digital increment clocks have a lot of bells and whistles, plus all sorts of settings. Some of their manuals read like mini-textbooks. An analog clock is much easier to set. Those tick-tockers should be set so that the end of the time control is at 6 o’clock (in the past this allowed TDs to easily see when the end of the game/time control was approaching). Of course, the tried and true analog clock is just barely acceptable tournament equipment nowadays, but it is still acceptable.
Classic Tip: If you use an analog chess clock in a delay or increment time control game, you can expect that, if push comes to shove, in most cases your opponent will be able to replace it with their own delay or increment clock. Of course, they can’t wait until after the game starts, but if they have not made a move yet, even if they are late, they get to see a TD and swap clocks. And if the TD or organizer announces that such clock swaps can’t take place, then your traditional analog clock is the timer of choice, especially if you are playing the black pieces or your opponent is tardy for the start of the game. Rulebook Note: if your digital delay/increment clock is not using the delay or increment setting, then your timer is equivalent to an analog clock. That means the Insufficient Losing Chances rule in Part 2 can now be used.
If sudden death time controls are used to play, then set your clock with delay.
In any game with any sudden death time control—even if that time control is the secondary or later one—you need to use a properly set delay clock, not an analog clock. If your opponent has an analog clock and you have a delay clock, you get to swap your properly set clock for theirs. What is a sudden death time control? Unlike classic time controls, that which require you to make a certain number of moves in a given amount of time (more on that later), a sudden death time control means that you have to finish the entire game with the amount of time you have set on your clock, or you lose. The number of moves is irrelevant. Often there is a delay before the game timer starts to operate for each move, starting at move one. Five seconds is the most common delay. Delay time is not added to your total clock time; it just delays your clock from working. It counts down for a stated set amount of time, or whatever small part of the stated time you use (some delay clocks start immediately, while others add the delay, or whatever portion of that time you used, when you press the clock.). You will often see those time controls advertised as G/30 d5—you and your opponent each have 30 minutes to complete your game, with a time delay of 5 seconds per move before your timer counts down. When a classic time control (like 40/90—forty moves in ninety minutes) is mixed with a sudden death time control, then the delay starts at move one1. And remember, unless there is an ad or announcement stating otherwise, that delay clocks are now set for the basic time control without any deduction of time, as was done in the past. Rulebook Note: If both of you and your opponent have delay clocks, the player of the black pieces gets to choose which timer to use. Clocks provided by the organizer or TD can’t be exchanged without TD permission. Unless it is announced (or advertised or posted) otherwise, the player of the black pieces may choose where to place the game timer—unless they are late to the start of the game. Application: Your game timer is down to the last few minutes of a G/30 d5 contest. Your opponent notices that the clock is not set right: no delay was active for the whole game! The clocks are paused, and the TD is called over to help straighten out this mess. You are at the TD’s discretion. You might be penalized for setting the clock wrong (your opponent gets an extra two minutes of playing time). You might need to play on using analog clock rules (see “An ILC claim may be apropos with an analog clock and two minutes to go” in Part 2). The TD might reset the clock to compensate for the missing delay. Anything could happen—plus, your game is disrupted because the clock was set wrong. Learn how to set your clock right.
An increment time control would suggest that an increment clock is the best. Most delay clocks can also be set for Increment time controls. Use the increment setting for games requiring it (G/30 + 30 sec, for example). If your opponent does not have an increment-capable clock and you do, see a TD about using your clock for the game. Remember, if you both have increment clocks, the player commanding the black army gets to choose which clock to use, unless they are late for the start of the game.
Increment time control basics: An Increment time control means that for every move you make, a prescribed amount of time will be added to your total playing time. The number of moves is irrelevant. As with sudden death time controls, you have to finish your game before your flag falls and you are out of time. Example: G/45 inc 30 (or + 30) means that every time you make a move, 30 seconds will be added to your time once you press the clock. One special rule for increment games is that you must take notation each and every move, even in the last five minutes of the time control. Classic Tip: If you don’t have an increment-capable clock, then there is a formula for setting your delay or analog clock to compensate for that inability: for every second of increment, add one minute of time to the basic time control. For example, if the time control is G/45 inc 15, then delay and analog clocks get set for G/60 (45 + 15). Before you use that formula, check your clock instructions. Often delay clocks can be set for increment—which may be labeled as “Fischer” mode.
Multiple time controls in your game? Set the clock so they’re not the same. In games with more than one time control (for example, forty moves in ninety minutes, then game in thirty minutes: 40/90, G/30 d5), be sure the digital timer used in the game is set for both different times. In this case, also make sure the delay starts at move 1. Classic Tip: To add to the confusion, some clocks add your second time control minutes to your total thinking time only after all the minutes from the first time control are all consumed (ninety minutes in this case), while other clocks add the extra secondary time only after the prescribed number of moves have been made (40 in this example). There are even clocks that require you to add the minutes for the secondary time control by hand! Know how this feature of your clock works, and be sure to tell your opponent.
Pause your clock and get a TD if you have a problem that they need to see. You may pause the chess clock to get a TD to come to your board to make a ruling on a claim. Let your opponent know why you paused the clock; however, don’t pause the clock if all you have is a general question for the TD. Classic Tip: It is a pretty good idea to pause your clock every time a claim of any kind is made by either player. Sometimes you will need a TD. Sometimes your opponent just goes along with your claim, and the game is over. Either way, preventing a flag from falling (running out of time) increases the likelihood that the situation stays simple instead of complex. Remember that while a draw claim equals a draw offer, the idea does not work in reverse—so you can’t pause the game timer if you are merely offering a draw, only when you are claiming one. Application: You decide to make a draw claim. Your opponent sees things differently and disputes your claim. While you explain your claim to the TD, your flag falls; you are out of time. Your opponent claims a win on time. Your opponent gets the point, and you get nothing. Simply pausing the clock when you made the claim could have prevented this unfortunate game-ender.
Use the same hand for your clock and pieces; the chances of a claim then decreases. You must use the same hand to press your clock and to move your pieces. Classic Tip: Watch out for players who use one hand to move the pieces and the other to press the clock. The hand pressing the clock is sometimes used for the dirty trick of pressing the clock before the other hand completes the piece movement. With analog clocks, the hand pressing the clock has been known to hold the plunger down so that the opponent can’t press their own, thus keeping the other player’s time marching forward while the two-fisted player’s time stays put. If you have an opponent who does not use the same hand to both move pieces and press the clock, pause your clock and see a TD.
End the risk of a silly claim: Stop the clock at the end of the game! In theory, stalemate and checkmate end the game at the instant that they happen. In reality, it does not work out so simply. Those instant game-stoppers are often accompanied by flag falls and opponent claims. Then TDs are set the impossible task of finding out what really happened. All of that can be avoided by simply pause the clock when a game ends for any reason: resignation, checkmate, stalemate, draw agreements, TD rulings, claims, etc. Application: You and your opponent are banging out moves in a sudden death time control. You mate your adversary. You offer to shake hands. Your rival sees that your flag is down. They make a flag fall claim. They claim you ran out of time before you made the mating move. Will the TD be able to sort this out? Probably: if the TD has no way to tell which happened first, the mating move or flag fall, they usually rule that the position on the board gets the nod. However, this scene may be avoided by one simple maneuver: stop the clock the instant the mating move is made.
Ask your opponent how their clock works, and then you’ll be familiar with all its quirks. When you find yourself using another person’s clock, ask them about how it works. Find out how it is set, how it adds time for the second time control, how to read the display, how to stop it, etc. This benefits you and often stops confusing situations from developing. Classic Tip: There are so many different clocks out there, with multiple settings; it is unsafe to assume that you can understand them all. At the very least, know how to pause the game timer if it belongs to your opponent. To make flag fall claims, you need to know how your game clock works. Some clocks freeze when the time control is not met. Others, during any time control, just keep on moving forward, no matter what. And do yourself a favor: check whether the increment/delay is set. Increment is easy to check: notice whether the clock display adds the increment time or not when your move is over. Checking the delay is a bit more of a challenge. Some clocks postpone the start of your thinking time by the prescribed amount of the delay. You can check this by simply pressing your clock and counting off the seconds that it takes for your timer to start. The seconds you counted should equal the set time delay. Other clocks add the delay time used at the end of your move. Until the display is showing the seconds—usually during the last five or ten minutes of the time control—this is harder to check for. Knowing how the delay works and is displayed can help you check whether the game clock is set properly.
Move counters are great, but they’re hard to keep straight. Know how to adjust the move counter on your game clock. There will be rare times when it will be necessary to fine-tune this clock feature. Trying to figure that out at critical moments, like the last five minutes of the game, just increases the probability that it will not turn out the way you expected it to.
Tick tock, tick tock: Come late to a game and lose time on the clock. When you, or both you and your opponent, get to your game late, some playing time is going to be used up. If it is just you who is tardy, then the time from the start of the round until the time you arrive will have been used up on your started clock. If you are both late, it gets a bit messier, and you may need to get help from a TD. Rulebook Note: if you come late to your game and your opponent has no equipment set up, then you both lose an equal amount of time. Application: You come late for your G/90 contest, and there is no equipment and no opponent anywhere in sight. You set up your equipment. It is now twenty minutes since the start of the round. From your timer and your opponent’s timer, you need to subtract ten minutes (half of the twenty minutes since the start of the round) so that you each have eighty minutes left to complete your game. Then start the clock and let it tick off minutes until your opponent arrives. If you are unsuccessful in following this procedure, then your game may end up going longer than expected. That can cause the next round to start late for all players.
Have no timer for your game? It’ll work out; you’ll get one later, there is no doubt. Occasionally neither you nor your opponent has a clock for your game, even after trying to borrow one. Tell the TD, and then start playing. If a chess clock becomes available later, it should be set so that both you and your opponent split equally the time that is left to play. You may need the TD’s help in doing this. Application: In a G/30 d5 contest, you were unable to secure a clock, so you started to play without one. After you have led your chess army around the board for a total game time of 50 minutes, the TD places a properly set clock on your contest. You and your opponent each get five minutes to finish the game (base time control of thirty minutes each totals sixty minutes). The TD is splitting the remaining 10 minutes of total game time between you and your opponent equally. You protest that your adversary took a lot longer to move than you did, so you should have more time on your clock than he does. Sorry, without a clock on the game from the start, you have no proof of how much time either you or your rival took to push wood. You now each have five minutes to complete your struggle.
If your opponent is there or is not, start your clock on the spot. Properly start the clock when the TD begins the round, even if your opponent is not there. Many tournaments schedule the rounds to start at specified times, and that timetable is very often not flexible. Application: The TD tells the players to start their clocks. You have no opponent, but as a good sport, you feel you should wait for them to arrive before starting the game timer. They arrive 30 minutes late, and you both play an interesting back-and-forth game that uses up almost all of the time on both your clocks. Your game finishes fifteen minutes into what was supposed to be the start of the next round. Your good sportsmanship gesture, of waiting to start the clock until your opponent arrived, has inconvenienced all of the other participants in the tournament.
