Grand Rapid Tournaments
Rules & Guidelines

• Tournaments' Format • Qualifying Stage • Regular Stage • Regular Stage Pairings • Playoffs Stage • Participation Requirements • Players' Responsibilities • Rating Calculation • The Draws • Forfeits • Postponing • Closed Accounts • Resigning & Inactivity • Confirmation • Negotiating • Fair Play • Arguing & Appeals •

Tournaments' Format

Grand Rapid events, both U2200 and U1600, are going to be annual competitions for individual chess players. They are inspired by other chess.com existing events like Not-So PRO Chess League (Rapid) plus its Blitz and Bullet versions, which are quite similar to the GRTs but for team competitions instead. In case you’re keen to the concept of team play, we strongly advise you to join any of their clubs. GRTs are mostly based on the rules’ structure of the latter (having even kept enough of their Rules’ text fields intact), with slight additions deriving from other Leagues in chess.com, plus several alterations having been applied, as thought to be absolutely necessary when it comes to an event created solely for individuals. The GRTs events in general, are going to take place in the following stages:

Qualifying Stage– In case the number of registered contestants is not ideal, so to start a well-structured event right away, this preliminary round is about to ensure that only the best will qualify for the main stages. The number of rounds and structure of this stage may vary between seasons, mainly based upon the number of participants.
Regular Stage - A Grand Prix format with groups of a Double Round-Robin system, consisting of three (3) to six (6) individuals (depending on the number of qualified players), with one (1) up to four (4) players qualifying (based on the number of groups), or a Grand Swiss format with a Dutch system of eight (8) to twelve (12) rounds long and with eight (8) or sixteen (16) players advancing to the next stage.
Playoffs Stage - A common brackets’ structure of knockout games, from two (2) to four (4) rounds long.

Games per Round for each pairing:

One (1) game for a Grand Swiss Regular Stage & for Qualifying Stages of mini-swiss structures
Two (2) games for a Grand Prix Regular Stage versus the same opponent (as if it was two separate rounds) and for Qualifying Stages’ Knockout brackets (plus any extra games in case of a tie), playing with both colours
Four (4) games for every round of the Playoffs Stage, plus any extra games needed as a tiebreak, to decide the advancing player or the 3^rd place/ tournament winner

Time control: Fifteen (15) minutes for each player, with a ten (10) seconds increment per move [15|10]. A choice which, being a chess.com default time, also awards points for the Player’s League.

Note 1: All games, during any Stage of the season, including Pre-Season (if applies), are to be rated and must be played only on chess.com platform.

Round duration:

Six (6) days for a Grand Swiss Regular Stage & mini-swiss structures of Qualifying Stages
Nine (9) days for Grand Prix Regular Stage & Qualifying Stages’ Knockout brackets where both two (2) games (plus any extras needed), versus the same opponent, must be played during this time-window
Fourteen (14) days for each round of the Playoffs Stage, for all games to be played, so to conclude all encounters and decide upon the advancing players/ winner
Sometimes, a round could either last a bit more or a bit less, or even being further extended on special occasions
During each round, all assigned pairings’ games should be played
After each round’s deadline a rest day will follow, where unplayed games are ruled upon existing evidence, events are processed, and new round’s threads are created

Awarding System:

Win = 1 point
Draw = 0.5 a point &
Loss = 0 points
Unplayed games will be ruled upon by the administration during the rest day and points will be awarded based on evidence, according to players’ correct following and application of the Official Negotiation Context

Note 2: When the number of players registered is not ideal to immediately starting the Regular Stage:

Season 1 - players of lower calculated Elo rating will play against each other in a Qualifying Stage
Season 2 and on - both individuals that did not participate in the previous season and those who i) were placed on the bottom spots of last season’s Grand Swiss, failing to advance to the Playoffs or ii) failed to qualify through the previous season’s groups of the Grand Prix (in the first or only phase), will play in a Qualifying Stage, prior of being seeded for the Regular Stage

Note 3: In case that the number of registered players in one competition is less than an appropriate minimum, so to start the season, there will be two possible steps:

A brief extension to the Registration Period, letting for other players to join in &
Movement of the rating’s barrier (the current 1600 Elo) to a lower or higher value, up to 100 Elo points maximum, as an extreme measure to solve this imbalance

Qualifying Stage

The Qualifying Stage will take place after registration’s deadline and before the Regular Stage. There could be multiple mini-swiss tournaments of two to four (2-4) rounds, with the top X number (to be decided) of players in each one, moving to the Regular Stage. Alternatively, there could be several series of mini bracket-structured Knockout games, with the winner of each bracket reserving a spot to the next stage. On some occasions, there might be different phases of mini-swiss tournaments, with the top X number of players (to be decided) advancing between phases, or even a combination of mini-swiss tournaments and Knockout games. Have a look within The Draws chapter for more details.

