The West Torrens Chess Classic (WTCC) is open to all chess players of any level regardless of whether or not they have a rating. This event is ONLY available to South Australian Chess players. The WTCC is made up of two independent sections: The Open section and the Junior section (U18). During the event, photographs will be taken and published on the West Torrens Chess Club (WTCC) social media, City of West Torrens Council social media and website, and on the SACA social media and website. All winners and runners up will be required to have their photos taken during the award presentation. If parents do not wish for their children to be photographed, the event organisers must be notified via phone or email before the start of the tournament.
Please note all tickets are non-refundable, however they are transferable. Should a participant be unable to make it to the tournament, they are required to let the event organisers know forty-eight (48) hours before the event commences so that the participant’s details can be updated on the playing list. Ticket transfers will NOT be allowed on the day of the event.
Proof of concession (ID) may be requested at the discretion of the event organisers. Please ensure you have your concession ID available on the day of the event along with your purchased ticket.
To ensure a safe and harmonious environment, parents and spectators will need to respect the boundaries set by the organisers, and keep quiet during tournament play as well as the playoffs.
ALL spectators and players will need to switch their mobile phones to silent or off throughout the duration of the tournament. If a mobile phone rings or vibrates loudly during play, a spectator may be asked to leave the playing area or a player will be given a verbal warning and a time allocation bonus will be awarded to their opponent.
Tournament Format
Both the Open and Junior tournaments will be played as a Swiss. Both tournaments will consist of six (6) rounds with a time control of 15 minutes for each player, plus 10 seconds per move. As a Swiss, players will be paired against others on the same or similar score wherever possible.
Players score 1 point for a win, ½ point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
Please note: Draw offers under 20 moves will NOT be accepted. Players will be expected to play every round.
Playoff Qualification (Open section)
The top four scoring players in the Open section will qualify for the Playoff series. If there is a tie for the 4th qualifying position for the Playoff series, the two tiebreak systems will be used to determine the 4th qualifier.
The Playoff series will be played on stage in front of a live audience, with the games themselves being broadcasted on a screen/s using DGT chessboards.
Important Note: The standings at the end of regular play have no bearing on a player’s placement. Meaning, if a player takes outright first position at the end of the six rounds, they do NOT get 1st place, they instead qualify for the playoff series, which will determine the overall winner and final placements of 2nd, 3rd and 4th.
Playoff Series.
The Playoff series will consist of three stages:
1. Two semi-final games
2. A 3rd place playoff game
3. The Championship game
The initial games will be played with a similar, but faster time control as in regular play: 15 minutes each with a 2 second increment. However, as the playoffs need a clear winner at the end of each stage, should any game result in a tie, further games will need to be played. The game structure is as follows:
Game 1: 15 minutes each with a 2 second increment, if drawn
Game 2: 5 minutes each with a 2 second increment, if drawn
Game 3: An Armageddon match, White will have 5 minutes and Black 4 minutes, no increment. Black will have draw-odds, meaning if the game is drawn Black wins.
In the semi-final matches, the pairings will be 1st vs 3rd and 2nd v. 4th. The seeding order will be based from the standings at the end of regular play. Any players on equal score will be seeded based on the two tiebreak systems. Players will play in reverse colours to their game against the other player during regular play and if any playoff game is drawn the same rule shall apply. (Reverse colours)
The two winners of the semi-finals will then advance to the final to determine the overall winner of the event whilst the two other players who lost will play for 3rd and 4th place respectively.
Junior Playoffs and Tournament Winner
The Junior section will NOT have playoff finals for each placement position. However, should there be a maximum of two players tied for 1st place, those two players will play a playoff match to decide the tournament Champion.
Those two players will play one Blitz game where each player has fives minutes, plus an increment of 2 seconds per move. If this game is drawn, then the overall winner will be decided by a 'sudden death' Armageddon match White will have 5 minutes and Black 4 minutes, no increment. Black will have draw-odds, meaning if the game is drawn Black wins.
If more than two players tie for first place there will be NO playoffs and the two Tiebreak Systems will be used to determine the Junior tournament winner. All other placements (2nd-4th) will be determined solely using these two tiebreak systems.
Tiebreak Systems
The following tiebreak systems will be used in both the Open and Junior events for purposes of placements and final standings. If the first tiebreak system does not produce a clear winner the second system will be used.
1. Direct Encounter
2. Buchholz Total
RATING PRIZES:
Rating prizes will be awarded to the player with the highest score in each section and category. Rating prize winners in each section will receive special gift packages. There will be no cash prizes in these gift packages, however, there will be numerous products and items of monetary value.
Where Rating prizes have a rating limitation, players must hold a rating of under that amount from the ACF March 2023 Quick rating list. Where Rating prizes are for Unrated players that player cannot hold a rating on the ACF March 2023 Quick rating list.
In the event of two or more players tying for a Rating prize, the Tiebreak Systems will be used to determine the winner of the rating prize.
In the event a player is the winner of both a Placement and Rating prize in their section, the player will ONLY receive the prize of higher monetary value; this being the Placement Prize. The Rating prize will then go to the next highest scoring player in that category.
Rating prizes - Junior section:
There will be a total of three (3) independent rating prizes awarded to the top scoring Junior players in each of the below categories:
· Best U1000
· Best U600
· Best Unrated
Rating prizes - Open section:
There will be a total of three (3) independent rating prizes awarded to the top scoring Open players in each of the below categories:
· Best U1600
· Best U1200
· Best Unrated
Rating performance disclaimer:
The event organisers and officials reserve the right to determine whether or not a junior player with an ACF Quick rating of over 1400 will be eligible to play in the junior tournament. The organisers and officials reserve the right to transfer junior players to the Open event should they deem they are too strong or experienced for the Junior section. It will be mandatory for a junior player to move to the Open if the organisers and officials deem it necessary.
Tournament Rules of Play
All games in both sections of the event will be played using digital chess clocks. The time control will be set at 15 minutes per player with an increment of 10 seconds per move. Once a player makes a move, they need to press the button on their side of the clock; this starts the opponent's time. Should any player reach zero on their clock, they 'time-out' or 'flag fall' and lose the game if their opponent has mating material. Otherwise the game will be drawn.
The 'touch move' rule shall apply to all games in this event. A player must move the first piece that they touch; if it is legal to move that piece. If a player touches an opponent's piece, that piece must be captured if it is legal to do so. Once a player makes a legal move with a piece and lets go of that piece, the move cannot be taken back.
If a player makes an illegal move (a move against the rules of chess), the players should stop the clock immediately and notify the arbiter. Any decision made by the arbiter shall be fully respected and will be final.
All players must stand at least 1.5 metres back from the tables when observing other games in progress. No player is allowed to give advice to another player while their game is in progress and must remain quiet and respectful at all times.
If any player has a question or a problem at any time, they should raise their hand, and an arbiter will come over to help them out.
Once players agree upon a result and shake hands, the result must stand and cannot be reversed. This means that it is the player's responsibility to carefully make sure that a position is actually checkmate, drawn or unwinnable for one of the opponents.
Please note that all 6 Swiss-round games will NOT require notation. All players are free to choose whether or not to score their moves as well as the moves of their opponent. Score cards will be available from the arbiter on the day. Please ensure you collect one before each round commences.
When each game is finished, the players should:
1. Shake hands
2. Set up the board correctly for the next round.
3. Drop off the white copy of the game notation (if used) and the game result form at the arbiter’s table.
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