Start white’s clock to begin the game, black or white—it’s all the same. At the beginning of the game, white’s clock is always started first. This one simple act helps to keep the move counter accurate and avoids many problems later on. If the general of the black army is not there on time, white’s commander starts his own clock, makes his move, and then starts his opponent’s timer, just as if the player of the black pieces were on time. If the commander of the white pieces is not there at the start of the game, black simply starts white’s clock.
When your claim is upheld by the TD, two minutes of time may be yours for free. When a TD upholds a claim you make, they have a variety of procedures that they can pick from in settling the issue. If they are not ruling on a draw or win dispute, they may issue a warning to your opponent. Or the TD may award you two extra minutes of playing time. This is just another good reason to know how to adjust the time setting(s) on your clock. Remember, it is up to the TD, not you or your opponent, what sentence, if any, gets handed down. Application: It is the last five minutes of a sudden death time control. Your opponent makes an illegal move, and you make a claim (hey, if you don’t make the claim, the TD can’t do anything!). The TD should then award you two extra minutes of playing time after resetting the board to the position just before the illegal move was executed. Of course, someone has to know how to add that extra time to your clock for it to be of any use to you. Know how to set your clock!
If a clock defect or a wrong setting you see, pause the clock and get a TD. It is not uncommon for a clock to be set wrong. It is less likely that a clock is defective. Either way, summon a TD ASAP to help you set the clock correctly or get it replaced.
When your clock is more up to date, ask to swap it even if you’re late. Make sure that the clock you are using in your game is appropriate for the published time control(s). If the clock your opponent wants to use is not suitable, then ask the TD if you can use your more appropriate clock in the game, even if you are late. Rulebook Note: The preferred clock to use in any game is the one that can be set for the announced time controls. Chess law says those preferred clocks trump all other clocks; i.e., delay clocks reign supreme in games with any sudden death time control,; while increment-capable timers are the clock of choice in games with any increment time control. Classic Tip: If you have a delay clock and your opponent has an analog clock in a sudden death contest, you can swap in your clock for theirs before the game starts. The proper clock for the proper time control trumps black’s traditional right, if they are there at the start of the game, to select the chess equipment. Similarly, if you have an increment-capable timer—in a contest with an increment time control—while your adversary does not, then you can once again swap clocks before the start of the game. Application: You are assigned the white pieces and are ten minutes tardy for the start of your game. When you arrive for your G/45 d5 match-up, black’s analog clock indicates you have lost ten minutes of playing time; however, your delay clock trumps analog clocks in sudden death contests. You may be allowed to swap your clock for black’s (see the TD) as long as you have made no move—and yes, you should expect to still be down ten minutes of thinking time when your properly set delay clock gets swapped for the analog timer. Review, Learn, and Remember: Know your clock’s settings! It’s to your benefit; you may not find anyone else who can set it. Even though they are old school, analog clocks are a useful tool. If sudden death time controls are used to play, then set your clock with delay. An increment time control would suggest that an increment clock is the best. Multiple time controls in your game? Set the clock so they’re not the same. Pause your clock and get a TD if you have a problem that they need to see. Use the same hand for your clock and pieces; the chances of a claim then decreases. End the risk of a silly claim: Stop the clock at the end of the game! Ask your opponent how their clock works, and then you’ll be familiar with all its quirks. Move counters are great, but they’re hard to keep straight. Tick tock, tick tock: Come late to a game and lose time on the clock. Have no timer for your game? It’ll work out; you’ll get one later, there is no doubt. If your opponent is there or is not, start your clock on the spot. Start white’s clock to begin the game, black or white—it’s all the same. When your claim is upheld by the TD, two minutes of time may be yours for free.
If a clock defect or a wrong setting you see, pause the clock and get a TD. When your clock is more up to date, ask to swap it even if you’re late.
Part 4: NOTATION STRATEGIES Read ’Em and Weep
Notation strategies are scattered throughout other parts of this work. Rules don’t exist in a vacuum but rather are
often interrelated. We have discussed earlier how notation is linked to making claims (check out Part 1, Figure 3,
and “A scoresheet missing three moves is a scoresheet aiming to lose”). What we will examine next are the ins and outs of taking notation so that your scoresheet fits the bill when it is needed in combination with other rules. There are many systems for taking notation, with English descriptive and algebraic leading the pack. You should master one of those systems, with algebraic being the most popular and most often used in chess books. A simple Internet search can provide you with the details of each system. Remember to keep your notation legible. If a TD can’t read it, you can’t use it when making claims. By the way, chess law dictates that your scoresheet—or scorekeeping device—should be visible to both your opponent and the TD at all times. Here is what we will be examining in this section: 1. Appropriate ways to take notation 2. When notation is required and not required 3. Official notation equipment 4. Appropriate notation equipment use
Taking notation hits the spot; it’s chess law, so give it a shot. Yes, you have to take notation in any game with a time control of thirty minutes or longer; obviously, if your game is quick-rated or blitz, no notation is required. Rulebook Note: Some individual players require special notation rules. Ask the TD to explain those rules if one of those players is your opponent (blind, handicapped, etc.). See a TD if your opponent is not taking notation when they are supposed to. There is no need to pause your clock for this contact. And remember, accurate notation serves as one of the main pieces of evidence for most claims.
Notation can be a “no go” with only five minutes on the clock to show. In classic time controls or sudden death time controls, you may stop recording your moves in the last five minutes of any time control, but it is not recommended. Among other things, without an accurate completed scoresheet—those check marks and blanks don’t mean a thing—you will find it extremely difficult to have a claim upheld by the TD. Application: Your opponent’s timer displays that they have four minutes of playing time left in a sudden death time control. You have seven minutes of thinking time remaining. You stop taking notation, and your adversary makes a claim with the TD that you must take notation: you have more than five minutes of time left on your clock! The TD should not uphold that claim. Why? The rule states that as long as either one of the players has less than five minutes of time left in this kind of time control, neither player is required to take notation.
Rulebook Note: Actually the rule about neither player needing to take notation as long as either player has less than five minutes left on their clock display applies to classic time control games as well as sudden death contests. The rule does not apply to increment time control games.
Are you playing an increment game? Then record your moves or face a claim. If your game is using an increment time control, you must take notation on every move, even in the last five minutes of the time control.
Official e-tools for keeping score: MonRoi, eNotate, DGT Projects Electronic Chessboard and nothing more. Currently, there are only three official electronic notation devices: MonRoi, eNotate, and DGT Projects Electronic Chessboard. In the future there may be others. The current link, subject to change, for up-to-date electronic scoresheet information is: http://www.uschess.org/images/stories/scholastic_chess_resources/electronicscoresheet2.pdf Classic Tip: When you use your official electronic notation device, don’t fiddle with it: it gives your opponent pause to think you may be getting extra help in the game when you aren’t. And if your device stops working in the middle of the game, you will need to continue the old-fashioned way, with a scoresheet and a pen or pencil. Those nifty electronic devices also have a lot of features; you would do best to ask the TD which features are allowable at the tournament. Be aware that a lot of TDs don’t allow those devices in their events at all. As long as they announce or publicize that fact in advance, they are on safe ground. If you have a nonstandard move recording device, find out the TD’s policy on its use. Rulebook Note: There is a process to using electronic scorekeeping devices: You make your move on the chess board first, and only then do you record the move on your device. Anything else violates chess law. By using your device first, before moving on the board, you get a chance to view the position with the move you had in mind, while your opponent does not get that same opportunity. Your opponent may complain to the TD if you follow this routine. The TD may then choose to warn you (recommended on the first violation) or impose a penalty if they find you broke the rule. Application: You sit down at your assigned game, and your opponent pulls out a non-approved notation device. You ask them to use an approved device or a scoresheet. They object. It is time for you to see a TD. Of course, if no one objects, then there is not much that will be done to enforce this rule.
First make a move follows the rule, then record it using the right tool. Move first on the board and then record it. If your opponent is using an electronic notation device, they must follow this rule exactly. If they don’t, see a TD. Rulebook Note: An exception to the rule does exist—only when using a paper scoresheet—allowing players to first write down moves and then execute them on the board. Check with the TD to see whether they are allowing this unannounced variation. And watch out for opponents who abuse this exception. Players are not allowed to write down long “forced” variations or long notes. Application: Your adversary has a habit of writing down their intended move before making it on the board; furthermore, they often erase their intended move, replacing it with another one. They are breaking the rule. Make a claim with the TD. A TD could warn them (recommended on the first violation), give you extra time, or even forfeit your opponent—especially if they continue this behavior.
Checkmarks on a scoresheet can bear the blame for TDs’ rejecting many a claim. Don’t fall into the trap of believing that those check marks (or any kind of non-notation marks) on your scoresheet
count as taking score. They do not (see Figure 3 in Part 1). Classic Tip: It is a common practice to use checkmarks in place of notation during time trouble, but it is still not acceptable as notation. Those checkmarks are good for keeping track of the move count, but nothing else. Your scoresheet could still be rejected as evidence for your claim because of the missing move pairs’ being replaced with check marks—in other words, your scoresheet is incomplete. If you have the time left on your clock before your flag falls, you might try fixing your scoresheet before making a claim. If a TD is watching your game during the last five minutes of a time control, you might be able to use that evidence in lieu of a complete scoresheet.
Are you missing moves on your score? Use your rival’s to get more. You may fill in your own scoresheet using your opponent's scoresheet while your clock is running and both of you have more than five minutes left in the time control. If your opponent objects, get a TD. Review, Learn, and Remember: Taking notation hits the spot; it’s chess law, so give it a shot. Notation can be a “no go” with only five minutes on the clock to show. Are you playing an increment game? Then record your moves or face a claim. Official e-tools for keeping score: MonRoi, eNotate, DGT Projects Electronic Chessboard and nothing more. First make a move follows the rule, then record it using the right tool. Checkmarks on a scoresheet can bear the blame for TDs’ rejecting many a claim.
Part 5: TOURNAMENT STRATEGIES Working the System
Now it is time to peek at a collection of unrelated small stuff that can make or break the quality tournament experience you deserve. It deals with issues that, if not understood, have the power to annoy you to the point of distraction, or at the very least irritate you beyond calmness and rationality. While the rules and techniques here don’t have the direct impact that the major regulations of the first four parts have, they are still important, because they will keep you focused on the royal game. What skills will put your attitude in the calm lane? 1. Choosing game equipment 2. Using game equipment 3. How to properly make a rules claim 4. Dealing with annoyances 5. Avoiding irritations 6. Proper personal electronic gear usage 7. Understanding tournament postings 8. Becoming familiar with tournament paperwork 9. Being aware of lesser known but important rules
Equipment is not provided as a rule, so bring your own and be cool. Most tournaments don’t provide sets, boards, clocks, or any kind of chess equipment. So to be safe, bring your own gear. Rulebook Note: If the equipment is provided by the organizer or TD, then you should expect to use their stuff. You
can then use your standard set, board, and clock in the analysis (skittles) area.
