SW Florida Chess Club 2013 Scholastic Handbook For Players and Parents

Transcription

1 SW Flrida Chess Club 2013 Schlastic Handbk Fr Players and Parents Welcme t the SWFCC s Schlastic Chess Prgram. If this is yur first experience with a Schlastic Chess Prgram maybe even with turnament chess we want yu t feel cmfrtable and have a great time. T help make the Prgram as successful and fun as pssible, we want t make sure that everyne knws and understands the rules and plicies under which the Prgram is cnducted. Fr that purpse we have put tgether this Handbk fr yu, which significantly expands n the infrmatin in the turnament annuncement (flyer). We thught yu might find it cnvenient t have yur wn cpy fr reference. There is a lt f material here because we dn t want any player t be disadvantaged by misunderstanding r nt knwing the rules. The Schlastic Prgram attracts players with a wide range f experience and knwledge f turnament chess. Accrdingly, this Handbk nt nly cvers the basics but als prvides a mre detailed explanatin f sme tpics. Veteran turnament players, wh already knw the basics, will be interested in learning mre f the detail, whereas players new t turnament chess will need t learn the basics and might nt want t be cncerned abut all the details. Make use f the infrmatin as it best suits yur experience level. This handbk is available fr dwnlad n the club site at If yu have any questins, please us at swflchess@yah.cm r see the Turnament Directr. See yu at the Club! Table f Cntents PROGRAM STAFF... 2 THE RECREATION CENTER FACILITY... 2 PAIRINGS... 2 SPECTATORS... 2 WHO PLAYS WHOM... 2 THE PAIRING SHEET... 2 GETTING PAIRED OUT... 3 SIDE GAMES... 3 BYES... 4 REQUESTING BYES...4 FORFEITS... 4 RESIGNATIONS... 4 SCORING... 5 RECORDING GAME RESULTS... 5 WALL CHART... 6 TOURNAMENT ETIQUETTE... 7 PRIZES... 7 INFORMATION ON SWFCC S WEBSITE... 7 TIME CONTROL AND CHESS CLOCKS RATINGS... 8 RECORDING GAME MOVES... 8 SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 1 f 8

2 PROGRAM STAFF The club and its prgrams including the Schlastics are run as a vlunteer rganizatin with n paid psitins. Club members dnate their time and effrt t supprt and assist in the running f the club and its activities. THE RECREATION CENTER FACILITY The SW Flrida Chess Club meets at the Ester Recreatin Center, 9200 Crkscrew Palms Blvd. Ester FL There is a netime fee f $10 r $25 family, t jin. Upn arriving, g t the frnt desk t fill ut the applicatin. They will take a pht and give yu an ID card t pass under the scanner n all future visits. PAIRINGS Once yu have registered in a turnament, yu will be paired fr each f the three runds. Because the turnament directr will d the pairings fr the first rund based n wh is present, players shuld check in at the Club n later than 9:45am fr Saturday games (see Checking In ). If fr sme reasn yu have played the first f tw games and yu d nt wish t play the third game, please clearly ntify the turnament directr s yu will nt be paired against smene and have that child waiting with n ne t play. We strngly urge each player t cmmit t all three runds s n ne is left withut a game. If yu have nt yet entered the current turnament when yu arrive at the Club t play, see the turnament directr immediately t register. Once registered, find yur name n the wall chart that is psted fr yur sectin and find the bard number and what clr pieces yu will have. (If yu dn t see yur name n the wall chart, see the turnament directr immediately.) In rder t ensure that yu are included in the pairings fr the next rund, remember t check in! Nte: Once yu enter a turnament, yu are assumed t be present and are paired in all runds unless yu ntify the turnament directr in advance. (This is the case, in the Saturday SWFL Chess Club turnaments.) SPECTATORS While we try t create a mre relaxed chess envirnment, it is nevertheless a USCF-sanctined event, and that requires that we cnduct it in accrdance with certain standards. Mrever, we respect and will prtect the principle that chess is a game between tw players, and nly thse tw players have the right f determining their game s utcme within the rules f the game. Balancing these cncerns, we have adpted a plicy f nt permitting spectatrs t watch games in prgress in the turnament rm(s). WHO PLAYS WHOM The Pairing Sheet In a turnament, a pairing sheet is used t let each player knw (1) wh her r his ppnent is, (2) what clr t play, and (3) at what bard number t play. Bards (r, t be mre precise, places n the tables in the turnament rm) are numbered s that players can find their assigned places t play. The first player listed (in the left player clumn) is always the persn playing White; the persn playing Black is always listed in the secnd (right) player clumn. A pairing sheet smetimes shws ther infrmatin as well, such as ratings and pairing numbers. The ratings are as f the start f the turnament and remain the same thrughut the turnament. Unr stands fr unrated and indicates a player fr whm the USCF has nt yet calculated a rating. The pairing number simply indicates the player s place in a list f all players in the turnament (r sectin) based n rating, with number 1 being the highest-rated player. The pairing sheet is als where the players recrd the results f their games when they have finished playing (see Recrding Game Results ). SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 2 f 8

