Birmingham and District Chess League
These guidelines are intended to assist captains and players. They are,
nevertheless, only guidelines, and anyone requiring further details should
consult the League Rules or the Laws of Chess.
1. Before the match
1.1. The captain should ascertain that the players are
available to play. Defaults on any boards (except the lowest possible boards)
may be penalised.
1.2. The home captain should check that the equipment
is available and in good working order before the match.
1.3. Teams with
digital clocks should consider their choice of time control for home matches
where the visiting team have selected the one session option. The choices are
Quickplay or Increment. To save time it would be useful to set up the clocks in
advance and then make any changes where players agree to one of the other
available options.
1.4. Each individual player should consider whether he wishes to
offer an alternative finish to the opposing player for each match. In order to
speed up the process it would be helpful for Captains to know the preferred
choice of time control for each of their players. Captains should
indicate on the match card in the Finish/Date column the preferences chosen by
their players. Indicate a quickplay finish by Q, an increment finish by I but
for adjournments leave this blank until the end of the match. Then state the
adjournment date as normal or, if the game had finished, by an A.
1.5 Players
arriving after the start of the match have to accept the away team�s choice of
finish.
1.6. Both captains should ensure that the match starts
at the time specified in the BDCL handbook.
1.7. Individual players may play as reserves up to 3 times for any higher team. The captain should be aware that if a player plays for the fourth time then that player is promoted to play for that team. The knock-out tournament games do not count for this purpose.
1.8. The captain should tell all players to power down their mobile phones. Ideally a mobile phone should not be kept on your person.
2. The match card
2.1. The BDCL no longer supplies Match Cards. However
a template with 4 Match Cards can be found at the BDCL website on the Home page
E Match Cards tab.
2.2. Both captains should list the team players in
strength order in the appropriate space as required by Rules 4.1 to 4.6. It
should be noted that Captains now have limited flexibility with regard to their
board order, however, breaching Rule 4.6 will most likely lose the match. Captains
should use the grades published in the official rating list for August until
the end of December following which the January grades will apply. Where an
unrated player subsequently obtains a K grade, that grade must be used.
2.3. Any players known to be defaulting before the
start-time should not be listed by name but default should be written instead
against the lowest possible boards. Writing �default� instead of a name, before
the start-time on any board above a named player will result in the loss of the
match.
3. Starting the
match
3.l. Starting time for matches is given in the handbook
.
3.2. Analogue clocks should be set to the same time. It is recommended that clocks
should be set so that the first time control is at 6.00. For example, if the playing
session is 2 ½ hours then the clocks should be set at 4.45.
Teams using digital clocks
should be conversant with setting them up correctly.
3.3. When a club is inaccessible at the
designated start-time or the home team shows little or no willingness to set-up
or start the match at the correct time, the visiting captain should consider
claiming time off the opponents� clocks to cover the time wasted.
3.4. No player should start playing until their full
team list has been written down.
3.5. All WHITE�s clocks should
be started at the same time, whether or not either player is present.
4. During the match
4.1. The captain is NOT allowed to interfere in, or
comment on, the state of any player�s Game. This includes refraining from
comment on a loss on time or a draw by repetition, which must be claimed by the
player involved in that game. However, a captain may advise a player of the
score in the match without being asked.
4.2. A player may ask his captain�s advice on the Laws
of Chess or the League Rules. A copy of the Laws of Chess should be available
in the club room.
4.3. A captain may intervene where a dispute
has occurred in order to attempt to settle it, but should not express an
opinion on the state of the game, unless this is directly related to the
dispute. Where no settlement can be made, it may be best for one player to seal
a move and adjourn, pending a rules committee decision. This enables the Rules
Committee to order the game to be resumed in a case where this is appropriate.
The players should make separate copies of the position, the clock times, the
move number and any other relevant information; a resumption date need not be
set. The captains or other delegated person should ensure that a report of the
incident is sent to the Chairman of the Rules Committee as soon as possible.
4.4. The first illegal move by a player is punished by the addition of 2 minutes to the opponent�s clock. A second illegal move by the same player will result in the loss of the game
4.5. The captain does
not have the right to agree a result without the consent of the player
concerned.
5. End
of session/match
5.1. After the agreed playing session has ended, and
in the case of adjournments, a player may be asked if he wishes to adjourn. He
may decline and play a move unless a sealing time has been agreed or publicised
in the handbook. A player may decide to adjourn at the time of his own choice,
provided the above conditions are satisfied.