Playing black, have no fear: you often get to choose the gear. If you have to provide your own chess equipment, then the player of the black pieces gets to choose what standard set, board, and clock to use. Of course, if the player of the black pieces is not there at the start of the game, then they forfeit their right to choose. Rulebook Note: The one exception to this rule involves the use of standard clocks. If the player of the black pieces is using a clock that is not appropriate for the time control, then you may be able to swap out your more appropriate clock for theirs. Check out Part 3, “When your clock is more up to date, ask to swap it even if you’re late.” Application: You are playing in a tournament where you are expected to provide your own equipment. You are managing the white pieces. Your opponent, as the general of the black pieces, wants to use his equipment. His board has bright pink and green squares, while his chess army is turquoise and red. You object. Now the TD gets to decide which equipment to use. TDs are the final authority on what is or is not standard equipment.
If annoying acts cause a migraine, see a TD and make a claim. Check with a TD if your opponent's behavior, or anyone else’s, is annoying you. Rulebook Note: Once you contact a TD about what is annoying you, the TD gets to decide how big a concern the alleged annoyance really is. Remember, what annoys you may be just normal behavior for everyone else. Application: Your opponent complains to the TD that you are eating at the board. The TD observes that you have a doughnut that you are holding below the table that you take a discreet nibble from occasionally. The TD rules that your behavior is not annoying. Had you been eating a crunchy snack from a noisy cellophane bag and getting crumbs all over the board, the TD might have ruled in favor of your opponent. Classic Tip: Before you file an annoyance complaint, politely ask the person to stop their bothersome behavior. Filing this kind of complaint should be a last-ditch effort on your part.
There’ll be no ruling in a game without your making a claim. Rarely will a TD intervene in your game without an invitation by you or your opponent to do so. TDs are not going to rule on a claim that you don’t make, even if they observe a violation of the USCF rules (FIDE rules are a bit different, but more on that later.) So if you want to claim a flag fall, draw, illegal move, etc., then you have to make that claim—verbally—with the TD. Rulebook Note: If a TD sees an illegal move early in the game—they have wiggle room here—they may, unannounced, step in and correct it (even though the USCF advises against it). They positively cannot do a thing about an illegal move in the last five minutes of a time control unless you or your opponent makes an illegal move claim. Classic Tip: Coaches, friends, relatives, spectators, teachers, and all others cannot make any claim in the game you are playing. Having your friend get a TD for you is not the same as having them make a claim. When the TD does show up, you have to state your claim yourself.
Application: You alert the TD that your opponent’s flag is about to fall in a sudden death time control. The TD comes over to the game and watches. They see that your opponent has run out of time, but they say nothing. You look up at them with a quizzical expression, and still there is no response from the TD. To get the TD to act, you must point out the flag fall and say something like “Flag” or “Flag Fall” or “Time.”
Leaving a board for more than a quarter hour can result in a score that is sour. Do not leave the playing room for more than 15 minutes without notifying the TD. If you do, for whatever reason, you may return to find you have forfeited your game and been removed from the tournament. Application: You are about to win a piece. Your winning combination is a three-move forced variation. Your opponent gets up and leaves the tournament room. They vanish and do not reappear after 15 minutes. It is
time for you to see the TD. Your opponent may be abandoning a lost game. If they have not checked in with
the TD regarding their absence, then you may be declared the winner of the game; the TD will make that
decision.
Classic Tip: Players often leave their boards for more than 15 minutes but stay in the tournament room. That
is allowed.
House players get a free game by telling the TD their name. If you can only play one round of a tournament, ask the TD if you can be paired as a house player. A house player offers the TD a way to deal with providing a game for a player who would otherwise get a bye because
there are an odd number of contestants in the section. Since there are several good ways that a house player
can be used in this situation, check with the TD to find out which method they prefer.
Special-needs opponents need special care, so there are special rules to make it fair. If you are playing a person with a disability or other special needs, ask the TD to explain any unique rules that apply to that game. Classic Tip: The most common special-needs players are those in wheelchairs. Often the TD will assign them a special board that they play at for the entire tournament to provide them with easy access to their games. So if you are expecting to play on board 1, but your opponent is in a wheelchair, you may be assigned to another board with easier access for your opponent. If you are a special-needs player, informing the TD or organizer about what accommodations you need, well before the pairings are made, is a win-win for everyone. Rulebook Note: There are special rules regarding notation, equipment, and moving the pieces for blind players. Check out “Special Rules for Blind Players” for a digested version. Special Rules for Blind Players 1. Blind players may use a special board. They may use their hands to feel (touch) the position and pieces. Blind players not using special boards are treated like sighted players (legally blind is different than totally blind). 2. When using a special board, blind players have touched a piece, and must move it, when using a special board, if a piece is lifted from its square and its peg is completely out of the securing hole. 3. Both players in a game with even one blind player must announce the move they are making and hear it repeated back in order to complete the move. 4. Blind players may have an assistant take notation for them (as well as tell them the time on clocks); however, if they don’t have an assistant, they must take their own notation, sometimes using special equipment. 5. Special analog clocks are still the most standard for games with blind players.
Cell phone use of any kind can cause a penalty that you will mind. Don’t use a cell phone, or any other non-approved electronic device, for any reason or in any way while you are in the tournament room. Classic Tip: A ringing cell phone, or a player talking on a cell phone, is disruptive. And everything else you can do, including texting, app use, etc., can appear to be cheating, even if it is not cheating. Using your phone in the tournament room just sets you up for being penalized. If your opponent is using theirs, tell a TD. Rulebook Note: The penalty for using a cell phone, which includes talking, texting, ringing, app use, etc., in the tournament room, can be severe. On the first offense, the TD may take away half your remaining time or ten minutes, whichever is less. The penalty in a FIDE game is the instant loss of your game!
Use headphones and enjoy, but check with the TD before using that toy. Do you want to use your headphones to listen to music while you play? Check with the TD first: it’s the safe thing to do. Classic Tip: Different TDs and organizers have different rules regarding the use of headphones. Some ban them altogether, while others allow their use throughout the tournament. There are even some TDs and organizers who ban their use near the end of the tournament if you have a plus score. Your best bet is to check before you enter a tournament what the headphone policy is.
If you touch it, then move it or take it. If you touch your piece, you will have to move it. If you touch your opponent’s piece, you have to take it. Classic Tip: Accidentally bumping or brushing up against a piece is not considered “touching a piece.” However, a TD gets to decide whether a piece was touched accidentally or not.
Complete your move the right way: press your clock to complete the play. To complete your move and get your opponent’s clock running, you have to touch your piece, place it on the square you choose, and then press your clock. Classic Tip: Touching your piece and setting it on the square of your choosing does not complete your move (technically, it is only “determining” your move). Your clock is still running, and you may lose on time. Granted, you can’t change your move, but your clock is still ticking away. Your opponent may be a good sport and tell you to press your clock, but they are not required to do that. Rulebook Note: When you promote a pawn: First, place it on the last rank on the chosen square. Next, grab the replacement piece and swap it with your pawn. Last, press the clock. You are not allowed to leave the pawn on the board, name the replacement piece, and then press your clock before making the swap.
If you don’t say check in the game, it’s still check all the same. It does not matter if you say “check” or not when you put your opponent’s king at risk; however, who can resist? Application: Without a word, your rival moves their bishop onto the long diagonal. You grab your queen and snatch up the free pawn they left unguarded, then press your clock. Your opponent presses the clock right back and points out that the bishop put your king in check and you must get out of check instead of grabbing the free pawn. Since saying check is not a rule, you must now use your queen—the touched piece—to get out of check. Using your queen to get out of check may not be your best move.
Classic Tip: In blitz (speed) chess, your opponent would only need to take your king with his checking piece to indicate that you had made an illegal move and thus lost the game (an illegal move in blitz is an instant loss).
When leaving the event for another quest, signing the withdraw list is the best. From time to time, you will need to stop playing in a tournament to attend to other things in your life. You can do this by withdrawing from the event; please withdraw properly. Classic Tip: Most tournaments have a withdrawal sheet for players to sign. At the very least, tell the TD you can’t play the rest of the tournament. By withdrawing properly, you will make sure that the other players in the tournament will not be paired against you when, in fact, you will not be showing up for the game. They came to play too.
Make your claim right away; after the game you have little sway. Making a claim after a game is over rarely succeeds. Classic Tip: You need to make your claim at the exact moment during your game when a rules violation happens. After the game, it becomes problematic for the TD to get enough evidence from either you or your opponent to settle the dispute fairly. Once the game is over, claims of illegal moves, triple repetition draws, fifty move draws, annoying behavior, not keeping score, the touched piece, etc. are all worthless.
Check the wall charts to be sure that all your info is secure. Those wall charts contain a lot of information. Making sure that your info is right improves the odds that you get the right credit for your games. Check to makes sure your USCF ID is right. Check what rating the TD is using. Check your game–by-game score. Sample Wallchart Information
Name/ID Rate Rnd1 Rnd2 Rnd3 Rnd4 Rnd5 1. Lopez, Ellon 1157 W 18 B 27 W 20 B 14 W 25 17405221 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 3.0 Here is the information that is on this wall chart entry: The player’s number is 1. The player’s name is Ellon Lopez. The player’s USCF ID is 17405221. The player’s rating is 1157. The color the player was assigned to play and the opponents are: white against player 18 in round 1; black vs. 27 in round 2; white vs. 20 in round 3; black vs. 14 in round 4; white vs. 25 in round 5. The player’s running score: Lost round 1 (0); won round 2 (0 + 1 = 1; i.e., previous round + current game score); won round 3 (1 + 1 = 2); won round 4 (2 + 1 = 3); lost round 5 (3 + 0 = 3).
Register with your ID, rating, and name before your play your first game. If you pre-registered for a tournament, then when you get to the tournament site, check the posted pre-registration list to ensure that your USCF ID number, your rating, your bye requests, and the section you entered are correct. If any of the information is incorrect, see a TD to get it straightened out before round 1 starts. The TD might highlight your name to check with you regarding some information issues, including membership concerns. Classic Tip (Pre-Registration): Many tournaments have some form of pre-registration, a way for you to enter a tournament early. Often discounts on the entry fee are offered for this service, and you don’t need to show up for on-site registration. When you enter this way, besides paying a lower entry fee, you will do yourself and the TD a huge favor by also including your USCF ID and your contact information, along with any other info the TD needs. Classic Tip (On-Site Registration): If you are entering at the tournament site, have your USCF ID and payment method handy, along with any other information the TD requires to get you paired for round 1. This is a good time to ask for any byes you may need for any game. If you don’t know your USCF ID, give the TD your name exactly as you gave it to USCF when you became a member. If you don’t know your USCF ID number, the TD will help you find it. If you are not a USCF member, the TD can help you become one.
