League Rules

A. Team Makeup

1. Each team’s roster consists of four main players and four alternates.
2. Each match consists of four players from the roster.

3. No player may change teams within a year without the consent of the RP Chess League
Commissioner ("Commissioner") or Tournament Director/TD.
4. A team may recruit additional players provided that a team will only have a maximum of
eight players.
5. When a team determines the board order of their players, the higher rated player must
always play on the higher board.
6. Any team, with the consent of the COmmissioner, will be allowed to use a player for any
match even if they are not on the roster in case of emergency only upon the sole
determination of the Commissioner.
7. Once the season starts (that is, once a team begins its first match), each team may
replace at most two players on their main roster.
8. No player, unless allowed by the Commissioner, will be allowed to compete in the
playoffs/semi-finals/finals unless they have played at least two matches for their team
during the initial rounds (this restriction still applies to those who might have joined
their team late in the season as a replacement player).
9. The lineups for teams playing on a particular Round must be received (through a private
message) by the Commissioner three days prior to the start of the Round. Changes in the line
up for a Round, once submitted cannot be changed unless allowed by the Commissioner. Failure
to submit the line on time shall be penalized.
9a. First offense - warning.
9b. Second offense - reprimand with public apology to the League in a specific
thread.
9c. Third offense - Board no. 4 will be declared as lost game.
9d. Fourth offense - Board no. 4 and 3 will be declared as lost game.
9e. Fifth offense - Board no. 4, 3 and 2 will be declared as lost game.
9f. Sixth offense - Board no. 4, 3, 2 and 1 will be declared as lost game.
9g. If any individual player cancels last minute on multiple occasions, that
player may be barred from competing in the League in future seasons if
the Commissioner deems it fit.
10. Each team must have one team captain or manager and at least one co-captain or assistant
manager. If an issue arises, and it’s impossible to contact any of these managers within a
twenty four hour period, the Commissioner has the right to impose any penalties which are
considered appropriate under the circumstances.
11. Given that these matches are taking place online and the League is young, obviously
unforeseen problems or difficulties may occur. If this should happen, it is up to the
League or the Commissioner to determine the fairest course of action. Also if any team
should try to circumvent the rules in a creative way that was not yet considered by the
League, but in the Commissioner's opinion clearly violates the spirit of the league, the
Commissioner has the right to change the rules during the season.
12. In all instances, the decision of the Commissioner or TD must be respected and upheld.
No appeals shall be entertained.

B. Game Rules, Playing Sites, and TD Rules

1. If a team scores more than two points, they win the match with a score of 1-0. If the
score ends two to two, it’s a tie and both teams get a half match point in the standings or
a score of 0.5-0.5. Match points are the most important statistic in the League; overall
game points come into play only as the first tiebreaker to determine playoff seeding should
two (or more) teams be tied in match points. So while winning a match is the most important
thing, winning by a large margin can be beneficial in giving tiebreak advantages.
2. The only clock time that matters is the time which is displayed on www.chess.com or the
server. If you run out of time on the server, you lose the game. All times and days refers
to server time.
3. The player who plays the white or light pieces shall issue the challenge to his
designated opponent.
4. The challenge from the white player must be issued within THREE DAYS from the time the
START OF THE ROUND IS ANNOUNCED. For example, if a round starts on a Saturday, then WHITE
must issue the challenge anytime on TUESDAY. Otherwise, WHITE will lose the game by default.

5. The player who plays the black or dark pieces must accept the challenge within THREE DAYS
from the time the CHALLENGE is issued. For example, if a challenge is issued on a Saturday,
then BLACK must accept the challenge anytime on TUESDAY. Otherwise, BLACK will lose the game
by default.
6. Team members may not speak to other team members while playing; they must use their own
judgment when deciding whether or not to accept a draw. It should be made very clear to the
player in question what the current score of the match is, and they should be allowed to
view their teammates’ games in progress before deciding whether or not to accept a draw.
7. The two players must report the results of the game in their respective boards to their
team captain. The team captain shall verify the individual reports of their players and
shall then collate all the results in all their matches/boards and report such results to TD
by posting it on the appropriate thread in the RP Chess League Commission Group.
8. Use of computer software, chess engines, books, among others are not allowed. The League
operates in a policy of intellectual honesty. All the players agree that anyone violating
this rule will die in their sleep in two weeks.
9. Fan attendance during games should be encouraged as we would like to have as many chess
enthusiasts as possible watching the matches in every city, region or province.
10. The time for all matches (UNLESS ANOTHER TIME CONTROL IS IMPOSED BY THE COMMISIONER)
shall be FIVE DAYS PER MOVE MAXIMUM. This means that the individual players may agree to
have a faster time control of ONE DAY OR THREE DAYS. In case of disagreement, the 5 day TIME
CONTROL shall apply. It is assumed that once the black or dark player accepts the challenge,
the latter has agreed to the time control as challenged. No dispute shall be entertained.
11. The Commissioner may require the play-off/SEMI FINALS/FINAL games to be played LIVE with
a FASTER TIME CONTROL that the Commissioner deems appropriate.
12. Unless otherwise changed by the Commissioner, the HOME team shall play the white or
light pieces on Boards 1 and 3 while the team designated as AWAY shall play the white or
light pieces on Boards 2 and 4.