Regular Stage

Grand Prix

Players who have qualified for the Regular Stage, will at first be divided into pools of strength based on their calculated rating. There will be as much pools as the population of each group, with each pool having individuals equal to the number of groups to be formed. Then, a draw will take place to fill up the groups (see The Draws chapter for more info).

The pairings for the groups of a Grand Prix Regular Stage will be predetermined, prior to each season’s start. Individuals in a group will be ranked 1-3 or 6 (according to groups’ population) which will be their seed for that season. The seedings will be solely based on the calculated rating of each player.

Sometimes it is possible, if decided by the administration, for the Regular Stage to consist of consecutive group phases, prior to reaching the Playoffs. Between phases, there will be players’ advancing and others being eliminated from the next phase. Here are some examples of such possible Regular Stage structures:

32 players: 8x groups of four (4) with the top two (2) players in each group advancing to a second phase of 4x groups of four (4), with the top two (2) advancing to the Quarterfinals.
24 players: 6x groups of four (4) with the top two (2) players in each group advancing to a second phase of 4x groups of three (3), with the top (1) player advancing to the Semi-finals.
24 players: 4x groups of six (6) with the top three (3) players in each group advancing to a second phase of 2x groups of six (6), with the top four (1-4) advancing to the Quarterfinals.

There could also be decided that the qualified players of two different groups will join to form a new one, during the next phase. The previous, applies for large groups of at least six (6+) players, where three at least will qualify. In that case, pairings of the new phase will occur only between players coming from a different group, and every player will curry their points scored during the previous phase, but only against players who advanced along with them.

Grand Swiss

Individuals who are qualified to play in the Regular Stage must be of an even number, but not less than twelve (12) in population. Only the first round’s pairings will be known after the completion of the Qualifying Stage and prior to the start of the Regular Stage, which will be determined due to the calculated rating of the contestants. Pairings of second round and on, will be formed based on the Dutch system, which is to be explained further within the next chapter (i.e. Regular Stage Pairings).

Tiebreaks are as follows, with the exact order to be considered:

Points
Wins
Points awarded in games between the tied players
Less Forfeit Losses &
Less Collection Rating

Regular Stage Pairings

The Pairings in the Regular Stage will be as follows:

Grand Prix

The pairings of players will be set based on their seeding within the group. The player who’s seed number is in front of each pairing (i.e., on the left of “vs” part), will have to play that game with the white pieces. For every pairing, the player having the minimum seed number must always play the first game with the white pieces. A detailed example of how the pairings will be formed in each round, depending on groups’ population, can be seen within the following figure:

Figure 1

Grand Swiss

In general, there will be in effect what Wikipedia suggests for a Dutch system, within its Swiss-system tournament article:

“The players are divided into groups (i.e., after the first round) based on their score. Within each group with the same or similar score, players are ranked, based on rating or some other criteria. Subject to the other pairing rules, the top half is then paired with the bottom half. For instance, if there are eight (8) players in a score group, no.1 is paired with no.5, no.2 is paired with no.6 and so on. Modifications are then made to prevent competitors from meeting each other twice, and to balance colours (in chess) ...”

In detail, it will be followed what FIDE specifies within C.04.3 FIDE (Dutch) System section of their HANDBOOK and a software will be used to ensure that these rules will be applied automatically each time.

Playoffs Stage

Consists of a must-win two (2) to four (4) rounds elimination stage, up until winning the championship title, following a Final 16 Round, Quarterfinals, Semi-finals, and Grand Final/ 3rd Place Match sequence of events in its longest version.

Final 16 Round

the individuals having qualified for this round, will play each other to determine who moves on. If the Regular Stage was a Grand Swiss, the sixteen (16) players placed higher than the rest will be paired as follows:

Figure 2

In case the competition is of a Grand Prix format, the qualified players from each group will face those of the near-by group, with the following crossing scenarios:

Figure 3

Quarterfinals

The eight individuals having advanced through the Final 16 Round of the Playoffs Stage will battle against each other for qualifying to the semis.

Individuals having advanced directly through a Dutch Swiss system will be paired as follows:

Figure 4

For players having qualified directly via Regular Stage Grand Prix groups, the following crossing scenarios will apply:

Figure 5

Semi-finals

The four remaining players on the Playoffs table, shall play each other for a spot in the Finals.