Wrong results need tweaking ASAP so the right info’s there for all to see. OK, you’ve won your game. You report the results. Between that moment and the moment the next round gets paired, the information gets mixed up and your win turns into a draw (or worse). The longer you wait to report any misinformation about your total or individual game scores, the harder it is for the TD to sensibly correct it. Classic Tip: Many pairing programs print your total score, along with your rating, on the pairings sheets that get posted right before the start of the round. If you notice your score is incorrect, tell a TD immediately. They may be able to perform some pairing magic to get you paired more correctly. If you notice any scoring glitches on the wall chart, then also inform the TD right away. Some TDs, if informed too late, may count your correct score only for rating purposes but not for prizes. Why? Your incorrect score affected the parings you got instead of the pairings you should have had.
See a TD to complain if someone intervenes in your game. The game of chess is between two contestants and no one else. Even the TD is limited in the way they can intervene in your game (usually not at all without you or your opponent asking them for help). So if someone makes a remark—asked for or not—about your game, to you or your opponent, then call a TD over to get them to stop. Application: It is down to the last few moments of the game. You and your opponent are banging out moves. A spectator yells out, “It looks like mate in three.” Pause your clock and get a TD.
You can stay looking your best: Don’t talk to others during your contest. Try not to talk to others while your game is going on. An innocent conversation about your next meal may be seen as inappropriate by your struggling opponent. Avoiding conflict is easier than dealing with conflict. Classic Tip: While it is hard to stop, please don’t keep going out in the hall and talking on your cell phone or texting. Your opponent or the TD may get the wrong idea, no matter how innocent your communication turns out to be. Most casual conversations away from your game are just that, casual conversations between you and others; however, when your opponent claims otherwise, some very uncomfortable moments are going to follow. It is best to simply avoid those situations by limiting your interaction with anyone during your game.
Special tournament rules should be checked—look at the postings, what the heck. Many tournaments have special rules that apply to only that event. Rulebook Note: The first rule in the rulebook allows TDs and organizers to alter some of the procedures used at their events. Sometimes those changes are included in the pre-tournament publicity. Sometimes those special rules appear as an announcement or a posting at the tournament site. It is to your benefit to check out those postings. Application: In the TLA (Tournament Life announcement), an organizer indicates that the one-hour forfeit rule does not apply to games without sets, boards, and properly set clocks. Without equipment, a player must wait until their absent adversary’s game time has expired before claiming a win. The organizer has announced a variation to the standard rulebook one hour forfeit rule; that announcement means you cannot claim a forfeit win after one hour if you don’t have your equipment set up.
Avoid analysis in the tournament hall so it stays silent for one and all. When your game is over, you are probably eager to discuss with your opponent and others some of the possible “what if” moves in your contest. Doing that in the tournament room just disturbs others. Classic Tip: When your game is over, report the results and then go analyze the possible variations outside the tournament room, usually in a skittles area. That is a basic win-win practice! Review, Learn, and Remember: Equipment is not provided as a rule, so bring your own and be cool. Playing black, have no fear: you often get to choose the gear. If annoying acts cause a migraine, see a TD and make a claim. There’ll be no ruling in a game without your making a claim. Leaving a board for more than a quarter hour can result in a score that is sour. House players get a free game by telling the TD their name. Special-needs opponents need special care, so there are special rules to make it fair. Cell phone use of any kind can cause a penalty that you will mind. Use headphones and enjoy, but check with the TD before using that toy. If you touch it, then move it or take it. Complete your move the right way: press your clock to complete the play. If you don’t say check in the game, it’s still check all the same. When leaving the event for another quest, signing the withdraw list is the best. Make your claim right away; after the game you have little sway. Check the wall charts to be sure that all your info is secure.
Register with your ID, rating, and name before your play your first game. Wrong results need tweaking ASAP so the right info’s there for all to see. See a TD to complain if someone intervenes in your game. You can stay looking your best: Don’t talk to others during your contest. Special tournament rules should be checked—look at the postings, what the heck. Avoid analysis in the tournament hall so it stays silent for one and all.
Part 6: PRIZE STRATEGIES Show Me the Money!
Splitting up prize money seems simple enough: The best scores get to claim the most money. How that money is split up and where it comes from, when there are ties, makes for some very interesting algebra problems. That gets further complicated by the amount of money available according to the tournament prize structure. As for trophies and other nondivisible prizes, the final awards get determined by even more applied math. Luckily, the two major pairing software packages also contain prize fund calculating features. Let’s take a look at the most common prize fund designs. 1. Guaranteed prizes 2. Based-on prizes 3. Section prizes 4. Class prizes 5. Under prizes 6. Prize limits 7. Trophy and other nondivisible prizes 8. Mixed trophy/guaranteed/based-on/limited prize funds 9. Re-entry prizes 10. Getting your prize(s)
Guaranteed prizes are paid no matter what; small, large, or medium, that’s a lot! When a tournament organizer advertises that the prizes for any event are guaranteed, then they are required to award the prizes. They don’t have the option of lowering the prizes because not enough players signed up to play. They can’t alter announced prizes just because they are losing money on the tournament. Of course, just because they are making money does not mean that they have to raise the prizes either. Application: The organizer of a five-round tournament announces that the total prize fund of $1,000 is guaranteed. Twenty players enter the event at an average entry fee of $35 each ($700 total). The advertised prizes are $400 for first place, $200 for second, $100 for the top Class A player, $100 for top Class B, $100 for top Class C, and $100 for top Class D and below. Since the prize fund is guaranteed, the organizer must pay out $1,000 in prizes as advertised and take a loss. In this example, if there were only one player with a rating of 1802 (Class A), then the organizer would be obligated to pay that one player $100, no matter what their final score turned out to be. Please note that the TD is often also the organizer, but that is not always true.
Based-on prizes are famine or feast; you could get the most or the least. Based-on prizes depend on how many players show up for the tournament. The organizer will advertise the top prize amount(s) that will be awarded if a specific number of players sign up for the event (for example, $1,000 b/50—one thousand dollars in prizes based on fifty entries). If less than the expected number of woodpushers show up, then the prize fund gets cut. The prize fund is not increased if more than the number of expected (based-on) players attend the event. Rulebook Note: Based-on prizes are prorated by attendance. For example, if fifty players are expected to attend (b/50) and only thirty players show up, then the prize fund is reduced to sixty percent of the advertised figure (30 ÷ 50 = 0.6). Be aware this can lower the prize awards significantly. In fact, a total prize fund of $500 or more can drop by as much as fifty percent—but no lower, according to chess law. For based-on prize funds under $500 the organizer must pay out all of the prizes based on the calculated percentage (total attending ÷ advertised based-on number), even if it is lower than fifty percent. Application (Total Prize Fund $500 or More): The organizer of a five-round tournament announces that the total prize fund of $2,000 is based on fifty players participating ($2,000 b/50). Thirty players enter the event. The advertised prizes are $800 for first place, $400 for second place, $200 for top Class A, $200 for top Class B, $200 for top Class C, and $200 for top Class D and below. Since the prize fund is based on fifty players and only thirty attend, the organizer must pay out sixty percent (30 ÷ 50) of the advertised prizes: $480 for first place, $240 for second place, and $120 for all the other prize winners, for a total prize fund of $1,200. If only twenty players attend this tournament—with its prize fund greater than $500—chess law says the organizer will need to pay out fifty percent of the publicized prizes ($1000), even though attendance is only forty percent. Application (Total Prize Fund Less than $500): The organizer of a five-round tournament announces that the total prize fund of $250 is based on twenty-five players. Ten players enter the event. The advertised prizes are $100 for first place, $50 for second place, $25 for top Class A, $25 for top Class B, $25 for top Class C, and $25 for top Class D and below. The organizer should pay out forty percent (10 ÷ 25) of the advertised prize fund: $40 for first place, $20 for second place, and $10 for all the other prize winners, for a total prize fund of $100.
Multiple ties for many prizes can create cash awards of many sizes. Players with the same final score often tie for various prizes. That alone changes how much money—or any other prize than can be split up—you get to claim as your take-home pay. The basic rule is that for each player involved in a tie, only one prize can be placed in the pot of gold that gets divided up among them. This split does not include any special extra prizes such as Top Junior, Best 10-Year-Old, Top Player from Ohio, Best M.D., Top Player over 65, etc. We will look at those later. The prize added to the pot of gold is also the largest prize available to each player involved in the tie. Also, be aware that some of the rules governing prize money distribution can be tweaked by the organizer or USCF. The following applications apply to the most common situations. Application 1: The organizer of a six-round tournament offers the following prizes: $200 for first place, $100 for second place, and $50 for third place. Tom and Jarad each score a perfect 6.0 out of 6 to tie with each other. Marcie is the only player totaling 5.5 out of 6. Tom and Jarad put the first- and second-place prize money in a pot and split it equally to collect $150 each ($200 + $100 = $300; $300 ÷ 2 = $150). Marcie is awarded the third-place prize of $50. Application 2: The organizer of a five-round tournament offers the following prizes: $500 for first place, $250 for second place, and $250 for top Class A. Juan (an Expert) and Lucilla (an A player) each score a perfect 5.0/5 to tie with each other. Marc, an A player, is the only woodpusher totaling 4.5 out of 5. Juan and Lucilla put the first- and second-place prize money in a pot and split it equally to collect $375 each ($500 + $250 = $750; $750 ÷ 2 = $375). Marc is awarded the top A prize of $250. The reason Lucilla brings the $250 second-place prize, rather than the $250 top A prize, to the pot of gold to be split is that place prices are considered “higher-ranked” than class prizes.
Application 3: The organizer of a seven-round tournament offers the following prizes: $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $600 for top Class A. Ruth (a Master) and Shiva (an A player) each score a perfect 7.0 out of 7 to tie with each other. Mike, an A player, is the only chess warrior racking up a score of 6.5out of 7. Ruth and Shiva put the first-place and top A prize money into the pot that gets split equally, collecting $800 each ($1,000 + $600 = $1,600; $1,600 ÷ 2 = $800). Mike takes home the second-place prize of $500. The reason Shiva brings the $600 top A prize, rather than the $500 second-place prize, to the total to be divided is that $600 is greater than $500, and players always bring the largest prize they are eligible for to the pot that is divided equally. And remember, Shiva can bring only one prize to the total to be split up. One player, one prize is the rule. Application 4: The organizer of a six-round tournament offers the following prizes: $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second place, $500 for third place, and $1,000 for top Class A. Timmy (a Master), Kay Bee (a Master), Alice (an Expert), Kareem (an Expert), and Julio (an A player) each score a perfect 6.0 out of 6 to tie with each other. If Timmy, Kay Bee, Alice, Kareem, and Julio all pooled their prizes (first through third, plus Top A) and split the total equally, they each would collect $900 ($2,000 + $1,000 + $500 + $1,000 = $4,500; $4,500 ÷ 5 = $900). However, Julio would receive more money—$1,000—by being awarded the top A prize alone! Therefore, Julio gets the $1,000 top A prize, and that prize (and Julio) are eliminated from the prize split calculations for the other tied players. Now $2,000 + $1,000 + $500 = $3,500 divided up by Timmy, Kay Bee, Alice, and Kareem, who win $3,500 ÷ 4 = $875 each. Classic Tip: These four Applications give you the essential ideas behind splitting up prizes when there are ties. It gets a lot more complicated when the prizes offered increase in number and value. For example, the Applications given here did not include ten top prizes and ten more class prizes, with many of those players in a tie for both! Also, none of these Applications was hampered by a prize limit or other considerations, which we will investigate later.