3 Belw is an example f a pairing sheet when it is psted at the beginning f a rund. This example als shws the players ratings but nt their pairing numbers. Nte als that because there were an dd number f players, smene had t be paired ut and received a full-pint bye fr the rund. (Alternative messages shw up fr a player wh gets paired ut. See T.D. and Please Wait are cmmn nes.) Getting Started Open Pairings fr Rnd 2 Bd Res White Player Res Black Player 1 Michael Chessplayer (1855) Jhn Pawnpusher (2295) 2 Rss Knight (2000) Benjamin Bishp (1937) 3 Carrie Careful (1375) Dnna Queen (1735) 4 Carlysle Castle (unr) Tinker Thinker (1602) 5 Frggy Frfeiter (unr) Jill Jilted (1575) 1 Pierre d Out (1125) See T.D. GETTING PAIRED OUT If yur sectin has an dd number f players fr a given rund, yu might be paired ut fr that rund (it s gt t happen t smene), meaning that there is n ne in the sectin t pair yu against. The player paired ut is usually the lwest-rated player in the lwest scre grup, but an unrated player culd als be paired ut. If yu are paired ut, yu will receive a full-pint bye fr that rund, which cunts just like winning a game fr purpses f scring. N ne will be paired ut mre than nce during any single turnament. If pssible, we ll give a player wh is paired ut the ptin f playing a side game (see Side Games ). SIDE GAMES Side games are games that d nt cunt as part f a turnament but may cunt fr rating. Players wh may be paired in side games are thse wh have been paired ut f a turnament rund, whse ppnents have nt shwn up, r wh have cmpleted bth turnament game early (that is, befre 5:00 pm). Players interested in playing a side game shuld ntify the turnament directr, wh will pair them if pssible. Because side games depend entirely n wh happens t be available, hwever, rating disparities between ptential ppnents ften must be disregarded. The fllwing cnditins apply t side games: Bth players must have the permissin f their accmpanying adult t play a side game after playing tw turnament games. This is t ensure that the players are nt staying ut later than the adult is cmfrtable with. Bth players must agree t play. Either player may decline the side game fr any reasn, including a disparity in ratings. Bth players must agree, befre starting play, that the game will be rated, and ntify the turnament directr accrdingly. If either player des nt want t play fr rating, the players may chse t play a nn-rated game ( just fr fun ). If the game is t be rated, the side game will be added t a turnament pairing sheet, where the players recrd the result. The game will be included in the turnament reprt t USCF and will be factred int the players rating calculatins. The players use sme methd such as flipping a cin r chsing hidden pawns t determine wh plays which clr. In a rated side game clrs must be determined randmly, by the turnament directr, s it is nt acceptable fr either player t vlunteer t play White r Black, even if the ther player agrees. SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 3 f 8

