The rules do not cover matters relating to size and composition of divisions, promotion and relegation. For such matters see Promotion & Rel.
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE & DISTRICT CHESS ASSOCIATION
Sections in italics are my personal comments. They do not form part of the rules.
PLAYING RULES
ARTICLE 1 RULES
All games played under the League's auspices shall be played according to the rules of the B.C.F. and to the Laws the F.I.D.E.
ARTICLE 2 REGISTRATION OF PLAYERS
Rule 1 All persons playing for a club must be bona fide members of that club.
Rule 2 No player shall play for more than one club in the League in any one season, in any League competition including the knock-out, unless authorised to do so by the League General Secretary.
Rule 3 All clubs must send to the league General Secretary before the end of September a list of all players tied to each team with a minimum of five or four players in each team, as appropriate. Players may be added to the tied list at any time provided that they have not played for any other team during the season. All players must be tied to a team.
Rule 4 When a player plays his/her first league match of the season he/she automatically becomes tied to that team for which he/she plays in that match, unless his/her name has been included in the list of tied players previously submitted to the league General Secretary or unless notification has been sent with the result card of that match tying him/her to a lower team.
Rule 5 Where a club enters more than one team in the league, a player tied to a lower team may play for higher teams provided he plays no more than a total five games for such teams Each player playing for a higher team must have the letter of the team to which he is tied included on the match result card with his name.
Rule 6 Where a club has two or more teams in the same division, players tied to one of these teams must not play as reserves for other teams in the same division, except where the club has no teams in lower division.
Rule 7 If a player from a lower team wins a game by default for a higher team, he shall not be deemed to have played one of his five games.
Rule 8 There shall be a discount of £3 per team for teams that pay their League fees before the 31st October. Such fees must be in the hands of the treasurer before 1st November.
Rule 1 Before the commencement of the match, the captains shall exchange lists of players in order of strength irrespective of to which team each is tied. All players names must be declared. If this is not possible the potential defaults must be on the lowest boards.
Rule 2a A player may not play on a higher board than a player with a published B.C.F. grade fifteen points higher than his own except covered by Article 3, Rules 3 and 4. The "shadow" grading list as circulated by the League General Secretary should be consulted for ungraded players. Until the current season's grading list is available, the previous season's list should be used. Players with no grade on the circulated list should play in order of strength according to the team captain's own estimation of their grade.
Rule 2b The penalty for breaking this rule is that the higher graded player playing on the lower board should be classed as ineligible.
Rule 3 If a player is absent when play is about to begin, the opposing captain may require all the remaining members of the team to move up to fill the gap whilst retaining the original order. The latecomer may be allowed to play on the highest available board at his time of arrival.
Note that under these circumstances a player is permitted to play out of strength order without penalty.
Rule 4 A captain may substitute any eligible player for an absent player (except in circumstances covered by Article 9 Rule 1) in order to avoid the risk of loss by default. Such substitution must take place before one hour has elapsed and is irrevocable.
ARTICLE 4 MATCH ARRANGEMENTS AND DEFAULTS
Rule 1 Each team is responsible for arranging its own home fixtures.
This refers to arranging access to venue, equipment, etc. The dates of fixtures are arranged by the fixture secretary.
Rule 2 A team shall consist of five or four players, as appropriate. A team fielding less than the number of players required by the relevant competition shall be deemed to have defaulted any board not filled.
Rule 3 Clocks must be started by 7.40 p.m. If a match starts late as a result of the home team not being present at 7.40 p.m.then the away team may direct that the clocks be adjusted to read as if they had started at 7.40 p.m. to take account of the delay.
i.e. the approprite time is taken off the home teams clocks.
Rule 4 A game may not be claimed by default until one hour has elapsed from the starting time.
Rule 5 A game shall be scored to any player for whom no eligible opponent is provided. A club failing to keep an appointment shall lose the match by default.
Rule 6 The away team shall have white on the odd numbered boards except in matches played on neutral ground where the colour on the odd numbered boards shall be decided on the toss of a coin.
Rule 7 Both clubs are responsible for sending the results cards to the Results Secretary within ten days of the match being played.
Rule 8 Scores of each game should be recorded in a recognised system of notation by both players in case of dispute.
Rule 9 The use of clocks shall be compulsory. The hands shall initially be set at ten minutes to five for each player. The time limit shall be 35 moves in the first 70 minutes followed by a 15 minute Quickplay finish. At the completion of black's thirty-fifth move both clocks must be moved back fifteen minutes to the satisfaction of both players and the game shall then be conducted in accordance with the B.C.F. Rules on Quickplay finishes.
Rule 10 The home team is responsible for providing clocks. If they are unable to do so, the secretary of the home club shall notify the official team contact of the visiting team in time to allow the provision of sufficient clocks.
Rule 11 A won game shall score one point, a drawn game shall score half a point and a lost game no points.
