Gather round, gather round! Time to start the 7th DHLC Classic Tourney (60+30s)

As we get under way with the DHLC Classic Tourney #7 we just need to take care of some pesky things like rules and procedures, and then it will be on with the pairings so everyone can start negotiating the first week games. 

We'll start with a couple of new things - the first two weeks will run for one week, but several players are looking at holidays in August so weeks 3-4 will span 2 weeks each to allow for extra time to play for those planning time off. I will make sure everyone understands the time allowed to play each week; 

As a reminder, scheduling byes (made by the pairing system) are 1 point byes, requested byes are 1/2 point byes. 

For the newcomers (and as a refresher for the returners) here are the rules and some things to note:

This is a long announcement, but it is worth reading. 

First, the rules. 

- Time control for this tourney will be 60 minutes plus 30 sec increment.

- All games must be rated games. There are no exceptions. 

- This tournament will be 6 rounds, round 1-2 will be 1 week each, rounds 3-4 will be 2 weeks each. rounds 5-6 will be 1 week each. 

- All first-round games must be completed and posted by Monday, 24-July at 18:00 ET (Monday, 24-July 22:00 UTC). Remember this when scheduling. Also remember that you may be playing a player in a much different time zone, take that into account when you offer times.

- We play negotiated chess games. This implies that each pair of players must find a mutual, suitable day and time to start their game.  VERY IMPORTANT – if an agreeable time cannot be reached you can settle on a scheduling draw. However, both sides must make a good faith effort to reach a playable time. 

- Failure to attempt to negotiate a playing time in good faith may result in a 1 week, 0-point bye and a “yellow card”. Two weeks in the same tourney may result in a “red card” and removal from the tournament. 

- It is a good idea to start negotiating as soon as possible to allow the maximum amount of time to come to an agreement. All negotiations must take place in the chess.com messaging system unless both players agree to use a different method. This agreement must be agreed to by both parties and be able to be reviewed.  

- We recommend that the players make each other aware of all their availability (PA) at the very beginning of their discussion. In our discussions, we will only consider the starting time of the game, and not its duration. Make sure that you have enough time to play a long game that would reach the endgame. For instance, a 60min + 30sec increment, 60 move game (60 moves per side), will last for 3 hours, if both players use all their time. 

- A round Monday @ 10:00 PM US ET (Tuesday @ 3:00AM UTC). We use the US Eastern Time (US ET; New York) or UTC/GMT if both players are familiar with that time in any discussion. If a player is unsure of the time zone used, please make sure you clarify before posting the playing time. 

- All players need to be aware of the time zone of their opponent. (A very useful link for finding times in different time zones for scheduling - https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/meeting.html )

- Both players will post the day and starting time for a game in the comments of the Announcement associated to the pairings. A "thumbs up" to the posted game time is considered an acknowledgement/second posting of the accepted game time. Then there is no need to do anything else.  

- Both players have the responsibility to show up for the game on time. It is suggested that you "Friend" the person before the game to make it easy to challenge/find your opponent. We recommend that the players arrive in LIVE chess 5 minutes before the beginning of the game. The players have a 15-minute period of grace in case they are late. After the period of grace has passed, the non-faulty player can claim the win by posting in the Comments associated to the pairing's announcements. Please send a screen capture to me in a private message that shows what time it is, proving that the opponent did not show up.

- If there are any disputes/issues with negotiating or your opponent not showing for the game, screenshots are always needed. Please submit screenshots when informing/requesting no-shows/no negotiations. Any disputes need to be done via DM to me, not in the comments of the round.

- The winner of the game must post the result of the game, as well as a link that leads to it, in the Comments associated to the pairings announcements. In case of a draw, either player may post.

What follows are among the things that are forbidden and considered as cheating.

* Using an engine.
* Being helped by another person.
* Using databases and books.
* Testing variations during the game.
* Behaving in such way as to disturb the other player, e.g., making multiple draw offers.

Any player who is found guilty of one of the offenses explained above is liable to be suspended, or even banned.

A question that is often asked in these types of tournaments: 

Q. Can I use a real chessboard?  

A. It is permitted to use a physical chess board to play the game (and probably is a good idea as well!) provided the player does not use it to test variations during the game. A piece touched must remain a piece played, just like in OTB chess. The player should make sure that the sound of his/her computer is turned ON so that the player is aware when the opponent plays a move. With the advent of the electronic boards which send the moves to chess.com as you move your pieces, please be aware that the technology is not perfect (I have 4 different ones myself). You can get disconnected or time out without knowing it. A game lost like that is a game lost. 

I hope I have not forgotten anything, I will be on a plane most of the morning on Tuesday but will check in here as much as I can, please let me know. 

Now, on with the pairings!

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE!!!

### THIS WEEKS GAMES MUST BE COMPLETED BY 18:00 ET ON 24-JULY, 2023. ###

1600+ Rnd 1 Pairings

U1600 Rnd 1 Pairings

U1400 Rnd 1 Pairings

U1200 Rnd 1 Pairings

Player links (Sorry, will be fixed soon)