4 BYES In turnament chess, a bye is given fr any rund that a player des nt play, frfeits excepted. There are full-pint, halfpint and zer-pint byes that crrespnd in scring t a win (1 pint), a draw (½ pint), and a lss (0 pint) respectively. Full-pint byes are given nly in the case f a player being paired ut. Half-pint byes are given in many turnaments (a) fr runds already played by the time a player enters a turnament, and (b) when a player requests a bye in advance. Players are usually permitted t take nly a small number f half-pint byes (ne r tw typically) in any turnament. In sme turnaments n half-pint byes at all are allwed. Such as a three rund event. Requesting Byes Zer-pint byes are given in the fllwing circumstances: A player is given a zer-pint bye fr any rund fr which he r she requests a bye and is nt permitted t take a half-pint bye, either because half-pint byes were nt allwed at all r because the player has already taken the maximum number allwed. A player wh withdraws frm a turnament r frfeits a game is given zer-pint byes fr all remaining runds in that turnament (see Frfeits ). In mst turnaments a prcedure is in place fr players t request byes in advance. This applies t turnaments with fur r mre runds. Byes are given t all players wh are nt present. The SWFCC nly has three runds and therefre players shuld cmmit t all three runds r nt play. But there is ne situatin where a player shuld request a bye: if yu decide t leave after playing nly the early game n a Saturday, please let the turnament directr knw that yu are leaving and that he shuld nt pair yu fr the late rund that day. FORFEITS A player frfeits when he r she des nt shw up t play a game fr which he r she was paired. A player wh frfeits is given a zer fr a frfeit lss and is nt paired in future runds unless reinstated by the turnament directr. The ppnent f a player wh frfeits is given ne pint fr a frfeit win. Frfeits are rude because they leave ne and smetimes tw players withut an ppnent fr a rund. (If there is an dd number f players and yu frfeit, then nt nly des yur ppnent nt have a game but the player wh was paired ut als des nt have a game.) Please be cnscientius: dn t frfeit! Please nte that a frfeit is different frm a resignatin. A frfeit is when the game is nt played because ne r bth players d nt shw up. A resignatin is when the game is played and ne player decides t resign t give up r quit befre either player achieves checkmate. Frfeits d nt factr int a player s rating calculatin (see Ratings ); resignatins d. (See als Recrding Game Results. ) RESIGNATIONS A player resigns when he chses t stp playing any time after he has made at least ne mve in a game. Players usually resign because they cme t the cnclusin (rightly r wrngly) that they have little r n chance f winning r drawing the game, and they chse nt t cntinue playing in a lst cause ; but a player may chse t resign fr any reasn, regardless f what the psitin n the bard is. T resign simply means, I give up, yu win. Once a player has resigned, that cnclusively ends the game. The ppnent des nt have a chice whether t accept the resignatin r nt, and the player wh resigns may nt take back his resignatin if he suddenly sees a ptentially saving mve. When a player resigns, the scre t be recrded n the pairing sheet is a 0 fr the player wh resigned and a 1 fr his ppnent, just as if the winner had checkmated the lser (see Recrding Game Results ). A cmmn way t indicate that yu resign is t tip ver yur King intentinally. (It is nt a resignatin if yu knck yur King ver accidentally.) In adult turnaments, resigning players ften either tip their king ver, r simply stp bth clcks withut making a mve. In any case, nce yu have resigned, it is custmary and gd sprtsmanship t shake hands with yur ppnent. SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 4 f 8

5 SCORING In chess, pints are awarded fr game results as fllws (see als Recrding Game Results ): 1 fr each win, frfeit win, and full-pint bye fr being paired ut ½ fr each draw (and each half-pint bye fr runds nt played, as applicable) 0 fr each lss r frfeit, and each zer-pint bye fr runds nt played RECORDING GAME RESULTS The pairing sheet includes result clumns where the players recrd the result f their games when they have finished playing (see Pairing Sheet ). In a turnament bth players are respnsible fr making sure that their result is recrded. Results are recrded as shwn in the fllwing example: Getting Started Open -- Pairings fr Rnd 2 Bd Res White Player Res Black Player 1 0 Michael Chessplayer (1855) 1 Jhn Pawnpusher (2295) 2 1/2 Rss Knight (2000) 1/2 Benjamin Bishp (1937) 3 1 Carrie Careful (1375) 0 Dnna Queen (1735) 4 Carlyle Castle (unr) Tinker Thinker (1602) 5 F Frggy Frfeiter (unr) X Jill Jilted (1575) 1 Pierre d Out (1125) See T.D. Bd = Bard Number Res = Result Enter yur scre in the crrect Res clumn fr yur clr, as indicated by the arrws abve; enter yur ppnent s scre in the ther Res clumn. If yu wn, enter 1 fr yu and 0 fr yur ppnent. If yu lst, enter 0 fr yu and 1 fr yur ppnent. If yu and yur ppnent drew, enter ½ fr bth f yu. If yur ppnent frfeited, enter X fr yu and F fr yur ppnent. Nte that n result has been entered fr bard 4, indicating that the game is still in prgress, and that Pierre d Out received 1 pint because he was paired ut. When recrding the game results, please remember the difference between a frfeit and a resignatin (see Frfeits and Resignatins ). A frfeit is when the game is nt played because ne r bth players d nt shw up. A resignatin is when the game is played and ne player decides t resign t give up r quit befre either player achieves checkmate. Whether a player lst because he gt checkmated r because he resigned will nt be evident frm the recrded result, because he will have 0 in either case, but a 0 indicates that he played the game. A result f F means that the game wasn t played at all. SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 5 f 8

