South Hams Chess Club
South Hams Chess Club

Club Competitions in the 2022-23 Season

This page describes the Club's internal competitions; there are separate pages describing the Club's participation in the Torbay Leagues.

Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic

It was decided at the AGM held on 26th May 2022 that all the Club's internal competitions will be played over-the-board; any games played online between members will not count towards the officilal club competitions. Players are not required to wear masks while attending the Club, and until further notice no specific anti-COVID precautions will be taken.

The Homan and Dunleavy Leagues

  1. The Club runs two ECF-rated Standardplay league divisions.
    • The top division is the Homan League
    • The second division is the Dunleavy League.
    The leagues are named after former Club members who did great service for the Club.
  2. In both divisions, the format is all-play-all twice during the period up to Christmas, after which there is promotion and relegation. From January until the end of the season the all-play-all format is repeated.
  3. The players participating in the Homan and Dunleavy leagues are set out in the website pages describing these competitions. At the start of the season, the top half of the participating Club members, based on their August 2022 ECF standardplay ratings, are allocated to the Homan League, the remaining participating Club members are allocated to the Dunleavy League.
  4. In each half season, when opponents first play each other colours will be determined by toss. When the same two players meet for the second time, colours will be reversed.
  5. League positions are determined by points scored (1 point for a win, ½ a point for draw, 0 for a loss). When players finish equal on points, their relative league positions are determined by applying the following criteria in sequence:
    1. each player's points-per-game in the games between the tied players
    2. each player's Neustadtl Sonneborn–Berger score for the league in question.
    In the unlikely event that the above criteria fail to determine relative league positions, the Competition Secretary may, at his discretion, set a date by which two tied players can attempt to break the tie by playing sudden death Standardplay replays with alternating colours. If the deadlock has not been broken by the date set by the Competition Secretary, then the players' relative positions will be resolved by the toss of a coin.
  6. Promotion and relegation at Chrisatmas is "three up, three down":
    • The bottom three players in the Homan League are relegated to the Dunleavy League.
    • The top three players in the Dunleavy League are promoted to the Homan League.
  7. The Club Champion for the season will be determined by a two-game play-off between the players who finish first in the pre-Christmas Homan League and first in the January-to-May Homan League. If the play-off is tied after two games, the two-game playoff will be repeated (with a fresh toss for colours), and if necessary repeated again as many times as is required to produce a winner. If the same player finishes first in the Homan in both parts of the season, without being tied on points with the same player on both occasions, then that player will be Club Champion without a play-off. If the same two (or more) players tie on points for first place in both parts of the season (an unlikely eventuality), then the play-off will be between the two players finishing first and second in the Homan for the season as a whole, determined as set out in 5. above.
  8. If a player drops out the league having played less than 50% of his games in a given half-season, that player's results will be deleted from the applicable league table (but will nevertheless be ECF-rated); if he has played at least 50% of his games, then his results will stand.

Cookworthy Cup

  1. The Club runs an annual knockout rated Standardplay competition, the Cookworthy Cup.
  2. At the beginning of the season, the draw will be made and published on this website.
  3. For any player's first game, colours will be determined when the draw takes place; for subsequent rounds colours will be drawn on the night.
  4. With the exception of the final, a drawn game will be replayed, with alternating colours, until there is a winner.
  5. The final will be played over two games, and the winner of the final will be awarded the Cookworthy Cup. The cup will be shared in the event that the final is tied.

M Wray Shield

  1. The M. Wray Shield is a Standardplay league in which members can play one another in a graded game on nights when they are not involved in a Club match, and are unable to arrange a game in the Homan/Dunleavy leagues or the Cookworthy Cup.
  2. League positions are determined in the same way as in the Homan and Dunleavy leagues.

The Season

  1. The official Club season runs from 1st September 2022 up to the AGM, which is provisionally scheduled for 25th May 2023.
  2. The Club will not meet on Thursday 29th December 2022.

Friendly Games

  1. Members may play one another in "Friendly Games". Before starting such a game, players should agree which of these categories the game is being played under:
    • Friendly Standardplay Rated
    • Friendly Standardplay Unrated
    • Friendly Rapidplay Rated
    • Friendly Rapidplay Unrated
  2. Results of reted games need to recorded on the website; it is optional whether players have the results of unrated Friendlies recorded on the website (they should agree this in advance).

Time Controls

  1. ECF-Rated Club Standardplay games use incremental (also known as "Fischer") time controls. Each player will have 75 minutes for the entire game, plus 30 seconds per move (starting from move 1). So, for example, if a game has 40 moves, each player will have 75 + (40 x 0.5) = 95 minutes. Both players are obliged to write down all their moves.
  2. For rated Rapidplay games the rate of play is all moves in 25 minutes with 10 seconds increment added per move from the beginning. There is no obligation to write down moves.

ECF Rating

Results of games played over-the-board in Club Competitions and Friendly games designated "rated", will be sent to the ECF for rating. Results of any games played online will not be submitted to the ECF for normal rating purposes.

Administration

  1. Club members should wherever possible arrange their games in the internal Club competitions in advance - ideally at least a week beforehand. Arranging games in the Homan League and Cookworthy Cup takes priority over the Friendlies. You can record a pre-arranged game, and view all pre-arranged games, in the Members Area of this website.
  2. After each game, one of the players should email Phil McConnell with the result, the colours, and the competition in which the game was played. As a courtesy, please cc your opponent on the email. Phil will record all results on the Club website.
  3. If any new members join part way through the season, the Competition Secretary may, at his discretion, allocate them to enter the Homan or Dunleavy League and the Cookworty Cup.
  4. If your opponent requests a late start due to work commitments, please accommodate this request.
  5. Digital clocks are used. Our DGT 2010 digital clocks should be set into the appropriate mode as follows:
    • Use Option 18 for both Standardplay and Rapidplay games with incremental time controls.
    • For Standardplay games, on both left and right hand sides set the intital time to 01 hours, 15 minutes and 00 seconds, followed by a bonus time of 30 seconds.
    • For Rapidplay games, on both left and right hand sides set the intital time to 00 hours, 25 minutes and 00 seconds, followed by a bonus time of 10 seconds.
    Once the clock has been set in this way, every time you press your clock button 30 seconds (Standardplay) or 10 seconds (Rapidplay) will automatically be added to your time.

Don't forget to check the website regularly for results! There is a separate web page for each Club competition.