Longer LIVE Game Tourney #1

All the games of the 1st round must be completed by Monday 25 @ 6:00PM US ET (Monday 25 @ 10:00PM UTC). The pairings appear below. Note that the Asia/Pacific section and the 2 Europe/Africa sections have merged into just 1 section.

----------------------------------------------Official Rules----------------------------------------------

Rules & Protocol of Discussion

We play negotiated chess games. This implies that each pair of players must find a mutual, suitable day and time to start their game.  

When discussing, only the starting day & time of the game will be considered, never its duration. A round lasts 1 week and starts Monday @ 11:00PM US ET (Wednesday @ 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 in any discussion.

The pairings are posted every Monday at ±11:00PM US ET (Tuesday at ±3:00AM UTC) or before when possible. The posted pairings will take the form of a News Content similar to the one you are reading. The players must start discussing as soon as possible. The players are allowed to use any mean of discussion. In order to maximize the chances for a quick agreement, a ZOOM meeting room will be offered.  

The Player's Availability (PA)

We recommend that the players make each other aware of all their availibility (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 75m x2 + 30s x2 x60 = 150m + 360s = 150m + 60m = 180m + 30m = 210m = 3½ hours, if both players use all their time.  

The deadline to begin the discussion

There is no deadline. However, it is easy to understand how important it is to agree quickly about when to play.  Thus the players will begin their discussion soon after the pairings are posted. The sooner the better the chances that a game is actually played. This is why the player who is always last minute to start the discussion runs the risk to be disqualified or even banned of any futur event.

What to do after the deal is sealed?

Both players will post the day and starting time for a game in the News Content associated to the pairings. 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 on 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 News Content associated to the pairings. It is highly suggested to also post a screen capture that shows what time it is, proving that the opponent did not show up.

The Game

One of the players must send a game challenge to the other in accordance to the time control of the game as well as the color assignment. The game must be rated. Although saying "Hi" and "Good luck" at the beginning of the game is ok, trying to communicate with the other player during the game is forbiden. It is also forbiden to put pressure on the other player to make him/her faster. Making multiple draw offers is also something that we do not want to see.

After the game is played

The winner of the game must post the result of the game, as well as a link that leads to it, in the News Content associated to the pairings. In case of a draw, both players must post.

Forfeiting

The player who forfeits the game too often will eventually be banned of any further event. It could be so after any number of occurences equal to or higher than 2. Because we actually want to play long LIVE games, forfeiting a game is never a solution. 

Cheating

What follows is 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.

Can I use a real chessboard?

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. 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.

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