5.2. Players adjourning should agree a resumption date, which is within 3 weeks
of the match date. The two weeks at Christmas and New Year may be disregarded.
Players should be encouraged to exchange telephone numbers. A date beyond 3
weeks may only be used if no other is available and must be cleared with the
League Records Secretary, within a couple of days.
5.3. The match card should have the resumption date
and the holder of the envelope noted (with a *). Do not write �Adj� in the result space, as this is used later.
5.4. The captains should check that the cards are
correct and sign both cards.
5.5. The captains should ensure that their cards are either
posted or e-mailed within 5 days or entered or verified on the LMS system
within 5 days.
6. Resuming the game
6.1. Adjournments should commence at the host clubs normal start-time unless
otherwise agreed and endorsed on the envelope.
6.2. The holder of the envelope should bring it to the
match, with the seal intact. If the holder cannot produce
it before his time has expired, or if it has been opened beforehand,
then the holder loses the game.
6.3. If the player with the envelope has not arrived,
his opponent should set up the board, set the clocks to 12.00 and start the
other player�s clock, deducting the elapsed time on his arrival. If the player
with the sealed move has arrived, he can set and start the clocks. On no
account should the envelope be opened until both players are present. If the player
does not appear then the envelope should not be opened in case there has been
an emergency.
7. Rules of the
game
7.l. TOUCH-MOVE RULE —
A player must move, or capture, the piece he deliberately touches. If
the player cannot move, or capture, the piece touched then there is no penalty.
If the player is castling it is essential that the player touch the king first.
7.2. DRAW BY REPETITION - A player who is intending
to claim a draw should not make the move leading to the third repetition. The
player should write the move on the score sheet and claim the draw, If the opponent disputes this claim then the clocks should
be stopped and the game reconstructed on another board to check that the
position has appeared 3 times. A player making the move over the board
invalidates the claim for a draw. The penalty for an incorrect claim is adding
two minutes to the opponent�s remaining time.
7.3. LOSS ON TIME. -
A player has lost on time if his time has expired
before he has completed the required number of moves. To make the time control
a player�s flag must be intact immediately after pressing the clock on the final
move. Players should claim a win immediately upon noticing a flag fall.
7.4. SEALED MOVE. On opening the envelope a sealed move may be found to be illegal, impossible
or ambiguous. Each case results in loss of game and should be claimed as such.
7.5. OFFER OF A DRAW - A
player should make the offer of a draw in his own time, His opponent does not
have to reply until it�s his turn to move. The offer remains until his opponent
accepts, declines, touches a piece with the intention of
moving it, or his time expires. This particular offer, once declined,
cannot later be accepted. If, after sealing a move, the player makes an offer of
a draw then his opponent is entitled to wait until resumption, when the sealed
move is played on the board, before making a decision to accept or decline the
offer.
8 Conduct
8.1. The captains have a particular responsibility for
keeping good order during the match. Players should not be distracted during
the course of a match. Your opponent may regard the playing of another game of
chess at the same time as a distraction.
8.2 Any dispute should be submitted to the chairman of the Rules Committee within
7 days.
8.3. There should be no analysis carried out of a game in progress within the same room.
8.4 Any evidence of collusion to pre-determine the result of a match may be considered to be bringing the game into disrepute.
Appendix
Playing Room Conditions
1. Where possible, the playing room should be reasonably warm within 30 minutes of play starting. Where clubs know that their room will not be particularly warm, then they should warn visiting teams in advance of the match and perhaps also include this on their website and in the BDCL club Directory.
2. It is not always possible to have completely quiet rooms but players who have finished their games should not disturb those still playing and this also includes putting sets away noisily.
3. Where there is a bar players should be asked not to bring
in their own refreshments. If a player is asked to leave the premises for doing so, the rules
committee would be inclined to support a default of the offending player on the
grounds they were unable to continue.
4. Where possible, analysis should take place in a separate
room, rather than the playing room, to avoid distracting players who are still
playing their games. Players who have finished their games and other persons in
the playing area should not use their mobile phones while games are in progress
for any purpose - note, this does not mean "silent mode" or
"airplane mode".
M. Biddle
Chairman
BDCL Rules Committee
March 2023