1. Incorporation of Laws of Chess
1.1 All the games in the BDCL competitions shall be played in accordance with the Laws of Chess of the International Chess Federation unless otherwise provided by these Rules.
1.2 These BDCL Rules shall apply to all competitions conducted by the League except in cases where the rules of a particular competition provide otherwise.
2. The League's Competitions
2.1 The League's Team Competitions shall be open annually to teams of all clubs for the time being affiliated to the League. The following team competitions shall be run in each season: (a) The All-Play-All Championships which shall be organised in divisions according to the estimated playing strength of the competing teams; (b) The Knock-Out Competitions for the Terrill, Homer, Townshend and Barrington Trophies; and (c) The Minor Division. There shall also be Knock-Out Individual Tournaments, organised in grade-banded sections as provided for in Rule 21.
2.2 The Frank H Terrill Memorial Trophy shall be open for annual competition to all teams for the time being affiliated to the League. The Gerald Homer Memorial Trophy shall be open for annual competition to those teams which are eliminated from the Terrill Trophy competition in the first round otherwise than by default.
The Dudley M Townshend Memorial Trophy shall be open for annual competition to teams from the lower divisions of the League which are not currently competing for the Frank H Terrill Memorial Trophy. The Management Committee shall determine at the start of each season the highest division of the All-Play-All Competition from which teams shall be eligible to compete for the Dudley M Townshend Memorial Trophy. The Jim Barrington Memorial Trophy shall be open for annual competition to those teams which are eliminated from the Townshend Trophy Competition in the first round otherwise than by default. The Memorial Trophies shall be held by their respective winners for a period of one year and shall be suitably engraved to record the success of the winning team.
2.3 Any team winning the right to hold any trophy belonging to the League shall be responsible for its safe keeping whilst in possession of it and shall also return it to the Honorary General Secretary or designated assistant for presentation to its successors at the proper time.
3. Entries and Allocations to Divisions
3.1 Any affiliated club wishing to play in the Team Competitions for any season shall enter its teams in a written notice to the Honorary General Secretary or designated assistant to be received not later than May 31st preceding the start of the season. Late entries may be made provided that they are received by the Honorary General Secretary or designated assistant no later than the 31st August preceding the start of the season and are made in writing. The Management Committee shall have an absolute discretion to accept or refuse such late entries. Late entries accepted by the Management Committee shall be subject to a late entry fee to be decided by the Finance and General Purposes Committee. Such fees shall not exceed £10.
3.2 Before each season begins the Management Committee shall (subject to the provisions of Rule 15.1) group entries for the Team Competition into such divisions as the size and strength of the entry shall necessitate, provided that no division shall contain more than 14 teams. The Committee's decisions concerning such groupings shall be final and binding on all affiliated clubs and teams.
4. Ratings of Players
4.1. Where the League's rules require discrimination between players based on order of strength the measure of strength used shall, where possible, be based on the official rating list published by the English Chess Federation at the beginning of August prior to the start of the season. Category P grades on that list are to be disregarded for this purpose, except as provided for in Rule 4.4.
4.2. If a player has an over-the-board Standard Play rating on the ECF list then this shall be taken as their rating for this purpose. If a player has no Standard Play rating then an over-the-board Rapid Play rating shall be used if available, and failing that an over-the-board Blitz rating if any.
4.3. If a player has no over-the-board rating on the ECF list but has a rating on the FIDE list that rating will be taken, with the order of priority of the different time limits being the same as specified for ECF ratings in Rule 4.2.
4.4. An unrated player shall be assigned an estimate by his club which is subject to confirmation by the league. The estimate may subsequently be revised by the League if it becomes apparent that it was seriously in error. Any official ECF online rating should be taken into account when assigning or revising this estimate, as may any category P ratings. The Management Committee shall establish a process for accepting these estimates.
4.5. Any player not having an official over-the-board Standard Play rating who acquires one during the season shall thereafter be regarded as being of that rating for the purposes of rule 8.2. In all other cases the player’s rating as determined at the start of the season shall apply until the end of December. After the publication of the ECF official rating list at the start of January the ratings on that list shall be used for the purposes of Rule 8.2 and of Rule 5.5 for later registrations, but in no circumstances will amendment to existing registrations on account of changes in rating between August and January be permitted or required.
4.6. Where the rules specify that players are to be listed in approximate rating order this condition shall be regarded as satisfied if no player is rated more than 100 points below any player placed lower on the list.