Rule 12 A match shall be considered to be five or four players as appropriate from each of two opposing sides taking part in games of chess at the same venue at a given time - games played at other venues or at the same venue on another date shall be considered void.
Rule 13 Smoking across the board and in the playing area shall not be permitted - if a player insists on smoking across the board his opponent may claim the game by default.
The playing area is that part of the playing room in which play takes place. In many clubs 'playing area' and 'playing room' are synonymous. Note that in addition players must respect the smoking policies of the various venues, some of which may be non-smoking throughout.
Rule 1 Once the composition of the league has been established, the Executive Committee shall appoint someone to work out a fixture list. This shall be submitted to appropriate League Officials for approval.
Rule 2 The season shall normally run from the 1st October to the 30th April. Any league games unplayed by the 1st May shall be declared void for both teams concerned unless either club appeals to the General Secretary in the case of any special circumstances as per Article 7.
Rule 3 Where a club has two or more teams in the same division, all matches between these teams must be played before the end of January
Any club wishing to alter a fixture date must notify their opponents official team contact at least seven days beforehand. If less than seven days notice be given (except in the case of inclement weather), the opposing team may insist on the match taking place on the original date. If this is impossible then the match may be claimed by default. Details of new dares for rearranged matches must be notified to the Results Secretary by both teams concerned within seven days.
Any dispute must be notified in writing within fourteen days of the said dispute to the Association General Secretary. The General Secretary will decide, dependent on the urgency of the dispute, whether to call an immediate Executive Committee or to refer it to the President or Chairman or next Executive Committee meeting. Any dispute not notified within fourteen days will not be accepted unless evidence regarding the said dispute which was not previously available can be put forward. Both parties to the dispute will be invited to attend any resultant Executive Committee meeting and informed in advance of any complaint made against them.
A team including an ineligible player (ie a player who is tied to another club, or higher team of the same club, or a player playing six or more games for a higher team when tied to a lower team) shall have one game point deducted from the team score in that match. This shall be in addition to the game of the ineligible player being scored to his opponent irrespective of the result.
Wording along the lines of 'or a player playing out of grading order as defined in article 3' is now included in the bracketed definition of an ineligble player.
Rule 1 Unless due notification is given to the official team contact of the opposing team, teams shall pay a penalty to the league for each board defaulted.
Rule 2 Neutral venues shall serve as away fixtures for both teams.
Rule 3 The nature of the penalties shall be reviewed annually and defined at the Annual General Meeting
ARTICLE 10 KNOCK-OUT COMPETITIONS
Rule 1 The Association shall annually hold the following competitions:-
a) an eight-man team knock-out limited to one team per club;
b) a five-man team knock-out limited to players graded under 135;
c) a five-man team knock-out limited to players graded under 110.
Rule 2 The rate of play shall be as in League Competitions.
Rule 3 In events (b) and (c) a player's grade must be his last published one - not a provisional or shadow grade. If a player has more than one published grade in the season concerned then the higher grade counts. The Team Contact of a team containing an ungraded player should consult the League Grading Officer prior to a match in which he/she is to play, in order to obtain advice as to the board upon which he/she should play.
Obviously the he/she refers to the ungraded player, not the team contact. Contacting the LGO also serves to confirm the eligibility of the ungraded player for the competition and so should remove the possibility of dispute between teams on this point.
Rule 4 At regular intervals weeks shall be set aside for matches in the knock-out competitions. The final match shall be played before the end of April. The Association Results Secretary shall notify all teams of their next knock-out opponents, giving them as much notice as possible. Each home team then has the responsibility of confirming the date and venue with the opposing away team.
Rule 5 If a match in the knock-out competitions results in a draw, then a board count shall be taken. If this board count also results in a draw then the elimination rule shall be applied. If all games in a match are drawn, then the match shall be replayed with the venue and colours reversed. If a second replay is necessary then the venue shall be neutral with the team captains flipping a coin for the choice of colour on odd boards. The board count and elimination rules shall also be applied to replays if necessary. In the event of a deadlock in a second replay, the Executive Committee shall arbitrate on how the match should be resolved.
Any infringement of the Association Rules or the Constitution by any player or member club shall be dealt with by the Executive Committee or by a sub-committee set up specifically for that purpose by the Executive Committee. Top
NORTH STAFFORDSHIRE & DISTRICT CHESS ASSOCIATION
CONSTITUTION
Sections in italics are my personal comments. They do not form part of the constitution.
1) NAME
The league shall be called "The North Staffordshire and District Chess Association".
2) OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the association shall be :-
a) to encourage the study and practice of chess in the area;
b) to institute and maintain championship contests between member clubs and individual players;
c) to promote representative matches with leagues in other areas;
d) to promote and foster chess generally throughout the area.
3) MEMBERSHIP
a) Any club whose venue is within 30 kilometres of Hanley bus station shall be eligible for membership of the Association.
