06. FIDE Tournament Rules

FIDE Tournament Rules

Approved by the 1986 General Assembly, 1 FIDE 2007 PB Meeting.
Amended by the 1989, 1992,1993, 1994, 1998 and 2006 General Assemblies.

The event shall be played according to the FIDE Laws of Chess. The FIDE Tournament Rules shall be used in conjunction with the Laws of Chess which in no way contradicts them. They apply to all official FIDE competitions. It is recommended they also be applied to all FIDE rated tournaments, amended where appropriate. The organizers, competitors and arbiters involved in any competition are expected to be acquainted with these regulations before the start of the competition.

1. General remark

Where an event has a problem not covered by internal rules, it is recommended these rules be accepted as the definitive regulations.

2. The Organizer (CO)

The federation or administrative body responsible for the organisation of a competition may entrust the technical organisation to an Organizer. He, together with the federation, in consultation with FIDE where appropriate, shall appoint an Organizing Committee to be responsible for all financial, technical and organisational matters.

3. Invitation, Registration and Functions

(a) Invitations to a FIDE competition shall be issued as soon as feasible.

(b) The CO must send, through the respective national federations, invitations to all participants qualified for that competition. The invitation letter shall first be approved by the President of FIDE for World and the Continental President for Continental Championships.

(c) The invitation should be as complete as possible, at the earliest opportunity, stating clearly the expected conditions and giving all details which may be of use to the player. The following should be included in the invitation letter and/or brochure which should also be posted on the FIDE website:

(1) The dates and site of the tournament.

(2) The hotel where the players are to stay (including e-mail, fax and telephone numbers)

(3) The tournament schedule: dates, times of play and places of: arrival, the opening ceremony, drawing of lots, play, special events, the closing ceremony, departure.

(4) The rate of play and the kind of clocks to be used in the tournament.

(5) The pairing system to be used for the event and the tie-break system.

(6) The financial arrangements: travel expenses; accommodation, duration for which board and lodging shall be provided, or the cost of such accommodation, including that for people accompanying the player; arrangements for meals; start money, pocket money, entry fee, full details of the prize fund, including special prizes, point money, the currency in which money shall be disbursed; tax liability; visas and how to obtain them.

(7) The means of reaching the playing venue and arrangements for transportation.

(8) The likely number of participants, the names of players invited and the name of the Chief Arbiter (CA see below).

(9) The website of the event, contact details with the organizers including the name of the CO.

(10) The players` responsibility towards the media, general public, sponsors, government representatives and other similar considerations.

(11) The date by which a player must give a definite reply to the invitation and where and when he shall report his arrival time.

(12) Security arrangements.

(13) Special medical considerations such as vaccinations recommended or required in advance.

(14) Arrangements for: tourism, special events, internet access, etc.

5. The CO shall guarantee medical treatment and medicines for all participants, officialseconds, arbiters and officials of a FIDE competition and shall insure them against accidents and the need for medical services, including medicine, surgical procedures, etc., but shall have no responsibility where there is a chronic condition. An official doctor shall be appointed for the duration of the competition.

6. Organisers and arbiters of a FIDE competition should bear in mind the Regulations for organisation of Top Level Tournaments (C.01).

7. Other regulations hereunder may apply also to the role of the CO. He and the CA must work closely together in order to ensure the smooth running of an event.

 8. The Chief Arbiter (CA)

The CA of a World competition shall be nominated by the President of FIDE and of a Continent Competition by the Continental President, each in consultation with the CO. He shall have the title of International Arbiter and shall have adequate experience of FIDE Competitions, FIDE official languages and relevant FIDE Regulations.

FIDE and/or the Organising Committee may nominate the arbiters and other staff. The duties of the CA are as specified by the Laws of Chess, the regulations of the competition and other FIDE Rules. During the event they are also to keep the record of each round, to oversee the proper course of the competition, to ensure order in the playing venue and players` comfort during play, and to supervise the work of the technical staff of the competition. Prior to the start of the competition: he may make additional regulations in consultation with the CO; must check all the conditions for play including the playing venue, playing hall, lighting, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, noise, etc.; secure through the CO all the necessary equipment; ensure a sufficient number of deputies and auxiliary technical staff are engaged. He shall ensure that conditions for the arbiters are satisfactory. It is his final decision, whether all the playing conditions meet the requirements of these FIDE regulations.

(a) The drawing of lots for the first round shall be arranged by the CO, if possible, to be open to players, visitors and media. Responsibility for the actual pairings, including drawing of lots, rests with the CA.