5. Registration of Players
5.1 All players must be registered, as individual members of the League, for the team in the All-Play-All Competition for which they are to play before they are eligible to play in any of the competitions of the League. All appropriate registration fees must be paid by 31st October.
5.2. The Honorary General Secretary or designated assistant of the League must receive the stipulated number of copies of the initial registrations and additional registrations on forms to be supplied by the League (or suitable facsimiles thereof), at least five clear days before the first match in which the player concerned is to play. No player may be registered after 1st March in any season.
5.3 Every player so registered must have, prior to the player's registration, become a subscribing member of the club requesting the player's registration.
5.4 Any player who has been registered in this league for the last two seasons shall not be accepted for registration as one of the minimum number of players required for a team under rule 5.5 unless that player played in this League at least four times in all in the last two seasons. However, should a player play for the fourth time within the current season, that player will then automatically be accepted as one of the minimum number of players required for a team under rule 5.5. If the four games are played prior to 31 December, players from the team shall be eligible to be re-registered to play for a lower team under the terms of Rule 5.13.
5.5 When a club has more than one team competing in the League's events it shall not be entitled to play any matches in any season until it shall have validly registered for each of such teams the number of players required by Rule 8.1 and shall, despite anything contained in Rules 5.11 and 5.12, contain this minimum number of validly registered players throughout the season. In such cases each club shall register its players so that all players are allocated to their respective teams in approximate rating order in accordance with Rule 4. Clubs wishing to apply for an exemption to this rule must state their reasons when registering the players. The Management Committee shall establish a process for accepting or declining such applications.
5.6 The Honorary General Secretary shall be empowered to refuse acceptance of any individual player's registration. Such decision shall be notified to the club concerned but the Honorary General Secretary shall not be required to give reasons for his decision.
5.7 No player may be simultaneously registered for more than one affiliated club, but any player who may desire to be transferred during the season from one club to another shall be entitled to be registered with the new club under the additional registration procedure.
5.8 When a club has more than one team playing in any one division then the teams must be labelled A, B, C ... in strength order with the A team being the strongest team. These teams must correspond to the club's registered list of playerssubmitted in accordance with Rule 5.5.
5.9 If any player shall be proved to have played in any event in the League's programme under any name other than his own in which some other player shall have been registered for play under Competition Rule 5.5 – excepting a name changed by marriage or a lawfully executed deed – the Rules Committee may, in addition to ordering the application of Rule 12.2b or any other appropriate Competition Rule, suspend such player and the team or club which included him in the event in question from participation in all match and individual tournament fixtures in the League's programme for the remainder of the season. In addition, the player and the team or club may be precluded from registering for the League's programmes for a period not exceeding five years.
During any period of suspension imposed under this rule no member of a suspended team or club may be transferred to or play for any other team or club in the League. All games scheduled to be played during any period of suspension shall be scored as lost by the offending player, team or club.
5.10 A player is deemed to have played in a match if the player's name is entered on the match card, unless the game is a default.
5.11 When a club has more than one team in the All-Play-All Championships, any player may play up to three times in any season for each of the club's higher teams than that in which the player is registered, including teams in the same division.
5.12 If, in the All-Play-All Championships, a player shall play for a fourth time in any season for any of his club's higher teams than that in which he is registered, or be re-registered in any such team, he shall be deemed to have become registered for play in that club’s higher team and shall, for the remainder of the season, be ineligible to play in any lower team of that club. Nevertheless, nothing in this rule shall affect such player's rights to continue to play for the team, for which he was originally registered, in any of the Knock-Out Competitions.
5.13 In the All-Play-All Championships a registered player may, before 31st December in any season, be re-registered to play for a lower team than that in which he is registered, provided that he shall thereafter be disqualified for the remainder of that season from playing for any higher team (save only the team, for which he was originally registered, in any of the Knock-Out Competitions.).
5.14 In the Knock-Out Competitions matches in the Terrill Memorial Trophy competition and matches in the plate competition for the Homer Memorial Trophy shall be regarded as matches in the same competition. Similarly matches in the Townshend Memorial Trophy Competition and matches in the plate competition for the Barrington Memorial Trophy shall be regarded as matches in the same competition. Nonetheless the Terrill Competition and its plate competition shall be regarded as a separate event from the Townshend Competition and its plate competition. A player may play in the Knock-Out Competition for the league team for which he is registered. The player may also play for a higher team taking part in a Knock-Out Competition than that in which he is registered provided that he shall not play for two teams in the same round of the same Knock-Out Competition.