Note that this does preclude more distant clubs from becoming members, but it gives us a simple way of saying no to them. Given that the Association exists to promote chess in the area, applications for membership from clubs within the 30 km limit should normally be successful unless there is good reason to deny the application.
b) There shall be no limit to the number of teams that any club may enter in the league, subject to the approval of the Annual General Meeting.
4) SUBSCRIPTION
a) Each team shall pay a fee to be decided by the Annual General Meeting as a subscription to the Association.
b) Every player must be registered with the Staffordshire Chess Association before the thirtieth of April at the end of the season, with the exception of players from clubs registered with other County Associations, in which case a minimum of five players per team must be registered with the Staffordshire Chess Association.
Although players are no longer individually registered with the counties 4b retains its place in the constitution partly because of the wish to make minimal changes to the document and partly because it helps to emphasize the relationship between the Association and the County.
5) OFFICERS
The officers of the Association shall be :-
a) a President;
b) a Chairman;
c) a General Secretary;
d) a Treasurer.
6) GOVERNMENT
a) The Association shall be governed by an Executive Committee consisting of the Officers of the Association and the following three Officials :-
i) a Results Secretary;
ii) a Publicity Secretary;
iii) a Tournament Secretary;
together with other elected members to a total of eleven.
b) The Executive Committee shall meet at least thtee times a year. Other committees and sub-committees may be formed to deal with specific aspects of League management at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
c) The League General Council shall consist of the four Officers of the Association together with one representative of each member club.
d) The League General Council shall meet as deemed necessary by the executive committee to debate the general running of the league.
The league general council is currently relatively unimportant since most clubs are represented on the Executive Committee. However should the number of clubs expand again then the general council would provide a useful forum for clubs to make their views known to the League Officers.
e) All Officers, Officials and Executive Committee members shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting.
f) All retiring Officers, Officials and Executive Committee members shall be eligible for re-election.
g) An auditor shall be appointed at the Annual General Meeting to examine the Association's accounts prior to their presentation at the next Annual General Meeting.
h) Six members of the Executive Committee shall be understood to constitute a quorum for any meeting.
I) A special meeting of the League General Council may be requested by three members representing at least three clubs. The general secretary shall give all clubs fourteen days notice of such a meeting.
7) THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
a) The Annual General Meeting shall be held during the month of July.
b) At least twenty-one days notice of the Annual General Meeting must be given in writing to all clubs.
c) Any proposal to be put to the Annual General Meeting must be submitted in writing at least twenty-eight days before the meeting is to take place, and must be circulated to all clubs with the notice of the meeting.
d) Any registered member of any club in the membership of the Association is entitled to attend the Annual General Meeting.
e) The four Officers of the association, together with two accredited representatives of each member club, are eligible to vote at the Annual General Meeting.
8) AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Amendments to the Constitution may be brought about by the following procedures :-
a) Any proposed change of the Constitution must first be approved by a two-thirds majority at a meeting of the League Executive Committee specially convened for that purpose.
b) If the proposed change of the Constitution is approved by a two-thirds majority of the League Executive Committee, then it shall be placed before the Annual General Meeting as a League Executive Committee recommendation.
c) If the proposed change of the Constitution is approved by a two-thirds majority at the Annual General Meeting, then it shall be written immediately into the Constitution and become operative from that time.
9) CHANGE OF RULES
a) Proposed changes of the rules may be submitted to any meeting of the Executive Committee.
b) Any proposed change of rule approved by a simple majority of the Executive Committee shall be placed as an Executive Committee recommendation before the Annual General Meeting.
c) Any proposed change of rule approved by a simple majority at the Annual General Meeting shall be written immediately into the League Rules and become operative from that time.
This is not the same procedure as for changing the constitution. For the constitution changes must be approved first by the Executive Committee. For rule changes the Executive Committee route may be taken, or the proposal can simply be put directly to the AGM (appropriate notice having been given). The advantage of the Executive Committee route is that the sponsor will get feedback as to the likelihood of success of the proposal, and possible suggestions on rewording to increase this chance.
10) DISSOLUTION
a) In the event of the Executive Committee approving a proposal that the Association, as constituted, be no longer a viable organisation, then an Extraordinary General Meeting of the association shall be called, which all members of all clubs shall be entitled to attend.
b) The only item on the agenda of such an Extraordinary General Meeting shall be the dissolution the Association.
c) All decisions of this Extraordinary General Meeting shall be submitted in writing by the League General Secretary or by his/her accredited agent to the members of the League Executive Committee and to the Secretary of each member club within one calendar month of such a meeting.
d) A second Extraordinary General Meeting shall then be called, to take place within two calendar months of the first such meeting.
e) All decisions of this second Extraordinary General Meeting shall prove to be binding on the Association, and shall be put into operation immediately subsequent to such a meeting.
Although it was suggested at the last Executive meeting that a dissolution clause should be added, we have not had time to collectively consider the wording. It was decided at the 2004 AGM that this section should hold for one year only, with the executive to put forward this or a suitably reworded clause to the next AGM for permanent inclusion.