There are lots of prizes beyond first, second, and third, including class prizes that can be secured. Class prizes are separate prizes awarded to members of a ratings class in addition to place prizes. Class prizes are different from section prizes. The two sometimes get confused because section prizes are often named after a ratings class. Sectioned tournaments, however, limit the ratings of the players you can be paired against and don’t allow you to win the big tournament prizes, just the prizes for that section. Tournaments with class prizes have no such limitations and offer rating class prizes in addition to the big tournament prizes. Application: The TLA (Tournament Life Announcement) in Chess Life publicizes the following list of prizes: $500 for first place, $250 for second, $150 for third, additionally $100 and $75 for first- and second-place in Classes A, B, C, and D and below. This ad indicates that a player rated 1550 (Class C) is eligible to win the first-, second-, or third-place top prize as well as the first or second Class C prize ($100 and $75). So if three Experts tie for first, second, and third with scores of 5.0 out of 6, they will split up the first three prizes. Meanwhile, if the 1550 player tops all other Class C players with a score of 3.0 out of 6, they will win the $100 first-place Class C prize. Such a low score wins prize money because our 1550 player, as well as all the other Class C players, had to go up against all the players in the tournament, many of whom were higher-rated, and not just against other C players. Classic Tip: Compare this Application with the next two Classic Rulebook Strategies: “Sections of players all the same get section prizes, glory, and fame” and “An under prize is a different story: many classes compete for the same glory.”
Sections of players all the same get section prizes, glory, and fame. Tournaments with sections are really just a bunch of mini-tournaments lumped together under the same tournament name. There is no top prize for the entire tournament. Instead, each section has its own prize structure, time controls, playing schedule, etc. Class tournaments—like the United States Class—are events in
which each section is restricted to a single rating class. Many sectioned tournaments allow players to “play up”: that is, the organizer allows players from lower rating-restricted sections to play in higher rating-restricted sections. Check with the organizer to see what their policy is regarding this option. Application: The advertisement for the State of Confusion Open announces three sections: Open (open to all players), Reserve (open to players rated below 2000), and Booster (open to players rated below 1400). Those sections have the following prizes: In the Open section, $500 for first place, $250 for second place, additionally $150 and $100 for first and second place Expert, and below, in the Open section; in the Reserve section, $400 for first place, $200 for second place, additionally $125 and $85 for first and second place Class B, Class C, Class D and below; and in the Booster section: $350 for first place, $150 for second place, additionally $75 and $50 for first and second place Class E and below. A player rated 1662 may enter either the Open or the Reserve section. In the Open section, they will be eligible for the top prizes ($500-$250) and the Expert-and-below prizes ($150-$100), because their rating is below 2200. If they played in that section, they would be “playing up,” and they could be paired against any other player in that section, regardless of their rating. More typically, this 1662 player would enter the Reserve section and would qualify for the top prizes ($400-$200) and the Class B prizes ($125-$85). Classic Tip: Class tournaments are a specialized category of sectioned events. A typical class tournament prize fund looks like this: $1,000 first place and $500 second place for the Master section (2200 and above), $900 and $450 for the Expert section (2000–2199), $850 and $400 for Class A (1800–1999), $800 and $350 for Class B (1600–1799), $750 and $350 for Class C (1400–1599), additionally $700 and $300 for Class D and below (1399 and below). An 1885 player may enter the Class A section. They will compete for prizes and be paired with other players rated from 1800 through 1999 for the top prizes in that section only. Some organizers allow players to “play up” a class or two. Check this out with each individual organizer.
An under prize is a different story: many classes compete for the same glory. Under prizes and under sections are cousins of class prizes and sections. Unlike class prizes, under prizes don’t have a bottom limit on who can claim the rewards. Class or section prizes are restricted by a ratings range with a high end and a low end. Example: Class A prizes are restricted to players rated 1800-1999. However, an Under 2000 (U2000) prizes can be award to any player rated 1999 or lower. That means players rated anywhere from 1999-100 —currently the lowest rating possible—all qualify for that prize. So, if you are rated 1489 at a tournament with under prizes, you qualify for the U2000 prize; however, if you are rated 1489 at a tournament with additional Class prizes you do not qualify for the Class A prize. Application 1: What prizes would Oppie, rated 1362, qualify for upon entering the following tournament? The advertisement for the State of Confusion Open offers these top prizes: $900 first place, $700 second place; plus extra prizes of $500 and $450 for first and second place U2200; $400 and $200 for first and second place U2000; $125 and $85 for first and second place U1800, U1600, U1400, and U1200 each; additionally $75 and $50 for first and second place U1100. Players may be paired against any other player, regardless of that other player’s rating, in the entire tournament. What prizes would Oppie, rated 1362, qualify for? That’s easy:.Oppie qualifies for first place, second place, and all the U2200, U2000, U1800, U1600, and U1400 prizes. But because his rating is too high, he cannot win the U1200 or U1100 prizes. And remember, that since he can be paired against anyone of any rating, all he has to do to win an under prize is have a better score than anyone else who also qualifies for those same prizes! Application 2: A typical tournament with under sections is advertised as follows: $1,000 first place and $500 second place in the Open section, $900 and $450 for the U2200 section, $850 and $400 for U2000, $800 and $350 for U1800, $750 and $350 for U1600, additionally $700 and $300 for U1400. Players can only be paired against other players in their section. What prizes would Odette, rated 1532, qualify for?
Ok, that was a trick question. The answer depends on which section Odette enters. She can’t enter the U1400 section, because her rating is too high. Typically, she will enter the U1600 section and be paired only against players rated from 1599-100 (the players eligible for that section). She will compete against those same players only for the first and second place section prizes of $750 and $350. However, if the organizer allows players to “play up,” she may choose instead to enter the U1800, U2000, U2200 or, Open section of the tournament. Then she will be paired She and compete for prizes in that individual section only. She will not be eligible for prizes— or be paired against players—in any other section.
A trophy award is a long path: it takes loads of calculations and loads of math. Calculating which player in a tie gets trophy prizes is done with tiebreak formulas. Many, though not all, of those complicated formulas are based on the final scores of your opponents. So what you really want is for each of your opponents to do really well after you beat them! Classic Tip: There is no perfect system for calculating which individual tied player should get which trophy.
National Tournament Director (NTD) Jeff Wiewel often notes that despite this imperfection, which may be perceived as unfairness, each tiebreak system is blindly unbiased. Some organizers like to have playoffs for prizes
like trophies, but time and tournament site limitations often make that choice impossible. Rulebook Note: Here is a simple example that explores the most often encountered tiebreak systems. Computer
paring programs make this math a piece of cake for huge and small tournaments alike. The player with the most tiebreak points wins the trophy. If one tiebreak system fails to break the tie then a second and third and a fourth
system is often used instead. For information about all the individual and team tiebreak systems see the fifth edition of the USCF rulebook. Example Data: Liam, rated 1124, beat player 23 in round one, player 22 in round 2, player 13 in round three, and player 3 in round four. Liam drew player 2 in round five.
Wall chart running score* *Running scores are simply the previous point total plus the current game score. In Liam’s case, add 4.0 (total through round 4) + .5 (game score for round 5) = 4.5, Liam’s round 5 running score.
Example Calculations: Scores of Liam’s Opponents used in the tiebreak examples Player 23’s final total score: 2.0
Player 22’s final total score: 2.0
Player 13’s final total score: 3.0
Player 3’s final total score: 4.0
Player 2’s final total score: 4.5
Liam’s Modified Median tiebreak points = 13.5 (4.5 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0). The lowest opponent’s score (2.0) is
discarded. Sometimes this low score is a bye. If Liam had finished with a negative score (2.0 or lower in a five-
round tournament), then the highest score (4.5) would have been discarded; however negative or even final
scores are rarely involved in ties for trophies.
Liam’s Median tie-break points = 9.0 (4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0). The lowest (2.0) and highest (4.5) opponent scores are discarded.
Liam’s Solkoff tie-break points = 15.5 (4.5 + 4.0 + 3.0 + 2.0 + 2.0). No opponent score is discarded.
Liam’s Cumulative tie-break points = 14.5 (1.0 + 2.0 + 3.0 + 4.0 + 4.5). The individual running scores for each
round are totaled.
Your total rewards increase in size when you qualify for a special prize. You can win prizes above and beyond the normal payouts. Often there is a special prize for the “Best Junior,” “Best Senior,” “Best Score from Wadsworth Chess Club” or . . . Classic Tip: Those special prizes set limits on who does and does not qualify for those awards. Special prizes are above and beyond the normal prize structure and cannot be awarded to anyone not meeting the criteria. Sometimes the special prize has to be split among multiple players who qualify for it. Class prizes are not special prizes unless the organizer labels them as “special.” Application: In the five-round State of Confusion Open, first prize is $400 and second prize is $200. There is a special prize for residents of the State of Confusion of $250. Sidith, Mary Jo, and Ling Lee all score 5.0 out of 5 to tie for the top prizes. Sidith is a resident of Ohio, while Mary Jo and Ling Lee live in the State of Confusion (make up your own joke here). Sidith, Mary Jo, and Ling Lee all split the top prizes equally for a payday of $200 ($400 + $200 = $600; $600 ÷ 3 = $200). Mary Jo and Ling Lee receive an extra $125 each because of the special prize awarded to State of Confusion residents only ($250 split in half), which they qualified and tied for. This special prize is not included in the three-way split with Sidith; it is awarded afterward.
If your prize is limited you may frown, because your final total may go down. Some tournaments have restrictions on the amount of prize money you can win. Mostly those restrictions apply to unrated players, but not always. The idea is to limit the effect a highly skilled player with no rating (or a way-too-low rating) has on everyone’s chances to claim prizes. It is believed the prize limits placed on these players levels the playing field with other, more accurately rated woodpushers. Classic Tip: “Unrated may win top prizes only” is a common limit used by organizers. It says that unrated players may claim only the top place prizes, not any class or under prizes. Another common restriction, “Unrated limited to $100 in prizes,” prevents an unrated player from claiming more than $100—or whatever amount—in prize money, no matter what their final score is. Application 1: A TLA advertises prizes of $1,000 for first place, $500 for second place, and $250 for third place. Unrated players are limited to $150 in prize money. Pouly is unrated, and with a final score of 5.0, he is all alone in first place at the end of the five-round event. Pouly can only take home $150. The rest of the prize money will be distributed among the other players. Application 2: The Reserve section of a tournament is limited to players rated below 1800. The TLA advertises section prizes of $500 for first place and $250 for second place. Players rated over 1850 in the last six months are limited to $300 in prize money. Timmy is rated 1799. He is the only player to score 5.5 in the six-round event, and no one scores better. Five months earlier, Timmy was rated 1862. Timmy can take home only $300. The rest of the first-place prize fund will be distributed to the other players. Many organizers feel that these limits make it harder
for players to “sandbag”: losing games at small, low-entry-fee events to keep one’s rating low enough to enter a high–prize fund tournament and more easily win big bucks at that event.
