Club Championship Rules

The Cork Club Championship will be played over 7 rounds and the time control will be 75 minutes for the entire game with a 30 second increment from move one.

Games start at 8:15pm and clocks should be started at this time. If a player has failed to show up for their match by 9:15pm they will forfeit the game. Players may play their game (by mutual consent) any time prior to the scheduled date for the round.

Results of games must be posted on the draw sheet on the club notice board.

Once the first round draw has been made a player’s committee will be formed. Disputes should be brought to the attention of the arbiter who will make a ruling. If a player directly affected by such a ruling disagrees with the arbiter’s decision they must submit any appeal in writing within 24 hours otherwise the matter will stand unaltered. On receipt of an appeal the player’s committee will meet and, using only the information available to the arbiter at the time of the original ruling, come to a decision before the draw for the next round.

The normal FIDE rules of chess apply, see the current FIDE Handbook https://handbook.fide.com/ Section E. Miscellaneous - 01. Laws of Chess, with the following amendments:

1. Article 4: The act of moving the pieces

   1. This rule applies in full – so that if a piece has been touched that piece must be moved, or if an opponent’s piece has been touched it must be captured, unless it would be illegal to do so or the player has announced that they are adjusting the piece beforehand by saying “j’adoube” or "I adjust". In the spirit of encouraging new and young talent, less experienced players may be judged leniently if this rule is forgotten.

2. Article 8: The recording of the moves

   1. All moves must be recorded by both players. As the per-move increment is 30 seconds there is no point at which a player may stop recording their moves, no matter how little time they have left. When the player presses their clock they have 30 seconds and this is sufficient to record their moves. If a player is very young this requirement can be judged leniently, but note that a player who is not recording their moves cannot claim a draw by threefold repetition or claim a draw according to the "50 move rule".

3. Article 11.3: Notes and electronic devices

   1. For this competition players are allowed to bring their mobile phones and smart watches into the playing venue but these phones should be switched off and either placed in plain view on the table, in plain view in some other visible location, in a shared player's phone bag (for example the bag the pieces came out of), or in some other location in the club the player won't access during the game, like a jacket or a bag. If a player’s phone rings or makes a sound then that player will forfeit their game.

   2. Junior players and adults with particular special needs on a night may declare their phone to their opponent and leave a phone, on silent, turned on face-up on their playing table, so they can see an incoming call without making a noise.

It should be noted that these brief rules cannot cover every eventuality but the arbiter will try to make any decisions in as fair a manner as possible.