For the purpose of this rule round two of the Terrill Competition shall be treated as the same as round one of the Homer plate and so on; and round two of the Townshend Competition shall be treated as the same as round one of the Barrington plate.
5.15 For penalties relating to the failure to comply with 5.1–5.14 refer to Rule 12.2
6. Arrangement of Fixtures
6.1 The Management Committee shall arrange all match fixtures in the All-Play-All Championships so that, as far as possible, (a) each team shall have not more than one match in each fortnight of the season, and (b) each team's home and away matches shall alternate. All matches must be scheduled to be played before the first Saturday in May.
6.2 If any division of the All-Play-All Competition shall contain eight or fewer teams at the start of the season, each such team shall play one home and one away match with each other team therein; but in any division containing nine or more teams each team shall play one match with each other team therein at venues to be decided by the Management Committee.
6.3 When a club has more than one team in any division of the All-Play-All Championships the matches between such teams shall be played before any of them shall be permitted to play any match against other clubs in that division.
6.4 The Management Committee shall arrange the fixtures in the Knock-Out Competitions and shall conduct all draws for the various rounds subject to the following conditions:
(a) The first round of the Terrill and Townshend Competitions shall be played in the last week of September which shall be kept free of other fixtures. In the Homer and Barrington Competitions the necessary number of byes shall be drawn in the first round. In the Terrill and Townshend Competitions there shall be no more than one bye in the first round.
(b) Six weeks shall be allotted for completion of the first round and five weeks for subsequent rounds.
(c) In the week allotted for the second round of the Terrill and Townshend Competitions the first round of the Homer and Barrington Competitions shall be played and that week shall be kept free of other fixtures. Any necessary byes in the Terrill and Townshend Competitions shall be drawn in the second round. The draw shall be made so that, as far as possible, no team which received a bye, or won a match by walk-over, in the first round shall receive a bye in the second round.
(d) In the third and subsequent rounds, League matches coinciding must be re-arranged forthwith.
(e) The first drawn team in each pairing shall have the choice of venue in all rounds except the finals, which shall be at neutral venues arranged by the Management Committee.
(f) Clubs are instructed to contact one another to confirm the playing arrangements.
(g) The weeks occupied by Christmas and New Year's Day will not be considered as playing time.
7. Postponements
7.1 Any team wishing to alter the date of a fixture (other than one governed by Rules 6.3 and 6.4) shall be entitled to do so provided that it shall notify the opposing team not less than 21 days before the original date for the match. When a match is postponed it shall be the duty of both clubs to agree a new date for the fixture and to notify the Hon. Records Secretary thereof at least seven days before the original date of the match.
7.2 Whenever it may become necessary to request the alteration of a fixture date as a result of some unexpected emergency, bad weather conditions, or the breakdown of public travelling facilities, the team making the request shall seek the agreement of the opposing team. If such agreement be refused, it may apply to the Honorary General Secretary of the League for permission to alter the said date, whereupon the Honorary General Secretary may, after considering the circumstances of the case, either grant or refuse the application, such decision being final and binding on the teams affected thereby. If the Honorary General Secretary cannot be contacted then the club should contact, in the first place, the President, or secondly the Chairman of the Rules Committee. When a match is postponed it shall be the duty of both clubs to agree a new date and inform the Honorary Records Secretary within 21 days of the date of the original fixture.
7.3 Notwithstanding anything contained in Rule 7.1, any team having to play a match in any Knock-Out Competition shall have the right to postpone any other League fixture which it may be due to play in the week fixed for the Knock-Out match provided that at least seven days' clear notice of the intention to do so shall have been given to the Honorary Records Secretary and to the opponents in the match which is to be postponed. It shall then be the duty of both clubs to agree a new date for the fixture and to notify the Honorary Records Secretary thereof within 21 days of the date of the original fixture. For penalties refer to Rule 12.1.
7.4 Any game or match not completed by the first Saturday in May shall be regarded as void in compiling the match result and the final league tables, unless a dispute (including a claim for a win by default for a breach of rule 7.1) has been referred to the Rules Committee. In the latter case the Rules Committee shall determine what is recorded as the outcome of the game or match.