Dutch Swiss system tournaments are not to directly provide a Semi-finals Stage, right after the completion of the Regular Stage.
Players having qualified directly from Regular Stage Grand Prix groups will face each other at the Semi-finals Stage as follows:

Figure 6

Grand Final & 3rd Place Match

It’s the round where the ultimate match between the two proved best individuals of the Playoffs table and the encounter for the Bronze Trophy take place.

In case of an absolute tie in any encounter of any Playoffs round, there will be Tiebreak rounds as follows:

Rapid Tiebreaks - Two (2) games of 10|0 time-control with inverted colours. If the series are still tied, then
Rapid Armageddon – One (1) game of 10|0 [w] & 8|0 [b], where the player with the higher calculated rating picks the side to play with (White/Black), and if a draw occurs, the Black side wins

Any necessary games for Tiebreak purposes must be concluded prior to the current Playoffs’ round deadline and it is recommended they all get played in one (1) single session.

Participation Requirements

To join as a player in the Grand Rapid Tournaments it is required that a chess.com member applying, holds an account for three (3) months minimum on the platform, as well as having played a minimum of seventy (70) Overall and twenty (20) during the Collection Period, Rated Rapid Games (RRGs) against other human players. They also must have played against at least twenty (20) different humans of up to ±400 rating difference on RRGs, for any of those to count towards each category (i.e., overall & collection period), so that rating manipulation is avoided.

This number of games must be played until the deadline of the Registration Period, or else the player is ineligible to participate in the upcoming season. Games against computer live bots will not count to the minimum ones required for both categories. While submitting their application, players not meeting the full requirements’ set, may still apply through the official form. However, even if the administration is expected to doublecheck for all players’ eligibility, it is also a player's responsibility to indicate them the fulfilment of the requirements, prior to the deadline! Finally, all entries will be verified for deliberate rating manipulation, which is a form of fair play abuse and therefore will not be tolerated.

Players' Responsibilities

A Player has, among their responsibilities throughout the season, to:

Locate each round's Pairings Announcement
Carefully read instructions therein and visiting their in-game messages often, for being aware of their opponent’s answers
Post the day and starting time of each arranged game (or series of consecutive games) in the comments’ section of the Announcement associated to a round’s pairings or give a "thumbs up/down" reaction to a comment already posted by their opponent
Attend their game(s) in the accorded time
Timely ask their opponent for a round’s postponement or a game’s reschedule
Send a direct message to an Admin, to inform regarding a game’s rescheduling
Post their game result, as well as the link that leads to it, at each round's Results Thread, in case they win or draw. Failing of doing so properly, prior to a round’s deadline, means that a player will not be awarded with any points eventually.
Have their live chess challenge setting, open to everyone prior the accorded game time, or alternatively add the opponent to their friends’ list in order to play the game. See this thread of Not-So PRO Chess League by @ijgeoffrey, for detailed instructions on how to challenge a player on chess.com platform.
Inform their previous username to the Administration in case of a username change after they have submitted the registration form
Timely inform the Administration in case of postponing a round or resigning from the event
Actively and effectively negotiate, by being flexible and showing willingness to play
And above all, respect their opponent (see chapter Fair Play)

Rating Calculation

A player's Initial Tournament Rating, before the pairing’s formation of the Qualifying Stage, will be calculated as explained within the steps below:

Collection of their peak Rapid rating, derived from their latest twenty (20) minimum up to thirty (30) maximum RRGs played, maximum three (3) months prior to deadline up until the last day of the registration period.
Collection of their lowest Rapid rating, derived with the exact same way as described above.
Calculation of their average rating, using the collected peak and lowest values, using the simple formula below:

Figure 7

After the completion of the Qualifying Stage, the Tournament Rating will be re-calculated for the players that will compete in the Regular Stage of the event. The steps and the formula will be the same as for the Initial one except that this time, the deadline plus the start of the three (3) months period for the games’ collection will be shifted at the end of the Qualifying Stage.

Before calculating the registered players’ Ratings, a final check on their eligibility to compete will take place, where except the limitations within the Requirements field, less than twenty (20) RRGs played inside the Collection Period will lead to their registration being revoked.

From the thirty-first (31) and on, RRGs played within a three (3) months’ period (counting backwards in time, starting from the closest to deadline) against human players of ±400 rating difference, are not to be considered while collecting a player’s Peak and Lowest Rapid rating values.