(b) The drawing of lots shall take place at least 12 hours (one night) before the start of the first round. All participants should attend the ceremony of drawing of lots. A player who has not arrived on time for the drawing of lots may be included at the discretion of the CA. The first round pairings shall be announced as soon as possible thereafter.

(c) If a player withdraws, is excluded from a competition after the drawing of lots but before the beginning of the first round, or there are additional entries, then the announced pairings shall remain unaltered. Additional pairings or changes may be made at the discretion of the CA in consultation in with the any players directly involved, but only if these minimise amendments to pairings which have already been announced.

(d) The pairings for a round robin shall use Berger tables, adjusted where necessary for double round events.

(e) The pairing for a Swiss shall use the pre-announced pairing system.

(f) The pairing system for events run on other systems shall be announced in advance.

(g) If the pairings are restricted in any way, e.g. players of the same federation, if possible, shall not meet in the last three rounds, then this shall be communicated to the players as soon as possible.

(h) For round robins this restricted drawing of lots may be done by using the Varma tables, reproduced below, which can be modified for tournaments of from 10 to 24 players

Direction for “restricted drawing of tournament numbers:

1. The arbiter shall prepare beforehand, unmarked envelopes each containing one of the below numbers. The envelopes containing a group of numbers are then placed in unmarked larger envelopes.

2. The order in which players draw lots is listed beforehand as follows: The players of the federation with greatest number of representatives shall draw first. Where two or more federations have the same number of representatives, precedence is determined by the alphabetical order of the FIDE country code. Among players of the same federation, precedence is determined by the alphabetical order of their names

3. For example, the first player of the first with the largest number of players shall choose one of the large envelopes containing at least enough numbers for his contingent, and then draw one of the numbers from this envelope. The other players from the same contingent shall also draw their numbers from the same envelope The numbers that remain are available for use by other players.

4. The players of the next contingent then draw lots and the procedure is followed until all players have drawn their numbers.

5. The following Varma Table can be used for 10 to 24 players.

• 9/10 players A: (3, 4, 8); B: (5, 7, 9); C: (1, 6); D: (2, 10)

• 11/12 players A: (4, 5, 9, 10); B: (1, 2, 7); C: (6, 8, 12); D: (3, 11)

• 13/14 players A: (4, 5, 6, 11, 12); B: (1, 2, 8, 9); C: (7, 10, 13); D: (3, 14)

• 15/16 players A: (5, 6, 7, 12, 13, 14); B: (1, 2, 3, 9, 10); C: (8, 11, 15); D: (4, 16)

• 17/18 players A: (5, 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, 16); B: (1, 2, 3, 10, 11, 12); C: (9, 13, 17); D: (4, 18)

• 19/20 players A: (6, 7, 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18); B: (1, 2, 3, 11, 12, 13, 14); C: (5, 10, 19); D: (4, 20)

• 21/22 players A: (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 17, 18, 19, 20); B: (1, 2, 3, 4, 12, 13, 14, 15); C: (11, 16, 21); D: (5, 22)

• 23/24 players A: (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 19, 20, 21, 22); B: (1, 2, 3, 4, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17); C: (12, 18, 23); D: (5, 24)

(a) All games must be played in the playing area at the times specified in advance by the organizers, unless otherwise decided by the CA.

(b) Smoking is banned in FIDE-rated events. Smoking is not permitted in the playing hall for the duration of the tournament. This applies to everyone present - players, officials, media representatives and spectators.
A separate area outside the playing area must be provided where smoking is permitted. This should be easily accessible from the playing hall. If local ordinances totally prohibit smoking on the premises, the players and officials must be provided with easy access outdoors.

(c) If mechanical clocks are used, they shall be set so that each unit registers six o`clock at the first time control.

(d) The CA shall announce the time for starting and for adjourning games.

(e) Where it is clear games have been pre-arranged, the CA shall impose penalties.

(f) A glossary of common relevant terms in several languages should be available to the arbiter.

11. Where not all games are played

(a) If a player has lost one game by default for reasons that are not valid, the player is expelled after one game unless the CA decides otherwise.

(b) If player has lost three games by defaulthe shall be expelled from the competition, unless the regulations of an event indicate otherwise or the CA rules otherwise.

(c) When a player withdraws or is expelled from a round-robin tournament, the effect shall be as follows:

(d) If a player has completed less than 50% of his games, his score remains in the tournament table (for rating and historical purposes), but the points scored by him or against him are not counted in the final standings. The unplayed games of the player and his opponents are indicated by (-) in the tournament table and those of his opponents by (+). If neither player is present this will be indicated by two (-).

