ESSEX KNOCK-OUT COMPETITION - RULES

GENERAL

1. The Essex Knock-Out Competition will be a team contest organised on behalf of the Essex Chess Association by a Controller appointed by the Association's Executive Committee and assisted by the League Management Committee of the Essex Chess Association. The Essex Chess Association will register the competition with the English Chess Federation Game Fee Scheme.

2. The Competition will be run in a number of elimination rounds plus a final round. The winners of each round will qualify for the next round, and so on until the final round. The winners of the final round will receive at least one chess clock donated by the Essex Chess Association. Other prizes may be awarded, depending upon the total entry.

3. Each team shall consist of 6 players who will play two games against the same player from the other team, one game with the white pieces and one game with the black pieces.

4. Teams will be paired for each round by lot except that as far as possible teams from the same club or school will not be paired against each other. In each pairing the team first drawn will be termed the “home” team, its opponents the “away” team.

5. All matches will be played at the premises of the home team, unless varied by mutual agreement. Smoking is not permitted in the playing room during matches.

6. In the event of a drawn match, the team with the lower total of board numbers of games won will be deemed the winners. If the match is still drawn the result on the bottom board will be disregarded, and if it is still drawn the result(s) on the next higher board(s) will also be disregarded until the winners are identified. If all games in the match are drawn or this rule otherwise fails to break the tie, the match will be replayed.

7. If there are a sufficient number of entries, an additional competition will be held for first round losers. This competition will be called the Plate Tournament with a separate prize fund.

ELIGIBILITY

8. The following are eligible to compete:-

(a) as of right, all clubs affiliated to the Essex Chess Association, North Essex Chess League and Southend and District Chess League, and all schools affiliated to the Essex Schools Chess League.

(b) at the discretion of the Controller, any other Essex based club or school.

A club or school may enter more than one team.

9. Each player must be a bona-fide member of the club or school represented by his team, i.e.

(i) in the case of a club participating in the Essex Chess League, he or she must be an individual member of the Essex Chess Association.

(ii) in the case of a school, he or she must be a pupil or employee of that school.

(iii) in the case of any other club, he or she must be registered by that club with the Secretary of the League in which it participates.

No player may play for more than one team in the Competition during the season. No player may appear in the final without the prior written consent of the Controller, unless he has appeared in a previous round.

MATCH ARRANGEMENTS

10. Upon the announcement of the draw for the round, the home team shall within 7 days contact the away team to agree a match date.

11. All matches shall be completed by the closing date for the round, except that the Controller may grant an extension in exceptional cases, upon a reasoned request received from either team before the closing date.

12. A tied match shall be replayed within 3 weeks of the tie being declared, at the premises of the away team or at a venue to be agreed mutually.

RULES OF PLAY

13. Match officials shall exchange team lists at least 5 minutes before the agreed starting time and shall thereupon toss for colours: the team winning the toss shall have the white pieces on the odd-numbered boards in the first round of games. If officials of only one of the teams are present at the time designated for tossing for colours, that team shall be deemed to have won the toss.

14. Teams shall be played in descending order of strength, except that:-

(a) current club champions may be played on board 1.

(b) a substitution may be made at any time before flag fall if a nominated player is absent.

15. Except with the consent of the opposing match captain there shall be no changes in the teams between the two rounds of a match, save that a nominated player who is substituted in the first round may be reinstated for the second round.

16. The rate of play shall be all moves in 30 minutes.

17. The FIDE Laws of Chess, and in particular appendix B relating to rapidplay games will apply.

PROTESTS, PENALTIES AND APPEALS

18. A team may protest against the alleged commission by its opponents of any breach of the foregoing rules. Such protest shall be referred to the Controller within 7 days of the related incident.

19. The Controller will legislate upon any matter not covered by the foregoing rules and upon any conflict between any rule and any other rule.

20. A team may appeal against any decision of the Controller. Such appeal must be lodged with the Controller within 7 days of the announcement of the decision and shall be referred by the Controller to the League Management Committee, whose decision shall be final.

21. Once a team has been eliminated from the Competition, no decision - whether on appeal or otherwise - shall serve to reinstate that team if an affected match in the following round has been started.

September 2006