Cases of players that are found to have unusually much higher elo rating within a relatively short time period, either prior to the thirty (30) valid RRGs or the three (3) months’ Collection Period, will be further examined. The administration has the right to deny their participation, if they have a strong reason to believe they have manipulated their rating in such way, that makes it unfair for the rest of the participants.

After the Initial Tournament Rating is calculated, all registered players will be placed to compete in the appropriate Tournament:

U1600 Tournament for individuals having 1-1599 Elo points &
U2200 Tournament for players with 1600-2199 Rapid rating

The Draws

In total, there will be two (2) “Draws” taking place for each season. The first one will be undertaken in order to form the mini-swiss structures or/ and Knockout Brackets for the Qualifying Stage, while the second one will divide players into Groups or Swiss tournaments (if multiple) of the Regular stage. In detail:

Qualifying Stage Draw

After the registration deadline has passed and the players have confirmed they are still willing to compete (see chapter Confirmation), the administration is going to come up with the best possible format for the Regular Stage, based on the number of the registered players who confirmed to continue.

The players who will have to claim a place in the regular season through the Qualifying Stage, will be divided into equally numbered Pools of Strength, based on their calculated rating. Usually, there will be between three (3) to five (5) of those pools and the selected structure will form as follows:

Mini-Swiss

For the first mini-swiss tournament, the strongest players of each Pool of Strength (i.e., to those assigned the Seed no.1) will be selected. If the better placed players are about to directly qualify for the Regular Stage, the second strongest individuals in the Pools are to fill in the next mini-swiss and so on. In case there is going to be a second Knockout phase, depending on the total number of tournaments to be formed (always an even number), the filling up will continue based on the following examples:

Figure 8

Then, after all matches are played (one [1] game for each pairing), the X higher placed players of each tournament, depending on the number of mini-swisses and the empty slots in the Regular Stage, will qualify for the later or will compete in a second phase of mini-swiss tournaments or Knockout Brackets.

Knockout Bracket

Each bracket in the Knockout phase of the Qualifying Stage, may have a capacity of four (4) or eight (8) players. When no Swiss phases are to be preceded, the brackets shall be formed according to the following:

Figure 9

However, in case this is the second or third phase of the Qualifying Stage, the winners (directly) or two higher placed players (in crossed pairings scenario) of every couple adjacent mini-swisses, will form brackets to compete for the qualification.

Regular Stage Draw

After all players to compete in the Regular Stage are known and have confirmed their availability to continue, Pools of Strength are going to be formed once again and the “Draw”, will take place as follows:

The whole procedure will be run manually or by using a suitable software, possibly covered via a live broadcast on a social media platform, to promote transparency. The software approach will be initially explained using a few words regarding its methodology and will cover the Pools’ creation and the Groups/ Swisses complement.

Performing manual Draws will involve random picks of players’ names from within a large bowl, starting with the strongest Pool of strength, until all players of that Pool are placed on the top spot of each Group. The names will be printed on small papers, which are to be folded and placed inside "Kinder" eggs. The same procedure will repeat, until all Pools are picked and Groups/ Swisses are formed.

Important here is that the number of both Groups and Swisses to be formed, have to be even. The procedure explained above is not necessary if there is only one Grand Swiss to be formed.

Forfeits

In the event of a player failing to be online for their game, fifteen (15) minutes past the scheduled game time, they will receive a no-show and must continue negotiations by offering new time windows to their opponent. However, in order for such an absence to be considered as a no-show, the following must occur in the exact order:

The player being online on time, will have to message their opponent by letting them know they are ready to play
Their opponent fails to timely reply, accept a challenge by them or create one that will eventually be accepted, during that time window &
The player who was present on time for their game(s), must capture and forward the evidence (screenshot) to the appointed admin, in less than an hour from the incident (= scheduled game-time + 15 minutes).

Having already specified what a “no-show” is, let us present you with the cases that may result to a forfeit result (win/draw/loss):

When a player fails to show up twice (no-show x2) during a round, this will award them automatically with a forfeit loss
Each proven “no-show” will render the absent player a Strike (like in baseball). If a player accumulates three Strikes during a season, they will be ejected from the remainder of the tournament
In case one of the opposing players during a round had a no-show, and the rest of the negotiation efforts were fruitless, they will eventually receive a forfeit loss
When negotiations entirely fail without any no-shows for a round’s pairing, both players receive a forfeit draw. This will result in both being awarded with half a point (5) during a Group or Swiss stage. However, this will result in both players’ elimination if it happens during a Knockout phase. In case of the latter, one of the eliminated players on that round, having played all of their games, will pass to the next round instead of the inactive pairing, and that should be the strongest one of them at the Regular Stage, in terms of points they scored.