8. Composition and Playing Order of Teams
8.1 All matches in the League’s competitions shall be played between teams of six players, except in the lowest division but one which shall have five players, and except in the lowest division where they shall consist of at least four players. The Match Committee shall decide the number of players in each team in the lowest division in each season. Teams in the lowest division which wish to enter the Knock-out Competition must have a minimum of six registered players available.
8.2 Before the start of each match the opposing captains shall list their players in descending approximate rating order in accordance with Rule 4 on a match card to be supplied by the League (or a suitable facsimile thereof). They shall then exchange cards and list their teams on the opposition’s card, then returning this card to the opposition. If a captain be aware that any player in his list will be defaulting, the wordDEFAULT shall be entered for the name on the lowest possible board and that game immediately recorded as lost by default.
8.3 No alteration or substitution of names in its list shall be made by any team after the commencement of play in any match.
8.4 Odd-numbered boards in the home team and even-numbered boards in the away team shall have the white pieces in all matches, each player playing one game with that player in the opposing team having the same number as himself.
9. Conduct of Play
9.1 All clubs shall include in their entry in the BDCL Handbook the club's designated start time. The start time must be one of 7.00pm, 7.15pm, or 7.30pm and will be the usual start time for all home matches in the League's competitions.
9.2 In all matches in the League's competitions play shall commence and white players' clocks shall be started at the home club's declared start time. However, the captains in any match may mutually agree to vary the starting time of any match provided that the amount of playing time required by Rule 9.3 shall not be shortened.
9.3 All games in any match shall be played in the home team's club-room on the date and at the time appointed therefore and shall be of sufficient length to meet the requirements of Rule 10.
9.4 Clocks shall be provided for all matches in the League's competitions, and they shall be started at all boards at the time fixed for the commencement of play. If the clocks are not started at the due time, any elapsed time must be deducted from the time allowance of the home players.
9.5 When recording moves in accordance with Article 8.1.1 of the Laws of Chess, a player may use descriptive notation. The offer of a draw shall be marked by =
9.6 With reference to Article 11.3.2 of the Laws of Chess, the taking of mobile phones into the playing area is permitted provided that they are switched off. If a player’s mobile phone emits any noise during a game then that player loses his game.
10. Time Limit
10.1 In any match the home team may, provided suitable clocks are available, require that the rate of play shall be all moves in 80 minutes with 10 seconds per move added throughout (“incremental”). If the home team does not so require the rate of play shall be all moves in 90 minutes (“quickplay”).
10.2 If the clocks have not already been started in any match the two players in any game may agree to play their game at either of the rates of play specified in 10.1
10.3 The captains shall indicate on the match card the nature of the time limit (incremental or quickplay) utilised in each individual game.
10.4 In all games where an incremental time limit is not adopted Guideline III of the Laws of Chess shall apply, with the exception of Article III.4. For the purposes of Article III.6 the designated arbiter shall be the Rules sub-Committee of the League.
11. Notification of Results
11.1 The result shall be sent to the Honorary Records Secretary by an official of the home club and also of the visiting club within three days of the date of the match. For the purpose of thisrule the result may be submitted by electronic means approved by the League. When during a season a team fails to submit the results for the third time within three days, then that team shall have one match point deducted and subsequently one match point deducted for every failure thereafter. When the results are submitted electronically, then the original Match Card shall be retained by a club official until fourteendays after the date of the match.
12. Loss of Matches and Games by Default
12.1 A team shall lose a match by default: (a) if it shall fail to arrive at the venue within 75 minutes of the time fixed for the start of play;
(b) if it shall fail to comply with the requirements of Rules 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.2, and 9.4; (c) if it shall neglect or refuse to comply with the requirements of any other of these rules, or shall agree with any other team to commit any breach thereof.
12.2 A game shall be lost by default: (a) if a player shall fail to arrive at the venue for any session of a game before his time allowance has expired; (b) by any player who is not validly registered, under Rules 5.1-5.14 hereof, for play in that particular game, and in the case of such a default the player's team shall also lose one penalty point from its score in the match.
12.3 If a team defaults an away match in the all-play-all championships and the two teams concerned are in the same Division the following season, then the defaulting team shall play away again in the corresponding fixture. This applies irrespective of the number of home and away matches that the two teams play against other teams during that season.