Some prizes can be divided and others not; win them both, and you get a lot. Some tournaments offer both cash and trophy, equipment, or other nondivisible prizes together. You can win cash prizes in the usual manner. You can additionally win one non-cash prize, as determined by the TD. Application: You win $30 for your third-place finish at your most recent tournament. You were also the top-scoring senior player, so you take home the first-place senior trophy.
Pay a re-entry fee and start anew; get more games and prizes too. Disappointed with your first round? Some tournaments allow you to re-enter the event just as if you were a brand-new player. Now you are once again in the hunt for prize money! Your old score is usually discarded when it comes time to divvy up the prize money. Rulebook Note: When you re-enter a tournament, your old score and your old entry still appear on the wall chart, as if you played a round and then withdrew. It is not used for pairings, and it is usually not used for calculating your final score, while your new entry is used for pairings and prizes. It is easy to mix up the old withdrawn entry and the brand-new re-entry, since they are both you. To help you and others keep this information straight, many TDs indicate the new entry by adding something to your name, such as an asterisk or the letters RE. Further, when the new you gets paired, you usually are not paired against any opponent whom you faced before you withdrew and re-entered. Re-entry Basics: Many tournaments offer more than one playing schedule. When you re-enter a tournament, you often choose to withdraw from the longer playing schedule and re-enter into the shorter playing schedule. Why? So you can start all over again from round 1 in your hunt for prizes. Note: The two playing schedules usually merge—or combine—at some point in the tournament so that all the players come together for pairings, round times, time controls, and prizes. Some events only allow you to re-enter into the same playing schedule, with an appropriate number of byes for the games you missed. Other events don’t allow re-entries at all. There is no chess law that forces tournaments to allow re-entries. Most re-entries require an additional, though discounted, entry fee. Application: You enter a tournament and choose to play the three-day schedule—one game on Friday, two games on Saturday, and two games on Sunday. You lose your first game on Friday. You withdraw from the three-day schedule and enter into the two-day schedule—three games on Saturday and two games on Sunday. You pay the reduced re-entry fee and get to start the tournament all over again with a new round 1 on Saturday. The first-place guaranteed prize is $2,000. The two playing schedules merge—or combine—all the players from both playing schedules starting with round 3 on Saturday night. On your new playing schedule, you win all five games and tie with no one. You win the $2,000 first-place prize.
Want your prize ASAP? Check with an organizer or see a TD. When you earn a prize, you want to get paid. Different organizers have different methods of doing that. Some organizers pay cash on the spot; others pay via check in the next week or two. If your payday is large enough, you may need to fill in some IRS documents to receive your reward. Classic Tip: Sometimes you need to leave before your exact prize amount can be calculated. Leave your contact information with the organizer or TD so that you can get your funds at a later date. If you don’t hear from the organizer within two weeks, contact them.
Review, Learn, and Remember: Guaranteed prizes are paid no matter what; small, large, or medium, that’s a lot! Based-on prizes are famine or feast; you could get the most or the least. Multiple ties for many prizes can create cash awards of many sizes. There are lots of prizes beyond first, second, and third, including class prizes that can be secured. Sections of players all the same get section prizes, glory, and fame. An under prize is a different story: many classes compete for the same glory. A trophy award is a long path: it takes loads of calculations and loads of math. Your total rewards increase in size when you qualify for a special prize. If your prize is limited you may frown, because your final total may go down. Some prizes can be divided and others not; win them both, and you get a lot. Pay a re-entry fee and start anew: get more games and prizes too. Want your prize ASAP? Check with an organizer or see a TD.
Part 7: PAIRINGS STRATEGIES How Did I Get THAT Opponent Playing THAT Color?
The perfect pairing system is a double round robin, in which every player faces every other player in the tournament twice, once as white and once as black. But that is unrealistic when there are a lot of players and only two days to get all the games in. George Koltanowski rose to that challenge by introducing the Swiss system of pairings to the United States chess scene. It is a simple system that employs brackets, rankings, no eliminations, and about a dozen or so “don’t do that” rules. While there are other pairings systems, the Swiss system is the most common in the United States. With the advent of tournament management software, the job of making pairings is no longer a chore. Those software packages are unbiased and consistent, never get fatigued, and have an error rate that approaches nonexistent. As for the other pairing systems, we will take a peek at them while learning more about: 1. Byes 2. Non-pairing with another player 3. What rating to use 4. Swiss pairings 5. Round robin pairings 6. Quads 7. Color assignment 8. Re-entries 9. Playing up
10. Sections 11. Team restrictions 12. Team pairings 13. Accelerated pairings 14. House players
Swiss System Pairings
Only a few rules need to be followed when making Swiss system pairings: The top half vs. the bottom half is the pairing pattern. You don’t play the same person twice. Balance—or at least alternate—the color assignments. When there are an odd number of players in a score group, one player needs to drop into another score group—or receive a bye if that is not possible. There are limits to the switches that can be made to get the other pairings rules to work. The problem, of course, is that it is not that simple to follow all these rules all at the same time.
Divide a score group above and below; then players get paired down the row. The Swiss system of pairings involves arranging each score group in ratings order, from highest to lowest, and then splitting the group in half. The top player in the top half is matched up with the top player in the bottom half, the second in the top half with the second in the bottom half, and so on. This is often referred to as “natural” paring. Application: For the first round, the top player’s color gets picked—randomly and mostly by computer nowadays—with colors alternating for the top half of the group. For the rest of the tournament, additional rules are applied to make sure those matchups meet as many of the other Swiss pairing principles as possible.
Example 1 (First Round Pairings): 1. There are 10 players, ranked from the highest rated to the lowest rated (1–10), in round 1.
2. The midpoint of the score group is 5 (10 ÷ 2=5). 3. Players 1–5 are in the “upper half” group.
4. Players 6–10 are in the “lower half” group. 5. The pairings before color assignment are 1 vs. 6, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 8, 4 vs. 9, and 5 vs. 10. 6. Table with pairings and alternating color assignments: White vs. Black 1. 2410 vs. 6. 1954 7. 1756 vs. 2. 2323 3. 2121 vs. 8. 1544 9. 1310 vs. 4. 2034 5. 2033 vs. 10. 1187
Example 2 (The Odd Player): Here is what happens when a score group has an odd number of players instead of an even number of players: One player, the odd player, is removed from the collection to create an even-numbered player score group. Which
one takes the trip? Check out this:
1. The 4.0 score group has eleven players ranked from the highest rated to lowest rated (players 1-11). 4 Point Score Group/Rating 1. 2410 2. 2323 3. 2121 4. 2034 5. 2033 6. 1954 7. 1756 8. 1544 9. 1310 10. 1187 11. 1186 2. The 3.5 score group has five players ranked from the highest rated to the lowest rated (players 12-16). 3.5 Point Score Group/Ratings 12. 1178 13. 1165 14. 1098 15. 1056 16. 1033 3. To create a 4 point score group with an even number of players (10 instead of 11) the player listed last (the odd player, player number 11) in ratings order in the 4 point score group is “dropped down” (paired) against the top rated player (12) in the next lower score group (3.5); i.e., 11 vs. 12. 4. The remaining players in the 3.5 score group (13–16) are paired using the top half vs. bottom half method.
1. 2410 vs. 6. 1954 2. 2323 vs. 7. 1756 3. 2121 vs. 8. 1544 4. 2034 vs. 9. 1310
5. 2033 vs. 10. 1187 11. 1186 vs. 12. 1178 13. 1165 vs. 15. 1056 14. 1098 vs. 16. 1033 5. If there is no lower score group than 4.0 (no 3.5, 3.0, 2.5, 2.0, etc.), then player 11 would be eligible for a one-point bye—a free one-point win! 6. Check out the “A full point win is the order of the day when there is an odd number and no one to play” for more advice on your options when you are the odd player with a possible bye.
It is not very nice to play someone twice. One pairing rule in the Swiss system of pairings is that players should have different opponents each and every round. You are not supposed to play the same person twice in the same tournament. There are exceptional circumstances when this does happen, but it is rare. Rulebook Note: What happens when the top vs. bottom half pairing has been made and two of the players scheduled to compete have already played in an earlier round? Then a switch is made with a nearby player within the ordered list. Be aware that there are some Swiss tournaments—usually smaller events—that use Swiss-style pairings but dictate that all players must meet two times—once as white and once as black. Application: Check out below what happens in practice when players are lined up using the top half vs. bottom
half pairing scheme but two of the players have already been paired in a previous round. The typical solution is to switch the players in the lower half around with a neighboring player. 1. There are six players in the 3.5 score group, ranked 12–17 in ratings order. 3.5 Point Score Group/Rating 12. 1178 13. 1165 14. 1098 15. 1056 16. 1033 17. 1011 2. The top half of the group includes players 12, 13, and 14. 3. The bottom half of the group includes 15, 16, and 17. 4. Players 12 and 15 have already played. 5. The pairings before color assignments are 12 vs. 15, 13 vs. 16, and 14 vs. 17—hey, look at that, player 12 and 15 have already played! Some pairings need to be switched. Player 15 has to be moved (switches occur in the bottom, or right hand, half). Initial Pairings: (opponents have played) 12. vs. 15 13. vs. 16 14. vs. 17 6. Table with new pairings, avoiding the 12–15 pairing by switching 15-16: New Switched Pairings
12. vs. 16 13. vs. 15 14. vs. 17 Classic Tip: To appreciate the complexities of this simple idea, imagine in the Application above that player 15 had
also faced player 13 and player 12). Then the probable pairings would be (top half players are listed first in each pairing) 12–17, 13–16, and 14–15. As you can well imagine, this process can get pretty messy when you
also consider that the TD is trying to equalize and alternate colors, not drop players too far from their score group,
assign requested byes, and obey other pairing restrictions.
Avoiding unwanted pairings can be tough with extra restrictions, restraints, and other stuff. Avoiding unwanted pairings can be tough with extra restrictions, restraints, and all that stuff. To add to the ingredients in the pairings stew, there are restrictions besides not playing the same opponent twice. Rulebook Note: In individual/team scholastic events, members of the same team are not paired against each other in individual competition, if at all possible. Individual scores from members of the same team get summed together at the end of the event to determine team prizes. Having individual team members play each other eliminates the possibility that both players on the team can win. But this restriction can cause severe pairings problems in score groups where more than half the players are from the same team. Classic Tip: Some tournaments further restrict pairings between players from the same state, ZIP code, club, or family for all or part of the tournament. Combined with the color rules, this can make for some strange, unexpected pairings and color assignments.