6 WALL CHART A wall chart shws the results f all the games in a turnament sectin. Players are listed n a wall chart usually in rder f rating, althugh smetimes they are listed accrding t their standing (cumulative scre) in the current turnament. Fr each player the wall chart shws: Name, USCF identificatin number, and rating And fr each rund f the turnament played (r paired) s far: Clr played (W r B) Oppnent (identified by pairing number) Cumulative turnament scre If a bye was taken ( ---- fr a zer-pint bye, bye fr a half- r full-pint bye) Because the wall chart shws cumulative scres, it takes a bit f calculatin t determine the result f any particular game after rund 1. T knw whether a player wn his r her rund 2 game, yu need t subtract the rund 1 scre shwn n the wall chart frm the rund 2 scre. If we cnsider the example n the next page, we see that Jhn Pawnpusher s rund 1 scre was 1 and his rund 2 scre was 2. This means that he scred 1 pint in rund 2 which means he wn his rund 2 game. Michael Chessplayer s scre, hwever, did nt change frm rund 1 t rund 2, meaning that he scred 0 in rund 2 which means he lst his rund 2 game. In ther wrds, a player s result frm any individual game, r rund, is reflected in the difference between the player s wall chart scre fr that rund and his r her scre fr the preceding rund. In a similar fashin, by cmparing the scre fr a bye rund with the scre fr the preceding rund, yu can determine whether the bye was a full-pint r half-pint bye. The example wall chart belw shws players listed accrding t rating. This wall chart is fr a fur-rund turnament, f which tw runds have been cmpleted. Rund 3 has been paired but nt cmpleted, s clrs and ppnents are shwn fr rund 3, but since the results f rund 3 have nt been reprted yet, the rund 3 clumn des nt shw a scre. The first clumn shws the pairing numbers. Getting Started Open Wall Chart Pair.N. Name/Rating/ID Rnd 1 Rnd 2 Rnd 3 Rnd 4 Ttal 1 Jhn Pawnpusher Rss Knight Benjamin Bishp Michael Chessplayer Dnna Queen Irwin Eliminatr Carlyle Castle Unr W 5 B 4 W bye W 3 B bye B 2 W B 7 W 1 B B 1 W 7 B bye W W 4 B 5 bye SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 6 f 8

7 TOURNAMENT ETIQUETTE Curtesy and gd sprtsmanship are the hallmarks f turnament etiquette. Here are sme particular examples t illustrate etiquette: PRIZES It is custmary t shake yur ppnent s hand bth befre yu start and after yu finish the game. Please be as quiet as pssible in (and near) the turnament rm while any game is in prgress. This refers t nise f all varieties; but especially it means that if it isn t really necessary t talk, dn t talk, and if it is necessary t talk, dn t talk ludly. Yu may leave the bard while yur game is in prgress (fr example, t g t the bathrm r get a drink). Remember, thugh, that yur ppnent is nt required t wait fr yu t cme back befre making his r her mve, s while yu are away frm the bard, yur clck will prbably be running. If yur ppnent is away frm the bard when yu make a mve, it is curteus t indicate what yur mve was when he r she returns by pinting t the piece yu mved. If yur ppnent frgets t press his r her clck after making a mve, it is curteus t remind him r her t d s. Simply pinting at the clck usually des the trick. It is gd practice never t make yur next mve until yur ppnent has pressed his r her clck. Cmpete fairly. Respect and cmply with all the rules and plicies regarding sprtsmanship (d nt behave in an annying r distracting manner, d nt either give r slicit advice n any game in prgress yurs r anyne else s, etc.) Be a gd winner when yu win. Be a gd lser when yu lse. Always be curteus and respectful tward yur ppnent. Every player will have the pprtunity t win ne r mre f several prizes in the turnament. Details f prizes are available in the descriptin f the current turnament and can be fund in the event flyer. INFORMATION ON SWFCC S WEBSITE Wall charts, standings and ther infrmatin fr the Schlastic Sectin will be psted alng with ther sectins f the turnament n SWFCC s website ( Each f the sectins within the turnament is a Swiss-style frmat. A Swiss turnament is a turnament designed fr a large number f players, in which each player plays sme f the ther players but nt all f them, and n tw players play each ther mre than nce. A Swiss turnament usually has three r mre runds and may have mre than ne sectin. A sectin is a grup f players wh are all at a cmparable level f ability as indicated by ratings. A rating is a numerical measure f a player s strength calculated by the United States Chess Federatin (USCF) based n games the player has played against ther rated players. The cmpetitin is tugher in sectins with higher-rated players. Sectins are separated by break pints, which are (usually) rating values decided upn by the turnament rganizer. Multiple sectins usually ccur in events with a large number f players. Fr example, a turnament rganizer might set 900, 700 and 500 as break pints t define; Open, Under 900, Under 700 and Under 500 sectins in the turnament. Nte that the break pint is a flr, nt a ceiling. This means that a player rated 680 may chse t play up in the U900 sectin (r even in the Open sectin) but wuld nt be permitted t play in the Under 500 sectin. A player rated 910 culd play nly in the Open sectin. A player plays nly ther players in his r her wn sectin. Players are paired which means matched up t play each ther initially n the basis f their ratings and, after rund 1 has been played, n the basis f bth their ratings and their scres (game results). See Ratings, Pairings, and Scring fr further explanatin. The SWFCC s current frmat sets the Schlastic Sectin t include all children rated Under 900. Once a child s rating ges abve USCF 900 he/she will play in a regular sectin. SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 7 f 8