13. Scoring of Game Points
13.1 A game won in any match in the League's competitions shall score 1 point (including a game won by default). Half a point shall be scored for a drawn game and no points for a lost game (including one lost by default).
13.2 Additional game points shall be scored by any team in the Knock-Out Competitions which shall be playing a team from a division in the All-Play-All Competition higher than its own, according to the following tables:
| TERRILL AND | | TOWNSHEND AND | |||||
| HOMER TROPHIES | | BARRINGTON TROPHIES | |||||
| | | | | | | | |
| Div | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | | | |
| | versus | | A team versus | | |||
| Div 2 | 2½ | | | | | a team 1 division higher | ½ |
| Div 3 | 3½ | 1½ | | | | a team 2 divisions higher | 1½ |
| Div 4 | 4½ | 2½ | ½ | | | a team 3 divisions higher | 2½ |
| Divs 5-10 | 4½ | 3½ | 1½ | ½ | | a team 4 divisions higher | 3½ |
14. Scoring of Match Points
14.1 In respect of all matches in the All-Play-All Competition a team shall score 2 points for a match won (including one won by default), 1 point for a match drawn, and 0 for a match lost (including one lost by default).
14.2 If a team shall retire from any division in the All-Play-All Competition during a season its results shall be ignored in calculating the table for that division if less than half of its fixtures have been played. If half or more of its fixtures have been played its unplayed fixtures shall be scored as won by default by its respective opponents therein.
14.3 The team scoring the greatest number of points in each division of the All-Play-All Competition shall hold the title of Champions of its division for the ensuing 12 months together with a trophy provided by the League for that division.
14.4 If any team defaults three matches in the League competitions then that team will be deemed to have retired from the League competition and Rule 14.2 will then apply.
15. Promotion and Relegation
15.1 At the end of each season's All-Play-All Competition, teams shall be promoted and relegated in the following manner:
Division 1: bottom two teams relegated to next lower division; Lowest Division: top two teams promoted to next higher division;
All Other Divisions: top two teams promoted to next higher division and bottom two teams relegated to next lower division.
16. Tie Splitting
16.1 In the event of a tie in match points between two or more teams for the championship of a division, runners-up in division one or for any place involving promotion or relegation, the teams concerned shall play a match or matches to resolve the tie on such dates and at such venues as the Management Committee shall appoint. Such matches shall be between teams composed of the number of players required by Rule 8.1., except in the case of a tie involving an odd number of teams within a Division with teams of five boards only, when a Jamboree match with four boards only from each team may be used. If any such tie-splitting match shall be drawn, the following procedure shall apply to it:
(a) each team shall add together the numbers of the boards at which it won games in the match and the team which shall have the smallest total shall be the winner, but if the tie shall not thereby be split; then
(b) games shall be eliminated from the match from the bottom board upwards until the respective team scores shall become unequal, when the team remaining with the higher total of game points shall be the winner, but if the tie shall still not thereby be split; then
(c) the match shall be replayed and the foregoing splitting procedure repeated (if necessary) until a decision shall be reached.
16.2 Where matches in the Knock-Out Competitions are drawn, the procedure as shown in Rule 16.1 (a), (b) and (c) of this Rule shall apply.
17. The Minor Division
17.1 The Minor Division shall consist of teams of three players, who are registered for any division of the All-Play-All Competition. Players must not be rated higher than 1350K on the August Standard Play rating list (or, in the absence of a full Standard Play rating, on the August Rapid Play rating list). Players without a rating or having a Category P rating will be given an E or X rating by the Eligibility Committee and shall be eligible if that rating is no more than 1350. In either case, a player deemed eligible at any point in the season shall be considered eligible for the Minor Division for the remainder of the season.
17.2 Except where provided in the remainder of this rule, the rules of the All-Play-All Competition will apply to the Minor Division.
17.3 When a club has more than one team playing in the Minor Division then the teams must be labelled A, B, C etc in strength order with the A team being the strongest. Any player may play once for each of the club's other Minor Division teams than that in which the player is registered. If a player shall play for a second time for any of the club's Minor Division teams than that originally registered, the player shall be deemed to have become registered for play in that club's Minor Division team and shall, for the remainder of the season, be ineligible to play in any other Minor Division team of that club.
17.4 Players may play any number of games in the All-Play-All and Knock-Out Competitions, without affecting their eligibility for the Minor Division. Should a player play for more than one such team, rules 5.11 and 5.12 shall apply.
