Semi A Pairings

The team listed first must challenge the team listed 2nd, by the date in the 1st column.  Team being challenged has 2 days to accept challenge, and both teams have 5 further days to lock rosters.  Please post a link to the match.

4 of 6 challenges have been issued and accepted.

• Best of the West: Team Western Canada vs Slavic Pride challenge is due by Jan 15th.
• Slavic Pride vs Chess'nChicks Club is due by Jan 20th.

I can't tell if these haven't been issued, or if they haven't been accepted.  Not a problem yet still lots of time.  It could just be not wanting to land new matches on the team all at once -- I know I'd want to spread them out. 

http://www.chess.com/groups/team_match.html?id=24589 

TMC-ROUND 3: Slavic Pride vs International Chess Players

International Chess Players vs Best of the West:Team Western Canada

http://www.chess.com/groups/team_match.html?id=24388

http://www.chess.com/groups/team_match.html?id=24973

Best of the West:Team Western Canada vs Slavic Pride

Chess'nChicks Club have not already started the match with International Chess Players, I sent message to their admin but no answer.

http://www.chess.com/groups/team_match.html?id=24590

Reminder sent to Kokino for both the Chess'nChicks Club matches.

http://www.chess.com/groups/team_match.html?id=24388

The admin of the team Best of the West: Team Western Canada removed more than 10 players from his team, that is unacceptable-around 20 players were registered for the match and now only 7 players playing.

I wont tolerate that kind of cheating-ICP probablly wont play in TMC League next season if there wont be any consequences for Best of the West:Team Western Canada.

if that is allowed then every admin can removed players with lower ratings!??

Players can, and often do, remove themselves from pending matches that have not locked.  I have done that myself, when I got too many games going.

Is that what happened here?  I don't know, just pointing out there is an explanation which might very well be reasonable.  Also what would happen if players left a team after signing up for a match but before it locks?

Also what's to keep an admin from privately telling the team, people over X rating sign up, others please don't.  The only reason you have a reason to suspect anything is because the size of the team alledgedly went down.  (haven't seen a screenshot showing more players, thus don't have proof)

ICP still has an average rating advantage -- maybe you should settle it over the board. 

All matches have started.  I'll update the first post soon.

The only reason you have a reason to suspect anything is because the size of the team alledgedly went down.  (haven't seen a screenshot showing more players, thus don't have proof)

Yes, that is what I am talking about, but i didnt know unfortunately that they will cheating on that way so i didnt make screenshot. 

From now on, I will make screenshot in every team match game.

I'd prefer you call it something other than cheating, which has a specific meaning on chess.com (getting outside assistance ie a computer, asking friends what to play, having a 2nd ID and playing yourself, etc.).

Can you quote a rule that says they're not allowed to do this?  It's only "rule breaking" if a rule is broken.  You're welcome to submit this as a rule suggestion for the next season.

Even if a rule is added, there are at least four completely valid reasons a player might show up on a match and then disappear from the list.  There may be more reasons, these are just the ones I could think of immediately.  IMO the rule must allow for exceptions of this type.

1. A team might have an internal rule that disallows players with timeouts in their team games or by timeout %
2. The player might not be a member of the team anymore
3. The player might self-remove because of RL changes or too many games going.
4. The player might self-remove when they discover they're paired against someone way higher rated (or way lower rated for that matter).  Sometimes it's not fun to play a game with a huge mismatch.  Even if there were a rule that an admin can't remove a player for this reason, we can't enforce a rule that a player can't drop.  And we can't tell how they were removed, only that they're gone.

My opinion on meta-rules like deadlines for matches to be posted and start, the automatic chess.com exclusion of players who happen to be members of both teams, and the implied suggestion here that admins shouldn't manipulate their team:  Rules like this detract from the primary purpose of the league, which is to play chess.

 I believe he was talking about somebody not self-removing, but rather the admin removing weaker players. But nevertheless some inequality always exists, let's let our boards do the talking. :))

Standings updated.

Great Job DAveShack! :)

Standings updated

Standings updated.  Checking to see if the cutoff date has arrived...

The cutoff date has been reached.  Here are the final standings for this group.

Slavic Pride wins the Semi A group and faces Chess Nuts in the grand final.

International Chess Players takes 2nd and faces the Artistas de Portugal in the 3rd place match.

it seems that you again removed players in the lowest game, against ICP