General Rules

-Members may only represent one country in the World League. It is up to them which one they represent, and some exceptions MAY apply (communication is key!)

-Members may only play in World League team matches appropriate to their online chess rating.

-The league is divided into four divisions: Masters (top players from each country), 1601-2000, 1201-1600, and under 1200. Players may NOT participate in more than one division at a time, even if their rating qualifies them for more than one.

-If a player’s rating is altered enough during the course of a match to change their division, they must switch rating divisions only AFTER their current World League team match is complete.

-All members are entitled to participate in a World League team match, as long as they are within the rating parameters and they are following all other rules. Team Leaders may not withhold this right from them unless it is absolutely clear they will not be able to finish their games in a reasonable amount of time.

-In keeping with the site rules, team members may NOT help each other out during their games.

What is "altered enough"?

Let's just hope that if any of us have swings they are in the right direction.

cool , seems simple i just have a few questions will we be doing these games online ?  will or how we do games all at once ?  how many games will we play ? does it cost money ? will we actuly play other countrys ? how long will the tourniment last ? does it all take place on chess.com ? thank you .

Q:  Will we be doing these games online?

A:  Yes, all games will be in the format of a team match between different countries(or regions if in the USA).

Q:  Will we do games all at once?

A:  We will play one team(country) at a time, though it is possible that two matches may overlap.  Time controls will be 3 days/move, and both games against your opponent will start at the same time.

Q:  Does it cost money?

A:  No, unless you want to become a premium member of chess.com.

Q: Will we actually play other countries?

A:  Absolutely, that's the whole idea.  Try to think of it as one big tournament.  The World League will be divided into seasons where different countries play against each other, and points are awarded for wins.  The team with the most points at the end of the season will be crowned champion of the World League for that year.

Q:  How long will the tournament last?

A:  Each individual match will hopefully only take about a month, the season lasts for a year.

Q:  Does it all take place on chess.com?

A:  Yes.

Please don't hesitate to ask any other questions, details are still being worked out but the tentative start date for the first season is Jan. 15.

I would like to play! Im I sign up?

Once you're in this group you're signed up to play.  Once we have an official team match scheduled, I'll make a post so everyone can join the match.

just wondering, is the U.S. as a whole more likely to win because of the large number of players, or are there too many bad players to make the U.S. a contender?

Are these vote chess games?

No, these are team match games where each person will play 2 games against someone with similar rating from the opposing team.  The team with the highest cumulative score after all games are completed is the winner of that match.

The American team is divided into 6 different regions because a large percentage of chess.com members are from the US.  As far as player ability, that is the whole idea behind the world league:  to figure out which country has the best chess players.

I just joined a couple of months ago and subscribed last month.  I do not have a Chess.com tournament rating.  I DO have the Quick/Blitz/Long ratings from Live Chess.  What rating and/or rating division will I start in?

I'm new at the tournament thing so I'm a little confused as to how it works.  We sign up for matches?  When does this happen?  Thanks!

All matches in World League play will be in the form of team matches, similar to the warmup matches we have now.  There are 4 rating divisions:  <1200, 1201-1600, 1601-2000, and >2000 so you will be matched with someone similar in rating.

We will start a new match against a different team, determined by a schedule created by the World League organizers, each month.  Once I know our schedule I will make an announcement and post links so it will be as easy as possible for all of our members to play in the league. 

I hope that answers your question, and welcome to the group!

The only rating taken into account for World League play is your online rating.  If you don't play and finish any online games between now and our first match you will play in the <1200 group for at least the first match.  If you win and your rating increases, you will play in your new rating division for the next match.

That's a good question, Reb, there doesn't seem to be an answer to this yet, I'll see what I can find out.

Is there a limit to how many players play in a match within any given rating division, or does it just depend on how many players a team can field in that division?  Also, will this be similar to other team matches in which players are paired up by their relative ratings (board 1, board 2, etc.)?  BTW, thanks for taking the reins EasyB!