(e) If a player has completed at least 50% of his games, his score shall remain in the tournament table and shall be counted in the final standings. The unplayed games of the player are shown as indicated as above.

(f) If a player withdraws from a Swiss-system tournament the points scored by him and by his opponents shall remain in the cross-table for ranking purposes. Only games that are actually played are rated.

(g) Articles 10(e) and (f) also apply to team events; both unplayed matches and unplayed games must be clearly indicated as such.

12. Penalties, appeals

(a) When there is a dispute, the CA or CO as appropriate should make every effort to resolve matters by reconciliation. If such means fail and the dispute is such that penalties are appropriate, where penalties are not specifically defined by the Laws or the regulations, he shall have discretionary power to impose penalties. He should seek to maintain discipline and offer other solutions which may placate the offended parties.

(b) In all events there shall be an Appeals Committee. The CA and CO shall ensure that the Appeals Committee is elected or appointedbefore the start of the first round, usually at the drawing of lots. It is recommended this consists of a Chairman, at least two members and two reserve members. Preferably no two members of the committee shall come from the same federation. No arbiter, administrator or player involved in the original dispute shall be a member of the appeal committee actually considering that dispute. Such a committee should have an odd number of voting members.  Members of the Appeals Committee should not be younger then 18 years old.

(c). A player may appeal against any ruling made by the CA or CO or one of their assistants, provided the appeal is accompanied by a fee and submitted in written form not later than the deadline.  Both fee and deadline shall be fixed in advance. The decisions of the Appeal Committee shall be final. The fee is returnable if the appeal is successful. It may also be returned if the appeal is unsuccessful, but reasonable in the view of the committee.

13. TV, filming, photographs

(a) Television cameras are permitted in the playing venue and contiguous areas with the approval of the CO and CA only if they operate noiselessly and are unobtrusive.  The CA shall ensure the players are not disturbed or distracted in any way by the presence of TV, video, cameras or other equipment.

(b) Only authorised photographers may take photographs in the playing venue. Permission to do so in the playing hall is restricted to the first ten minutes of the first round and the first five minutes each subsequent round, unless the CA decides otherwise.

14. The conduct of the players

(a) Once a player has formally accepted an invitation, he must play except in cases of force majeure, such as illness or incapacity. Acceptance of another invitation is not considered to be a valid reason for withdrawal.

(b) In his reply a player may, if he wishes, mention pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes and special dietary requirements.

(c) All the participants should be dressed in a suitable manner.

(d) A player who does not wish to continue a game and leaves without resigning or notifying the arbiter is discourteous. He may be penalised, at the discretion of the CA, for poor sportsmanship.

(e) A player may speak only as permitted in the Laws of Chess and Tournament Regulations.

(f) All complaints concerning the behaviour of players or captains must be made to the arbiter. A player is not permitted to complain directly to his opponent.

15. Team Captain`s Role in Team Tournaments

(a) The role of a team captain is basically an administrative one during play. Depending on the regulations of the specific competition, the captain shall be required to deliver, at a specific time, a written list naming the players in his team who will participate in each round, communicate to his players their pairing, sign the protocol indicating the results in the match at the end of the play, etc.

(b) A captain is entitled to advise the players of his team to make or accept an offer of a draw or to resign a game, unless the regulations of the event stipulate otherwise. He must confine himself to give only brief information, based solely on the circumstances pertaining to the match. He may say to a player, “offer a draw, “accept the draw, or “resign the game. For example, if asked by a player whether he should accept an offer of a draw, the captain should answer “yes, “no, or delegate the decision to the player himself.

The captain shall abstain from any intervention during play. He shall give no information to a player concerning the position on the chess board, nor consult any other person as to the state of the game.

Players are subject to the same prohibitions. Even though in a team competition there is a certain team loyalty, which goes beyond a player`s individual game, a game of chess is basically a contest between two players. Therefore, the player must have the final say over the conduct of his own game. Although the advice of the captain should weigh heavily with the player, the player is not absolutely compelled to accept that advice. Likewise, the captain cannot act on behalf of a player and his game without the knowledge and consent of the player. All discussions shall take place in sight of the arbiter and he shall be entitled to insist on hearing the conversation.

(c) A team captain should encourage his team always to follow both the letter and the spirit of Article 12 of the FIDE Laws of Chess concerning the conduct of the players. Team championships, in particular, should be conducted in the spirit of the highest sportsmanship.