Non compliance of any of these
rules must be reported to the League Secretary who may raise the matter with
the Management Committee as soon as possible.
League Secretary :
John Montgomery
4 Barbeth Place
Girdle Toll
Irvine KA11 1QL
Telephone 01294-221486
Email : [email protected]
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DIVISIONS NOW PLAY A QUICKPLAY FINISH – CAPTAINS SHOULD ENSURE THAT ALL PLAYERS ARE AWARE OF THE RULES.
SINCE THERE IS QUITE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GAMES SUBMITTED FOR ADJUDICATION & GAMES SUBMITTED FOR ARBITRATION UNDER THE QUICKPLAY FINISH TWO MINUTE RULE, JOHN MCNICOLL IS AVAILABLE TO VISIT ANY AYRSHIRE CLUB TO EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENCE.
CONTACT JOHN MCNICOLL ON 01563-525109.
1. Entry to Leagues
Only teams submitted by Ayrshire clubs shall be permitted entry to the League.
The League will be split into three divisions where possible, with the second and third divisions possibly being merged into one second division depending on the number of teams. The first division will consist of eight teams who play each other once and then are split into two sections with the top four playing for the Division 1 title and the bottom four playing to avoid the bottom relegation place. The second and third divisions will be split into an even number of teams where possible. The teams will play each other twice – home and away. The third division may also be split into two or more sections at the discretion of the Management Committee.
2. League teams and matches
a. Teams shall consist of six players in the first and second divisions. There shall be four players per team in the third division. For each match, players must be arranged in approximate order of current playing strength. Any defaults must be applied from the bottom board up. The reasons for defaults must be clearly explained by the Team Captain on the results sheet. Persistent defaults may be notified by the League Secretary to the Management Committee for disciplinary action.
b. No player shall be eligible to play for more than one club, or for more than one team in the same division, during any one season
c. If a player plays more than three times in a higher division than that in which he normally plays, he is tied to the higher division for the rest of the season. In effect, the team that ties him, keeps him. In reporting results, substitutions must be clearly indicated. Games played by substitutes which are then won by default do not count to the three game rule.
d. At least seven days
before the first fixture all teams must register their regular
players and if possible any substitutes to the League
Secretary.
After the start of the season, any new players must be
registered by the Team Captain to the League Secretary as soon as they are
allocated to a team.
(This is to
prevent games being disqualified due to players having already played for
another club during the season)
e. The result sheet must be
written out by the Team Captains, or their deputies
showing players names, grades and Pnums before colours are
decided.
f. Colours shall be decided
by a toss of a coin, the winner of the toss chooses
the colour for their board one player, alternating down from
board two.
g. If for any reason a team is unable to
fulfil a league fixture, it shall give as
early
notice as possible both to the opposing team and the League Secretary.
h. Team Captains have the right to replace an absent player
with a replacement player, of no higher grade than the absent player, up
to an hour after the agreed starting time. Replacement players must be clearly
marked on the results card.
i. The result sheet for each league match, with detailed
scores, shall be received by the League Secretary WITHIN SEVEN DAYS OF THE MATCH TAKING PLACE. The Home Team
captain or his deputy is responsible for sending the result sheet in.
j. Match captains should endeavour to resolve minor disputes, particularly
those
involving the agreement of results.
k.
Playing Conditions, The following points must be adhered to.
1. Ensure if possible that each player has
sufficient space on his/her table not
only for the board but also for score sheets and items such as cup and saucer.
2. Playing tables should be placed so that
players have reasonable access throughout
the playing session.
3. If possible someone should be given the
responsibility for maintaining conditions
of near silence in the playing room.
4. Before starting play, members of the
visiting team should be informed of
the location of the toilets.
5. The playing area should be adequately
lit, heated and ventilated.
6. Spectators should be prevented from
approaching too close to the players
especially near the end of the playing session when either or both players may be in
time trouble.
7. Play should not be stopped during the playing session for the
purpose of taking refreshments. Most players find it a distraction if they have
to take a break during the game.
8. It is recommended that the home teams
provide some refreshment whenever
possible.
9. It
is strictly prohibited to smoke at the board.
3. Time factors
a. The starting time for
play in all league matches, unless both Team Captains have previously agreed an earlier or later start, shall be
7.15pm prompt.
b. Chess clocks must be used
at every board at all matches.
c. The rate of play for all
divisions shall be as follows :
30 moves in 60 minutes followed by a 25 minute Quickplay
finish
d. There should be provision for play in a match to be
continuous for 2 hours and 50 minutes with no stoppages.
e.