A no-pairing request can be had, but it may not be honored, so don’t be sad. If you are at a tournament with someone whom you play against all the time, such as a close relative, you may ask the TD not to pair you against that person. TDs do not have to honor such requests. When they do, they often honor the request only for the first half of the tournament. Why? In the second half of the tournament, the non-pairing request can influence the pairings that should take place between players competing for prizes.
There are lots of rules that have a say in what color you might play. Ideally, each player should alternate between the white and black pieces from game to game. That often becomes impossible when switches are made to comply with the “It is not very nice to play someone twice” rule. In general, you probably will play about the same number of times with the white and black pieces after those shifts are made. In an even-round event, you ideally should play white and black the same number of times. In an odd-round tournament, ideally you will play with one color exactly once more than the other. Of course, the ideal does not work out all the time. Here are some principles used when making color assignments using USCF rules (FIDE rules for FIDE-rated events are slightly different—check out our FIDE section for more info). In no particular order: Balancing color assignments trumps alternating color assignments. Assigning the same color four times in a row is a no-no. Seek to limit the same color assignment to two times in a row, three at the worst. A player’s past color history for the event may help decide a present-round color assignment. When a player with a higher score drops down to be paired with a player in a lower score group, the higher- scoring player gets favored when it comes to applying color assignment rules.
If nothing else works, when deciding which one of the two players with the same score in the same score group gets which color, the higher-rated player gets the award.
Some Simple Examples of Color Assignment Guides: Example 1: Carrie’s color history is WBWW (white, black, white, white) for the first four rounds. J.C.’s color history is WBWB. To balance colors for both players (3 three whites and two blacks) the pairing will be: White Black J.C. (WBWBW) Carrie (WBWWB) Example 2: In round 5, Carrie’s color history is B-W-BYEbye-B-W. J.C.’s color history is BWBWB. The bye for Carrie in round 3 does not count for color (forfeit wins also don’t count for the color history of a player). Carrie has no need of a balancing color assignment. Simply alternating the color assignment in round 6 for each player meets both their needs. White Black J.C. (BWBWBW) Carrie (B-W-bye-B-W-B) Example 3: In round 5, Mel’s color history is BWBBW. Timmony’s color history is BWBWW. Each player needs to balance colors (three of each color for both players). White Black Mel (BWBBWW) Timmony (BWBWWB) Example 4: In round 4, 1725 -rated Michelle’s color history is WBWW, while 1724 -rated Lin’s is BBWW. If Lin is assigned to play black for round 5, that would be the expected balance of two whites and three blacks in an odd -numbered round; however, that would mean Michelle’s color history would be wacky, with four white’s and only one black. So: White Black Lin (BBWWW) Michelle (WBWWB) Application 1: 1550-rated Marcel’s color history for the first three rounds is WBW (white, black, white). 1492 rated Topal’s color history for the first three rounds is also WBW. Marcel and Topal are in the same score group. To avoid making players face each other more than once, this is the only pairing that can be made. What will their color assignments be? Both players need to play black in order to balance the number of times they played each color. Their color histories and scores are exactly the same. Because Marcel is higher-rated, the rules for assigning color will apply to Marcel first: he gets assigned to play black (equalizing and alternating at the same time), and Topal gets to push the white pieces twice in a row. One of the two players has to. White Black Topal (1492) WBWW Marcel (1550) WBWB Application 2:
Both players are in the same score group, and Al is higher rated; therefore, Al is assigned the alternating color for
round 4: Al (1495) BWB has 3 points, and Bea (1492) BWB has 3 points. The round 4 pairings: White Black Al (1495) BWBW Bea (1492) BWBB Application 3: Gemma (1492) is the odd player from a higher score group, with a score of 3 points. Dell (1595) has 2.5 points. Both have played BWB in the first three rounds. Therefore, when they are paired in round 4, Gemma is
assigned the equalizing and alternating color. Someone has to play the same color two times in a row. White Black Gemma (1492) BWBW Dell (1595) BWBB Application 4: Sometimes some simple switches can fix color problem assignments. Here is the color history for the four players in the 3.0 score group: 1. Singh (2235) WBW, 2. Enrico (2234) BWB, 3. Marisa (2233) WBW, and 4. You (2232) BWB. Notice how each player on board 1 and each player on board 2 are “due” the same color assignment. Here is how it gets fixed: Step 1: The Color Conflict Pairings (top half vs. bottom half “natural pairings”):
Bd1. Singh (WBW) vs. Marisa (WBW)
Bd2. Enrico (BWB) vs. You (BWB) To solve the color application conflict on boards 1 and 2, a simple switch of You and Marisa (switching takes place
in the bottom half) makes things a lot better: Step 2: Switch you and Marisa (see how those color assignment problems disappear):
Bd1. Singh (WBW) vs. You (BWB)
Bd2. Enrico (BWB) vs. Marisa (WBW) Step 3: Now the final color assignments: White Black
Bd1. You (BWBW) vs. Singh (WBWB)
Bd2. Enrico (BWBW) vs. Marisa (WBWB) Classic Tip: Sometimes a switch can occur between the last player in the top half and the first player in the bottom half. The term for that is an interchange, and the same rules that apply to switches in the bottom half apply to interchanges.
Example of an interchange:
Step 1: Color Conflict Pairings (top half–vs.–bottom half “natural pairings”):
Bd1. Goober (WBW) vs. Petra (WBW)
Bd2. Brittney (WBW) vs. Juan (BWB) Bd3. You (BWB) vs. Xandu (BWB)
Step 2: The “interchange” of You and Petra:
Bd1. Goober (WBW) vs. You (BWB)
Bd2. Brittney (WBW) vs. Juan (BWB) Bd3. Petra (WBW) vs. Xandu (BWB)
Step 3: Final pairings with color assignments:
Bd1. You (BWBW) vs. Goober (WBWB)
Bd2. Juan (BWBW) vs. Brittney (WBWB) Bd3. Xandu (BWBW) vs. Petra (WBWB)
To fix color glitches, there are limits to pairing switches. The most common fix for a color assignment challenge is to try and make a switch between two players with similar problems (see Application 4 above); however, there are suggested boundaries in executing those adjustments. Rulebook Note: When a swap needs to be made to adjust for alternation of color assignment—or to avoid a second color assignment in a row—then the ratings of the two players in the swap should not exceed eighty points. To avoid severe difficulties—like a third assignment in a row of the same color or some other way-out-of-whack balance of color assignments—then the ratings of the two players involved in the trade may differ by as much as two hundred points. Be aware, these guidelines are not written in stone and do bend upon occasion, but rarely—and they do not bend by much. Application: Here is the color history for the four players in the 3.0 score group: 1. Kirk (2699) WBW, 2. Obie (2490) BWB, 3. Spock (2220) WBW, and 4. You (2000) BWB. Notice how each player on board 1 and each player on
board 2 is due the same color assignment. Step 1: Color Conflict Pairings (top half–vs.–bottom half “natural pairings”):
Bd1. Kirk (2699) WBW vs. Spock (2220) WBW Bd2. Obie (2490) BWB vs. You (2000) BWB
No switch (transposition or interchange) is possible to solve this color problem. The rating differences between
Spock and You and between Kirk and Obie both exceed the two hundred–point limit. The higher-rated (ranked)
player gets their due color. Step 2: Now the final color assignments:
Bd1. Spock (2220) WBWW vs. Kirk (2699) WBWB Bd2. Obie (2490) BWBW vs. You (2000) BWBB Classic Tip: The reasoning behind such a regulation is that any switch has an impact on the strengths of the opponents faced by all the players in the exchange. If the rating difference in the transposition is huge, and a high-rated player gets exchanged for a much lower-rated player, it may create a perception of unfairness. In the Application above, for instance, it seems unfair to have You switch with Spock just for the sake of color alternation or color balance.
A full-point win is the order of the day when there is an odd number and no one to play. An even number of players can be paired easily against each other in a tournament. So what happens when there are an odd number? Someone is not going to have an opponent. The player without an opponent often gets a one-point bye—a free win! Usually that player is the one with the lowest total score (last score group). Typically, but not always, the lowest rated player in the lowest score group, without an earlier or future bye on their record, is the winner of the one-point bye lottery. If you are that player, then your free win gets added into your total tournament score. It does not count for ratings, however. Classic Tip: Besides giving a one-point bye to the player without an opponent, TDs have several other options in their toolbox. The typical tools used here were discussed earlier in part 1, “A free win may come your way when there is no opponent for you to play.”
Ask for a half-point bye: it gets added to your score, and you don’t have to try. We talked about the fact that you could request a half-point bye in part 2, “It is as easy as ABC to ask for a bye from the TD.” When that happens, your name is taken out of the ordered pairing list for that round. Then your total tournament score is increased by one-half point. The half-point does not count toward your rating.
The rating to use in any event is the same as that month’s supplement. What rating will a TD use for your pairing and prize purposes? Because of re-rates and a few other technical factors, your rating is continually changing, so a line must be drawn at some point that says, “No more changes.” That line is the rating supplement. Near the end of each month, everyone’s rating is determined using the same criteria. At that point in time, you get assigned an official rating that will be used for prizes and pairings for all the tournaments you enter during that coming month. Even if your rating fluctuates before the next supplement based on your tournament performance, your official rating does not change until the next month’s supplement. Classic Tip: You can find your official (monthly supplement) and unofficial (fluctuating) ratings on the USCF web page: click on “Players & Ratings” and then “Player/Rating Lookup” to get to your member profile. TDs can get official ratings supplement files (“supplement” is a leftover name from pre-computer days) that shows the same official rating as member profile. On the profile page, you can check out your unofficial rating after each tournament is processed. If you can’t wait that long (tournament rating reports are processed in less than 24 hours in most cases), an estimate of your new unofficial rating can be viewed at by pointing and clicking on “Players & Ratings” and then “Rating Estimator” (this requires you to supply some information on your opponents). And remember, you have three different ratings—Regular, Quick, and Blitz—and whatever type of tournament you enter, unless announced otherwise the TD will use the appropriate rating for section assignments, pairings, and prize eligibility. Application: Your official June rating is 1413. On June 29, you enter the State of Confusion Open. Since June 1, you have played in several tournaments, and your unofficial rating has dropped to 1382. For prize and pairing purposes, however, the TD is required to enter you in the tournament using the official June rating of 1413. Note: Some tournaments do allow players to enter with unofficial ratings; however, they are required to advertise that fact, along with any details regarding which unofficial rating they will use. Supplement Q & A
Question: Where do they get my official supplement rating from?
Answer: After each tournament or match that you play in, the TD hands in the results to USCF so they can process
any changes to your rating. You can watch those changes on your MSA member profile page. On or about the third Friday of every month—hey, stuff happens and that deadline is not always possible to meet—a line is drawn which
designates the point where ratings for all players are recalculated and will be labeled “official” for the next month’s supplement.
Example: For ratings in the official June ratings supplement, all ratings were probably calculated on the third
Friday in May, though they do not get used—or become official—until you enter tournaments on the first day of June. By the way, on the third Friday in June, your official July rating is assigned—for use in July only— sorry, that rating can’t be used in June unless the tournament advertisement states otherwise. Rulebook Note: Tournament directors are allowed to assign or adjust your rating for pairing and prize purposes at individual events. This is done most often for players who have a rating outside the USCF rating system or for players whom the TD doubts are accurately rated.
