Rules for the 2016 Final 4 of College Chess
Eligibility: Each player must satisfy the eligibility requirements established by the USCF College Chess Committee (CCC). The requirements are the same as those for the Pan-American tournament played Dec 26-29. If not already provided in advance, each team must furnish the Chief TD with their Eligibility Letter printed on University stationery on Friday evening at the Team Captains' Meeting.
Teams:
Each team has four players and up to two
alternates. Board-order based on March
ratings (50-point transpositions allowed among USCF ratings) is also determined
in the same way as for the Pan-American.
Scoring:
The President’s Cup is a Team Round Robin scored by total individual points.
In the event of a tie, the teams are
declared Co-champions. The following
tie-breaking systems are for sole possession of the President’s Cup and will be
applied in this order:
Total
team match wins.
Head-to-head
outcome.
Armageddon (5-4 minute “shootout”). White must win with 5 minutes, and Black must win or draw with 4 minutes. There is no delay or increment time. Winner of a coin toss chooses color. Each team selects one team member to represent them. This team member can be any Player or Alternate from your Official Team Roster for the tournament, it does not have to be your "Board 1" player.
Team rosters:
Each team's Official Roster must be
presented to the Chief TD no later than Friday at the Team Captains' Meeting.
Rosters will identify which team member is the Team Captain. If a Team's
roster is not in Board Order for Round 1, the Team Captain must ensure the Chief
TD is aware of your team's Round 1 lineup. Round 1 Lineups will be posted
by the Chief TD one hour before the start of the round. After Round 1,
Team Lineups for Rounds 2 and 3 must be submitted to the Chief TD at least one
hour prior to the beginning of the next round. Otherwise,
if the Chief TD does not receive a Lineup change, he will assume the previous
round's lineup is being used for the next round.
Team Captains: There will be a Captains' Meeting on Friday evening immediately after the Team Dinner concludes. It usually takes about 30 minutes. It is at this meeting where we all agree upon rules for certain situations that are not specifically addressed. At this meeting be prepared to provide the Chief TD with the phone number and email address of your team's Captain and a backup point of contact. The Chief TD will use this information to distribute instructions, Lineup Changes, etc. during the tournament.
Communicating with others During Play: No player whose game is in progress may talk with another person without the Chief TD being present before the communications begin. This includes players wanting to talk with their Team Captain about whether to accept or decline a draw offer made by the opponent.
Cell Phones, Other Communication Devices and Calculation Devices: We will discuss this at the Captains' Meeting on Friday night. The Chief TD's initial position is: No player with a game in progress is allowed to physically possess (e.g. have on their person during the game) or to have access to any communication-capable or calculation-capable device. If you are playing a game during the Round, don't bring such devices into the Playing Room.
Sets, Boards and Clocks: DGT Boards will be provided by the Tournament Organizer for play. They must be used. The TD is responsible for the Time Control programmed into the clocks provided by the Organizer, not for incorrect Time Controls set on clocks provided by a team.
Pairings:
The team pairings/seeds are
predetermined by the March 2016 US Chess Rating Supplement.
There will be a drawing for Round 1 and
Round 3 colors on Board 1 at the Friday evening meeting before the tournament.
Rd
1:
1
vs. 4; 2 vs. 3
Rd
2:
1
vs. 3; 2 vs. 4
Rd
3:
1
vs. 2; 3 vs. 4
Official Time Control: Game 90 with a 30-second increment each move.
The tournament is FIDE & US Chess rated.
Chief TD: The Chief TD for this tournament is National Tournament Director and FIDE Arbiter Mike Hoffpauir from Virginia. Mike has been the Chief TD (and organizer) of several College Final 4 Championships and also has been the Chief of the Pan Ams. Mike's email address is mhoffpauir@aol.com. His cell phone number is 757-846-4805. Team Captains and the backup points of contact should program this information into their cell phones and address books before the tournament.
Question for the Webmaster? Click on my name ... Mike Hoffpauir