C. Takebacks and Disconnections

1. Takebacks are not allowed.

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D. Playoff Structure

1. The top number of teams (as determined by the Commissioner) from each division/bracket
will qualify for the postseason. For determining seeding, match points are the first
criteria, and then there is a set of TIEBREAKS if teams have the same number of match
points. The seeding of teams from each division/bracket shall be determined by the Commissioner or TD.
2. The first seed will play the fourth seed, and the second seed will play the third seed during the Semi-Final Round. (cross-over)
3. The Semi-Final Round winners (winners in the cross-over) will meet in the Final Round.
4. The winning team in the Final Round will be declared the League Champion.
5. In case there is a tie in each round, the winner or the team which will advance to the next round shall be determined by a fifth board with 1 DAY TIME CONTROL and which may
be played LIVE as determined by the Commissioner.
7. The Finals or the Championship Match, unlike any other match, will likely be scheduled LIVE on a weekend. The lineups for the Championship Match may also be required a week in advance, unlike three days for all other matches, for publicity reasons.
8. This structure maybe modified by the Commissioner/TD when the latter deems it
appropriate. In case of conflict between the playoff structure stated in this Section and
the modification made by the Commissoner, if any, the modification shall prevail.

E. Alternate Rules

Alternates who played during the season and may also be allowed to compete in the
postseason, ie playoffs, quarter finals, semi finals, and finals.

F. Ratings

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G. Team and Player Responsibilities

1. Teams are expected to put the maximum effort into all of their matches and games. Short
or pre-arranged draws will not be tolerated even if the match/game in question has no
playoff significance. Teams in violation of this run the risk of penalties.
2. Just as in basically any playoff system, it is of course possible that some teams may
have matches in the last few weeks which aren’t relevant to their playoff situation (e.g.
already having clinched first or already being out of contention). In that case, such teams
are still expected to play as if the match still counts. Both for the League’s image and for
maintaining the integrity of the playoff system, we must require this. Once again, teams
who are believed to not be following this policy without sufficient justification are
subject to penalties.
3. Each team must have a back-up internet connection in case their primary internet fails.
They are also expected to be able to switch to their back-up internet in a reasonably timely
fashion if it is necessary so that their match is not forced to end far later than
scheduled. Teams which do not satisfy this requirement are subject to additional time
penalties if it becomes an issue and possibly even forfeiture of the match if it is felt
extreme enough by the Commissioner.
4. Players are expected to be on time for their games (either issuing a challenge or
accepting it).
5. Players are expected to behave in a sportsmanlike fashion during their games. In
particular, intentional disconnections or excessive draw offers or intentional delaying the
game (even if still within the time control) are subject to penalties if the Commissioner
deems it warranted.
6. Players are only to use their own league account; no player may login to an account of a
team member under any circumstances. Any player or players doing such will die within three
days in a very painful death.
7. Players must respect their team captain, co-captain, the Commissioner or the TD.

H. Miscellaneous

1. Given that the League is new, there is always the possibility of something unusual
occurring. For this reason, all managers will be given the phone numbers of the opposing
manager, the Commissioner, and possibly other officials. If something unusual takes place,
the managers should immediately call these numbers.
2. In the matchups, the real names of the players must be given beside each server username
or handle. While not mandatory, players are encouraged to include their picture in their
profile.
3. Playing the matches on mobile chess.com is also allowed, in fact, encouraged to expedite
the games.
4. While we hope that this never happens, in the most remote possibility that the server
itself might crash for a long period of time making it impossible to complete some or all
matches. Should this happen, the League will explore many options based on the exact
situation including canceling all matches in question, replaying them at some mutually
convenient time, declaring the matches as drawn, or having matches adjudicated based on what
was happening at the time. Once again, we really hope that this never occurs, and is
extremely unlikely, but it is within the realm of possibility. Do try to understand that
should this unfortunate happening take place, it will be very hard for the League to rectify
it in a way that will be perceived as “fair” to all teams this affects, but we will do our
best to find an equitable solution.
5. If some team may “fold” in the middle of the season (e.g. due to whatever circumstances),
that team is likely to lose their franchise (IF APPLICABLE) permanently, and for the current
season, the League will put a “replacement team” in their stead. That replacement team will
compete in all remaining scheduled matches the team in question had left (the starting times
and time controls of those matches may be altered, but other than that the same). The
replacement team will only be eligible for the postseason if they play at least half of the
other team’s regular season matches, but in every other aspect, they will take that team’s
place in entirety for the remainder of the season and will likely become a permanent part of
the league in future seasons.
6. The League reserves the right to schedule and postpone any match if circumstances seem to
warrant it. If rescheduling proves impossible, the match may be called a draw, or if the
League feels one of the teams isn’t being sufficiently reasonable in trying to rectify the
situation, that team might be forfeited.