A ratings restricted section is a clue that you’ll be paired against others just like you. In Part 6, Prize Strategies, we talked about sections (“Sections of players all the same get section prizes, glory, and fame”) When you enter a ratings regulated section, there are usually some restrictions about who can enter, be paired, and play in that self-contained group. Application: The advertisement for the State of Confusion Championships has three sections: Open(open to all players), Reserve (open to players rated under 1800), and Booster (open to players rated under 1400). Each of those sections has both section and class prizes. You are rated 1459 and enter the Reserve section. No matter what prizes you qualify for, you will only be paired with other players entered in that section, all of them rated 1799 and below. Since that section is rating-restricted (U1800), you will not be paired with anyone rated above 1799. But remember, if a prize is offered for Class C players (1599–1400) in the U1800 section, that is not a pairing restriction; it is only a prize condition. Note, there is a provision in the rules (cross section pairings) that allows the player from one section that is about to get a bye—because they are the odd player in the lowest score group—to be paired with another player in another section in similar circumstances. Classic Tip 1: A class tournaments is a special form of sectioned tournament in which each section is restricted by rating in two hundred–point increments: Master (2200 and above), Expert (2000-2199), Class A (1800-1999), Class B (1600-1799), Class C (1400-1599), Class D (1200-1399), Class E (1000-1199), etc. If you enter such an event, you can expect to be paired only with other players in your class: e.g., Class C players get paired only with other Class C players. Sometimes, however, players with lower ratings are allowed to “play up” in a higher section than their ratings would indicate; in that case, you may also be paired against them. Classic Tip 2: Class restrictions are not the only criteria that can limit whom you can get paired against in the section you enter. In the scholastic chess universe, it is not uncommon to restrict pairings in sections by age or grade In those instances, you would only be paired against other players of the same age or grade as you.
Re-enter a tournament and start anew so your pairings are all new. Some tournaments allow you to re-enter for an additional reduced entry fee. When this happens, you are withdrawn from the contest and re-entered as a new player. The brand-new you is the only player who gets paired each round; the old you is out of the contest. Chess warriors typically re-enter when they have a poor result in an early round and want to start the tournament all over again with a clean (or almost clean) slate. Rulebook Note: Re-entries are not required by chess law, so organizers and TDs may not offer this option. Application: In the tournament you entered, there are two playing schedules. You chose to play in the first schedule with one game on Friday, two games on Saturday, and two games on Sunday. There is a second schedule with the first three rounds played on Saturday, then two more on Sunday. During round 3 on Saturday, the players from both schedules are “merged” and paired as though they had been competing together all along. In your first
round on Friday, you lose—so you re-enter the tournament and start all over again like a brand-new player on the Saturday-Sunday schedule. Your first entry is withdrawn from the tournament and not used for pairings anymore, with one exception: the “new you” is not paired against the player whom the “old you” lost to, even after the “merge” in round 3. (There are some exceptions, but they are rare, almost nonexistent, so we won’t discuss them!)
Accelerated pairings will do the trick when there are too many players for a top pick. When there are a lot of players in a tournament and few rounds, there is often not a clear winner at the end of the event. To deal with this, the TD may scratch the use of the top half–vs.–bottom half routine for a bit. Instead, the players will get split into four equal-size groups (quartiles), with the first quartile paired against the second quartile and the third paired against the fourth. This pairing scheme may get used for a round or two, with some technical variations, before the normal top half–vs.–bottom half pairing system kicks back into use. This is called “accelerated pairing,” and its purpose is to set up early contests between top players in order to identify a clear winner among them. Rulebook Note: TDs are not required to use accelerated pairings. When accelerated pairings are used, all other pairing regulations stay the same. Application: There are twenty players in a four-round tournament. If accelerated pairings are used to pair round 1, the TD orders the players by rating and then splits the twenty players into four groups: Group 1 (players 1–5), Group 2 (players 6–10), Group 3 (players 11–15), and Group 4 (players 16–20). Group 1 will face off against Group 2. Group 3 will be paired against Group 4. Here are the round 1 matchups (the player of the white pieces is listed first): 1-6, 7-2, 3-8, 9-4, 5-10, 11-16, 17-12, 13-18, 19-14, 15-20. In round 2, the TD may or may not continue to use this accelerated paring scheme. By round 3, the top half–vs.–bottom half pairing routine kicks back in. There are all sorts of variations on the accelerated pairing method; this is an example of the simplest version.
While your pairing may not be ideal, as long as it is legal, there is no appeal. You may not like the pairings for the entire score group. You may not like the pairing you were given. You may have what you believe is a “better” pairing for the entire score group or for just you and your opponent. Rulebook Note: As long as the pairings the TD posts are legal—according to chess law— the pairings are final. Legal pairings are all that is required round after round. Classic Tip: Those pairings programs rarely, if ever, make illegal matchups. The debate on “good,” “better,” and “best” pairings is a different issue.
Round Robin/Quad Pairings
Play every opponent once or twice; you’ll play them all, and that is nice. The second most popular style of pairings involves you playing every other contestant in the tournament. This is called round robin. When players are grouped together by fours, with each group playing a small four-player round robin, these groups are called “quads.” Rulebook Note: Round robins and quads are easy to pair: there are charts in the rulebook that predetermine the order in which you will play all the other players and what the color assignment for each player will be. Classic Tip: Those predetermined game assignments allow you to look ahead and prepare for each opponent whom you will face. TDs often post those round robin/quad pairing charts; they are also available online at various websites and in the rulebook. Sometimes you even get to play each opponent twice, once with the white pieces and once with the black pieces. That is called a double round robin.
Review, Learn, and Remember: Divide a score group above and below; then players get paired down the row. It is not very nice to play someone twice. Avoiding unwanted pairings can be tough with extra restrictions, restraints, and other stuff. A no-pairing request can be had, but it may not be honored, so don’t be sad. There are lots of rules that have a say in what color you might play. To fix color glitches, there are limits to pairings switches. A full-point win is the order of the day when there is an odd number and no one to play. Ask for a half-point bye: it gets added to your score, and you don’t have to try. The rating to use in any event is the same as that month’s supplement. A ratings restricted section is a clue that you’ll be paired against others like you. Re-enter a tournament and start anew so your pairings are all new. Accelerated pairings will do the trick when there are too many players for a top pick. While your pairing may not be ideal, as long as it is legal, there is no appeal. Play every opponent once or twice; you’ll play them all, and that is nice.
APPENDIX: FIDE STRATEGIES
The world chess federation is known as FIDE (Fédération internationale des échecs). The USCF is one of many member nations in the FIDE organization. FIDE is responsible for the system by which the world chess champion is determined. They have their own rating system as well as their own rulebook. When a FIDE tournament is held in the United States the FIDE rules of chess generally apply. While many USCF and FIDE rules are the same, there are some significant differences. Players planning to participate in FIDE tournaments in the USA should know about those differences so that they can maximize their FIDE rulebook strategies. Ken Ballou has put together a fine document outlining the major and minor differences between the FIDE and USCF laws of chess. Here is a link that takes you to a page where you can view either of his documents: http://main.uschess.org/content/blogcategory/342/668/ Here are a few more links for those of you interested in the FIDE rules and regulations: FIDE Laws and Regulations Link FIDE Laws of Chess www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=124&view=article
Here are some notable tournament rule variations and guidelines unique to scholastic tournaments. These modifications are used at kids-only events at the national level; however, they are often adopted by state and local scholastic tournament organizers.
Ten Scholastic Notes
1. It is recommended that notation not be required for scholastic players in grade 3 or below or for those children
rated under 1000—as long as the entire section is excused from taking score. However, notation is still
encouraged. Without notation, it is hard to make claims. All players in grade 4 and above are required to take
notation.
2. There is an additional team pairing restriction at most scholastic tournaments. Prizes are awarded for both
individuals and teams—that’s why they are called individual/team tournaments. Players on the same team should
not be paired against each other in the tournament; however, sometimes it is unavoidable.
3. Spectators are often limited in their access to scholastic tournaments. Onlookers can cause unintended
distractions for the players. TDs also find it difficult to help players because they need to maneuver around the
bystanders. Therefore, many events restrict adult observers to the large aisles in the playing area or exclude them
from the tournament room entirely. Some scholastic contests ask that the adults leave the tournament room for
the first 15 to 20 minutes at the start of each round. The spectator rules are occasionally relaxed for the younger
sections (grade 3 and below).
4. Prizes at scholastic tournaments usually are limited to trophies and participation awards, which are passed out
at awards ceremonies at the end of the tournament to individuals and teams.
5. The sections at scholastic tournaments are more often limited by grade or age rather than rating.
6. Procedures for reporting results vary at scholastic events. Players frequently raise their hands to get a TD to
confirm the information on the results slips placed at their boards. As an alternative, both players may be
required to report the results of their game, together, to an adult—called a scorer—at a table near the exit of the
game area.
7. To get a TD’s attention—to report a game result, ask a question, or get permission to leave the playing area,
etc.—players raise their hands.
8. Unless there is a tournament official present for the conversation, talking with adults and teammates is
discouraged—even on a cell phone—while a game is in progress.
9. While there may be many players listed on the same team, typically only the top three or four individual scores
are added together to count toward team prizes.
10. The larger the tournament, the more likely it is that you can rent a team room. This room is typically used by
one team to prepare for each game, relax, store equipment, etc.
For more information about scholastic tournaments go to: http://main.uschess.org/content/blogsection/27/131/
TD Guru Tim Just is the 80/20 TD. He is a retired teacher residing in Gurnee, Illinois. He is an NTD (National
Tournament Director) who is the chief editor of the 5th edition of the U. S. Chess Federation’s Official Rules of
Chess. Additionally he has been a member of the USCF Rules committee for many years and is the longtime chair of the
Tournament Directors Certification Committee (TDCC). His TD Corner column was a mainstay in the printed version of the USCF Ratings Supplement plus his Rulebook
Tactics column was a staple in the Illinois Chess Bulletin. He has often facilitated TD Workshops at both the U. S. Open Delegates Convention and at the National Open
Chess Festival; furthermore, he facilitates Rulebook Tactics Workshops for players. His vast directing and organizing experiences in chess since the 1980’s includes: stints as the longtime chief TD at
the U. S. Blind, a long-term staff member at the National Open, more than a few U. S. Opens, countless stints as the
Chief, Floor Chief, Section Chief and Backroom staff at scores of National Scholastic tournaments, many club, local
and state tournaments, a Chess Life contributor, and a longtime service record as an Illinois Chess Association
officer and USCF delegate. In 2009 he received the USCF Outstanding Career Achievement award. And in 2010 his
TDCC committee received the USCF "Committee Of The Year" award. In 2012 he received the "TD of the Year"
award. One of his aims in life is to help others make sense of the wording in the USCF rulebook and tournament
