One tournament to rule them all! The start of the DHLC Classic Tourney #3 is here .... (G75+30s)

Hello all, it is time to drop the green flag on the DHLC Classical Tourney #3. There was a good signup this time with 47 players joining in.

We have 4 ratings groups, with players from around the world mixed together across times zones. This works for other tournaments, just remember to be flexible in your thinking and scheduling. 

Posted below are the Round 1 pairings, please start negotiating a playing time as soon as you can. 

Some things to remember:

- All first round games must be completed and posted by Monday, 22-Aug at 18:00 EDT (Monday, 22-Aug 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.  

- 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 player agree to use a different method. 

- 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 75min + 30sec increment, 60 move game, will last for 3½ hours, if both players use all their time. 

- A round lasts 1 week and starts Monday @ 10:00PM US ET (Tuesday @ 3:00AM UTC) and ends on Monday @ 6:00PM US ET (10:00PM UTC), with some exceptions. We use the US Eastern Time (US ET; New York) or UTC/GMT if both players are familiar with that time in any discussion.

- 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. We recommend that the players arrive in LIVE chess 5 minutes before the beginning of the game. The players have a 10-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 pairings announcements. It is highly suggested to also post a screen capture 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 helpful.

- 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, both players must 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!) if 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.

That's all I have for now, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask, either here or by sending me a direct message. I will do my best to respond/answer within just a few hours (unless I am sleeping ...)

DHLC Classical Tourney #3 - U1000 pairings:

DHLC Classical Tourney #3 - U1300 pairings:

DHLC Classical Tourney #3 - U1500 pairings:

DHLC Classical Tourney #3 - 1500+ pairings:

Good luck to everyone!