Postponing

While on the Regular Stage, a player has the right to ask for an encounter to be postponed, during the first forty eight (48) [for a 5 & 7 days round] or seventy two (72) [for a 10+ days round] hours of a round, within the relevant round’s Postponing Thread. However, in case they fail to timely do so, they must keep on negotiating, until the round ends.

The rest of postponing procedure rules are:

A postponed pairing’s encounter must take place during the following round, along with the new round’s scheduled encounter (if the latter will not get postponed).
At the end and between phases (if any) of the Regular Stage, a break should take place, long enough, to let for all postponed encounters of that stage to be concluded.
A player has the right to postpone up to two (2) encounters the most, during the Regular Stage, but not twice against the same opponent.
After a player has used all of the postponements they are entitled to, they must play their remaining encounters on time, until the end of the Regular Stage.
A particular pairing’s encounter can only be postponed twice (once from each side), only if both opponents have at least one postponement left to use. After that, the encounter must be played.
A pairing’s encounter can only be postponed once, and not by both opponents (even if both have the right to) if it is on the last round of a Regular Stage
Not any postponements can be claimed during the Qualifying and Playoff

Closed Accounts

Here follows what applies in case of players’ accounts getting closed (manually or due to the system after breaching chess.com policy), during each stage of a season, without having played all of their games for that round/ phase.

Knockout Phases

During a knockout structure [bracket(s)], a player whose account has been closed, will be automatically disqualified and:

For the Qualifying Stage

1. while on the first knockout round of the first or only phase, their opponent will directly advance to the next round
2. while on the first knockout round of a subsequent phase, will be replaced by the player that has been:
  1. placed on the first non-qualifying spot of their previous phase mini-swiss
  2. eliminated by them, on the final round of their previous phase knockout bracket
3. while on a successive round of a knockout phase, will be replaced by the player they have eliminated during the previous round

For the Playoffs Stage

1. while on the first playoffs’ round, they will be replaced by the player that has been placed on the first non-qualifying spot of their Group or Swiss, during the last phase of the Regular Stage
2. while on the second round and on, they will immediately be replaced by the player they have eliminated on the previous playoffs’ round
In case of any closed accounts during a round, time extension will be offered to all affected pairings’ encounters, and to them only, in order to provide a sufficient time window for naturally having a winner. The total duration of each affected pairing should be exactly that of a round during that Stage, and time will start counting at the very moment that the admins will renew the pairing’s information. The round will officially end, after the deadline of the last affected pairing has passed.
When a contestant who is to replace a closed account, also happens to be closed since the time of their elimination, then, the next player in line will take their place and thus, the right to advance. This will be the player who has been placed on the first non-qualifying spot, within the group, Swiss or mini-swiss of the improper replacement or the one who has been eliminated by the latter, during a previous round of a knockout phase.

Regular Stage

After the Regular Stage has started and only during its first round, a player whose account has been closed and they have been qualified via the previous Stage (aka Qualifying), will be replaced by the player they have eliminated (knockout) or left placed on the first non-qualifying spot of their mini-swiss, just before entering the current Stage.
The previous will also apply in case of multiple phases within the Regular Stage. For example, in case of advancing to a subsequent phase and a player’s account gets closed during its first round, they will be replaced by the player having been placed on the first non-qualifying spot of their previous phase Group or Swiss.
In case of a player’s account being closed after the first round of any phase, this player gets automatically disqualified and their opponents get a full point for their in between encounter, even if already played with them and drawn or lost.
The same happens if more than one player’s account closes after the first round of a phase, with the following sub-cases also being possible:

1. If it happens to get closed, as many accounts as the non-qualifying spots of a Group or Swiss, and even if all of the remaining players are about to qualify, the rest of their in between encounters must be played, so that the final standings will emerge.
2. In case that more players’ accounts close, and the available spots of that Group or Swiss for advancement cannot get fully filled, the empty ones will eventually get populated by the very best among the players having been placed on the first non-qualifying spots, within the rest of the Groups or Swisses of that phase.

Resigning & Inactivity

In case of a player announcing their resignation to the League Admins, the content of the previous chapter (i.e. Closed Accounts) will be in effect, and the timing of an account being closed, will now be considered as the timing of that announcement.