Where either player is not present at the agreed
starting time, the absent player’s clock should be started. Where both players
are not present at the agreed starting time, then either of the Team captains
or their deputies should start white’s clock.
Where a chess clock is not available at the agreed starting time,
an amount of
time not exceeding the delay time, shall be deducted from the
offending team's chess clocks.
f. If a player or his
replacement, has not appeared at the board an hour after the
agreed starting time then that player's game shall be lost by
default and must be clearly marked
on the result sheet.
4. This section has been
removed
5. This section has been
removed – for Arbritration see section 9
6. Promotion & Relegation
a. League positions will be
decided by an aggregate of game points scored
throughout a season. Points awarded will be 1 for a win, 0 for a
loss and 0.5
for a draw per individual team board. Ties will be resolved by
the following
sequence :
1)
Game points
2)
Match points
3)
Previous score between tied teams
4)
Lowest number of defaults
b. The bottom team in
Division 1 will be relegated to Division 2 .
The top team in Division 2 will be promoted to Division 1 .
The bottom team in Division 2 will be relegated to Division 3 .
The top team in Division 3 will be promoted to Division 2 .
(Positions decided by rule 6(a) above).
c. Teams withdrawing from
the league
Matches and results involving these teams will be cancelled
subject to the
approval of the management committee.
7. Laws of Chess
The Laws of Chess, as currently laid down by F.I.D.E. shall apply to all
league matches. N.B. a current copy must be available at each match provided by
the home team.
8. Breaches of rules
Any breach of the above rules must be duly notified in writing within 28
days to the League Secretary who shall bring the matter to the attention
of the Management Committee at the
earliest opportunity.
The Management Committee shall have the power to impose penalties and/or
discipline on offending players or teams.
IN THE EVENT OF A DISPUTE
BETWEEN TEAMS THAT CANNOT BE SETTLED ON THE NIGHT, THE TEAM WITH THE GRIEVANCE
SHOULD SEND A WRITTEN COMPLAINT TO THE LEAGUE SECRETARY FOR SUBMISSION TO THE
MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE FOR CONSIDERATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
9. Arbitration Procedure
a. Official Arbitration
Forms are available from Team or Club Secretaries or
from the League Secretary.
b.
Only the player making the claim should send in a
form : but the opposing player must sign the form to be submitted.
c. The arbitration form must be posted to the League Secretary
within SEVEN days of the match taking place.
c.
Thereafter, the form will be sent to one of the
Authorised Arbiters in Ayrshire who will make a decision.
e. The Arbiter will record his decision on the form and return
it to the League Secretary.
f. The League Secretary
will return copies to each team.
f.
The team/player whose claim is upheld by the
Adjudicator will be awarded the appropriate result in the match result.
g.
No appeals can be made.
Captains notes
This is a summary of Team Captains duties extracted from the Rules stated
in the previous sections of this Rulebook. Where there is any difference in the
details stated, then the rule quoted in the Rulebook should be used.
Would Team Captains please note the following points relating to league
matches.
1. Team Captains will be
aware that the LATE postponement of matches is not
acceptable. Only the most pressing reasons such as adverse
weather or illness
will be favourably considered by the Management Committee. The
attempted
postponement of matches on the basis of not having the best or
strongest team
available will be severely dealt with by the Management
Committee.
2. Postponements MUST be
notified AND accepted by the League Organiser.
3. Team Captains are
responsible for trying to resolve incomplete results.
4. Team Captains should
check that arrangements have been made to contact their opponents in order that the results are posted within
the SEVEN days period allowed
for this.
6. Any Arbitration forms
must also be submitted within SEVEN days of the
match being played.
7. Team Captains should ensure
that Arbitration forms are filled in COMPLETELY and sent in by the
appropriate date.
If Arbitration forms are
not filled in correctly and completely, then the League Secretary may reject the form with the result awarded to
the opponent.
8. It is the responsibility of the HOME Team Captain or his deputy to ensure that the result sheet is
sent in on time.
9. Team
Captains shall ensure that all team members are aware of the FIDE and League
rules specifically those regarding starting times and Quickplay finishes.
10. Team Captains shall ensure that matches
start no later than 7.15pm unless the
starting
time has been previously agreed as different than 7.15pm.