17.5 In the Minor Division even- numbered boards in the home team and odd numbered boards in the away team shall have the white pieces in all matches.
17.6 The Minor Division rate of play shall be all moves in 60 minutes (quickplay finish).
17.7 Promotion and relegation does not apply to the Minor Division.
18. Individual Tournament Arrangements
18.1 There shall be a separate Individual Tournament of six banded sections open to anyone eligible for ordinary League play on 1st October. Any player may enter either the banded section he/she qualifies for or; provided the Tournament sub-Committee has a place available for him/her; any higher band. The banded sections shall be determined by players' gradings as follows:
Individual One: Open
Individual Two: 1900 max
Individual Three: 1750 max
Individual Four: 1600 max
Individual Five: 1450 max
Individual Six: 1300 max
Eligibility will be determined using the ratings arrived at by the application of Rule 4. Ungraded players who cannot demonstrate a playing strength appropriate for their section will be allocated to Individual One.
18.2 Two members of each team may be nominated. Any other players may enter; if the total entry exceeds 32 players the Tournament Sub-Committee shall determine by lot which of the additional players shall be admitted. Players not admitted shall have their entry fees returned. The Management Committee shall, at the start of each season, fix the entry fee for the competition. These fees shall form the basis of a prize fund to be administered at the discretion of the Management Committee.
18.3 Each affiliated club shall forward the names, addresses and, if applicable, telephone numbers of the players entering the competition, together with the entry fees, to the Chairman of the Individual Tournament Sub-Committee not later than October 1st.
18.4 The default rate of play shall be all moves in 90 minutes or, if a suitable digital clock is available, and both players agree, the rate of play shall be all moves in 80 minutes with 10 seconds per move added throughout.
18.5 It shall be the duty of the player to whom choice of venue is given by the Tournament Sub-Committee in any game to communicate with his opponent offering alternative dates and informing him of the venue he has chosen.
18.6 The draw for each round shall be made by the Chairman of the Tournament Committee, and results must be reported to him by such datesas he shall stipulate in notifying the players of their pairings. Any application for an extension of time shall be made to the Chairman of the Committee who shall have power to grant or refuse it in his absolute discretion.
18.7 The final round of each of the divisional tournaments shall be played on such date and at such venue as the Tournament Sub-Committee shall appoint. An arbiter shall be appointed by the Tournament Sub-Committee to act thereat.
18.8 The Chairman of the Tournament Committee shall have the power to declare any game in the Individual Tournaments lost to any player who neglects or refuses to comply with these rules in any way.
18.9 Prizes and Trophies (to be held in each case for a period of one year) shall be awarded to winners of the divisional tournaments in the Tournament Sub-Committee's absolute discretion.
19. Disputes
19.1 If any dispute shall arise in a match or game, particulars must be sent in writing by the complainant club to the Chairman of the Rules Sub-Committee and a copy of the complaint shall at the same time be sent to the Honorary Records Secretary. All details relating to any dispute must be sent within seven days.
19.2 If a League Official shall have reason to believe that there has been a breach of the foregoing rules in connection with any match he shall, as soon as possible, notify the secretaries of the clubs involved. Any complaint arising shall then be sent in writing by the complainant club to the Chairman of the Rules Committee within seven days of this notification. A copy of the complaint shall at the same time be sent to the Honorary Records Secretary.
19.3 The Chairman of the Rules Committee shall notify the Secretary of the Club of the player(s) against which the complaint is made, setting out details of the complaint and asking for confirmation or rebuttal of the complaint.
19.4 The Chairman of the Rules Committee shall endeavour to settle the dispute amicably, failing which the dispute will be placed before the next meeting of his Committee.
19.5 The chairman of the Rules Committee has the right to request any original match card from the holder.
19.6 Any club or individual found by the Rules Committee to be bringing the game into disrepute by misconduct shall be subject to a penalty to be fixed by the Committee.
19.7 The decision of the Rules Committee shall be final.
20. Interpretation
20.1 When the responsibilities of the Honorary Records Secretary are divided between or amongst two or more people any reference in these Rules to the Honorary Records Secretary is to be taken as a reference to the Secretary responsible for the division or knock-out competition in question.
20.2 Where a masculine pronoun appears in these Rules it is to be taken to include the equivalent feminine pronoun.
20.3 Notification in writing required by these Competition Rules may, with the consent of the recipient, be given by e-mail.