8 TIME CONTROL AND CHESS CLOCKS The time fr each player is measured separately. A chess clck is a timing device that allws tracking each player s time separately. A chess clck is actually tw clcks jined in such a way that when ne is running, the ther is nt running. A player s clck is running when it is that player s turn t mve. A player cmpletes a mve by pushing dwn the stem n his r her clck ( pressing the clck ) t stp it and t start the ppnent s clck. It is pssible t stp bth clcks, when, fr example, either player needs t get the turnament directr t reslve an issue r answer a questin. (Features vary n different clcks, especially digital clcks. If yu are abut t use a clck that yu are nt familiar with, make sure yu understand hw t press it and stp it befre yu start yur game. Dn t be shy abut asking questins!) If yu are using an analg (r mechanical) clck as ppsed t a digital clck make sure the clck is wund r has gd batteries. Yu shuld set the clck s that a player s time expires at 6:00. S, if the time cntrl is G/30, yu shuld set each side f the clck t 5:30; if the time cntrl is G/60, yu shuld set each side f the clck t 5:00. Players wh have chess clcks (and ther equipment) are requested t bring them t supplement the Club s limited supply. If there are nt enugh chess clcks t g arund, games will have t be played withut a clck. (This is nt a desirable situatin.) In the case f tw players playing withut a clck, the time cntrl is enfrced accrding t elapsed wall-clck time. Fr example, a G/30 game that begins at 1:15 P.M. will end at 2:15 P.M. If the game is still in prgress at 2:15, the turnament directr will declare it a draw regardless f the game psitin r remaining material fr the respective players. IMPORTANT: While chess clcks are designed t be reasnably rugged, players must treat clcks with care and respect. The clck yu are using may nt be yur wn prperty; it may belng t yur ppnent r t the club, r it may be brrwed frm anther player. D nt slam the buttns n the clck. Yu are pressing the clck, nt punching it. A gentle press is sufficient t stp the clck. Always handle the equipment (clck, set, and bard) prperly. See Playing Under a Time Cntrl under Turnament Rules fr mre infrmatin. RATINGS The United States Chess Federatin (USCF) calculates ratings fr players wh have played rated games in USCFsanctined turnaments. The rating is a numerical indicatr f a player s playing strength (r ability) relative t ther players. Mst schlastic players are rated between 200 and Masters ratings exceed The USCF publishes its fficial ratings every tw mnths. Unfficial new ratings are cntinually psted n the USCF website ( mre r less as turnament results are prcessed and will shw up n the mailing address f yur USCF magazine as sn as they are updated. All games played as part f the Schlastic Sectin f a SWFCC turnament will be rated games, meaning that their results will be reprted t the USCF, which will factr them int the calculatin f the players new ratings. Fr unrated players, these games will be the basis fr calculating their first rating. A rating is prvisinal until the USCF has prcessed the results f 25 games fr a player. A prvisinal rating is shwn fllwed by a slash (/) r small case p and anther number indicating the number f games n which the rating is based. When the rating is n lnger prvisinal, the number f games is nt shwn. Fr example, 1150/15 r 1150 p15, indicates a prvisinal rating based n 15 games, whereas 1150 by itself indicates a regular (nt prvisinal) rating. It s nt unusual that a prvisinal rating fluctuates greatly as new results are prcessed, s dn t be alarmed if this happens in yur case. Usually by the time 25 games have been prcessed, yur rating will be pretty stable and a reliable indicatr f yur playing strength. RECORDING GAME MOVES The algebraic system is the best system fr creating a recrd f game as it is played by writing the mves that each player makes accrding t the grid arund the bard. Turnaments require the recrding f mves made by each player. And while it nevertheless may be true, that fr many beginning players, recrding mves is a distractin and nuisance that detracts frm their enjyment f the game, we strngly urge schlastics t learn hw t recrd their mves and use a clck. It is nt necessary that players in the Schlastic Sectin in their first r secnd events recrd their mves, but we encurage players t d s if they knw hw. All Schlastic players must learn t recrd their mves. SW Flrida Chess Club 8/25/2013 page 8 f 8