Inactivity, in GRTs terms, is considered to be when a player remains totally inactive, regarding their responsibilities to the event. Such activities may be like failing to show up for negotiations or to claim a postponement during a round, regardless of appearing to being online on chess.com platform at the same time. Taking the last into consideration, all of the following may apply:

Regular Stage

If a player is found to be fully inactive (supported by evidence) for two (2) non-consecutive rounds of the Regular Stage, this should be enough for that player to automatically find themselves out of the League.
Apart from the Strike system, in case of a player being inactive for fourteen (14) consecutive days (i.e., a whole round, the intervening resting day and the first four days of the following round), this will also result to their disqualification from that season.
Disqualification due to inactivity, is also to be treated as a resignation or an account closure, and all the rules within the Closed Accounts chapter will apply, since the very moment of a player’s disqualification.

Knockout Phases

Evident inactivity during a whole round of a knockout stage, means that the player gets automatically disqualified for the current season, and the one who will get to replace them, will have a chance to qualify instead of them, during an extension of the current round. Here too, applies the full content of Closed Accounts chapter.

Confirmation

Between League’s Stages, in-game messages will be sent by the assigned League Admin to all qualified players. The content of such messages will be a typical question on whether a player is willing to progress and being able to participate to the next Stage. Every player must reply to that message within six (6) days’ time from the moment they receive it, by stating their intention to proceed or not. A timely positive answer means they will continue competing within the next Stage. A negative answer or failure to reply on time, will automatically result to their instant disqualification from the rest of the event, and the rules provided within Closed Accounts chapter will be in effect, deciding who is going to replace them.

On some occasions, the Administration may decide that no messages will be sent to advancing participants. Instead, a special Forum thread will be created for this purpose, where the question will be presented within the introductory post, and all interested parties will have to post their answer in form of a comment, right below.

All players may also be asked to confirm their participation for the upcoming season, right after the registration deadline has passed, and before the Draw for the Qualifying Stage takes place.

Negotiating

Negotiations between players are an important part of GRTs competitions, since if a pairing fails to arrange playing their game(s), the outcome will have to be decided upon the effectiveness of both sides’ negotiating efforts. These are to take place only within in-game messages, where opposing players will be exchanging messages by presenting their availability in days and time-windows, agreeing on game-dates, and communicating before and during their games. Any actions made in there, must follow the Official Negotiation Context in order to be valid and effective, and all comments should be carefully written after having consulted the Negotiation Tips offered by @Wind (in NSPCL club) on maximizing game negotiation and avoiding forfeits. The later text has been adopted by GRTs and is now part of the whole context, as a consulting mean, while deciding encounters’ outcome, whose games have not been played (fully or partially). All players should make sure they clearly type and logically structure their comments, since assigned members of the administration reading a screenshot of them, having to decide upon an issue, should be able to finely understand their meaning, in order to be fair upon their judgement.

Fair Play

All games will be reviewed by the GRTs Admins and Fair Play Consultants, during and after every season. Players that are found to be cheating or misbehaving during League games, are liable to be suspended from the current season or even permanently banned from GRTs club, even if chess.com itself will not decide in closing their account. The penalty to be imposed, depends on the seriousness of the offence. Here follows a list of behaviours and habits that are strictly forbidden during League’s games:

Using a chess engine for assistance
Being helped by another person
Using chess databases and books
Disturbing or abusing the opposing player, e.g.:
1. making multiple draw offers, especially while in a disadvantageous position
2. swearing, intimidating, diminishing the opponent, or using hate speech
3. repeatedly typing nonsense or annoying messages within the game’s chat

If a player is found to be guilty on one of the offences explained, their results will be reverted - including forfeit results - into losses, and the standings and playoff implications will be accordingly adjusted. All Fair Play adjustments made will be final and not appealable.

Arguing & Appeals

The decision of the administration on any issue is final and should not be debated within the club. You may, however, politely petition the administration for a review of a decision only via Private Messages sent to the assigned admin. Constant arguing and complaints via any channel of communication, may result in a player’s disqualification from the current season, and even to their ejection from the club. If you wish to suggest changes on rules, guidelines and contexts or on the way the League operates, you may join and use the GRTs Suggestions thread within the club’s Forum. Your expressed interest on our Tournaments’ improvement will always be much appreciated. However, regardless of how much interesting and useful a suggestion may be, the administration could still judge otherwise for various reasons, and their kind rejection should always be well respected.

These rules are subject to change.
Major changes will be communicated inside the GRTs club.

Grand Rapid Tournaments

Super Admins

Admins

Coordinators