The 2023-2024 season of the US Team Chess League (USTCL) starts today, and Tennessee will be competing in Division 4 this year. I hope all the old regulars and many of you newcomers will participate this year.
Sadly Team Tennessee drew a bye in the first round so our league games will not start until August 14 (against North Dakota). Look for an invitation in your inbox around the first of August (and every month thereafter) to join that match.
Before we get started, I ask each of you to take a few minutes to read the USTCL rules. Most of them are fairly standard online chess rules, but there are a few specific to the league that you must know.
Again, I encourage you to read the complete rules before participating in league play.
Now that you have read the complete rules, here is an abridged version with just a few of the basics. Pay particular attention to those sections in bold typeface. Specifically, read the section labeled *Player Eligibility.
Rules and Regulations (abridged)
Length of Season: 1 year
Format: 9-round Round-robin
Match Name: USTCL 2024 R#: Team Tennessee vs Team _________
Start Date: 14th of the month Start Time: 7 PM PT (9 PM CT, 10 PM ET)
Rated: Yes
League Standings: Standings will be posted periodically in each thread. Only matches that have been clinched will be shown as a result in the standings.
Prizes: Trophies for places 1 thru 3. Trophies will be awarded by January 1st of the following year.
* Player Eligibility: A player can only play for one team in this league throughout a season regardless of division. Once they play for a team, they must stay with that team throughout the season. USTCL admins will post notifications of multi-team players in the division thread a few days before the match is due to start.
Promotion/Relegation: The top two teams on June 30th will be promoted to Division 3.
Unfinished Matches: If a match result has not been determined by the season end date, but it is necessary that the match conclude in order to determine the divisional composition for the following season, then the remaining incomplete games within that match will be decided using chess.com's analysis tool. If a player is leading by a score of 2.0 or more, they will be determined to have won that game. If the difference is less than 2.0, the game will be determined to be a draw.
Tiebreakers: The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head results. The second tiebreaker will be the differential between match points won and lost across the entire season. Uncompleted games will not be scored for the purposes of the second tiebreaker.
* Removal of Players: Team admins may remove players from their roster who exceed a timeout ratio of 15%, or violate the Player Eligibility rule above. Removed players must be published in the team match thread prior to the start of the match. Example: Player A was removed in accordance with timeout rule: Timeout ratio 55%. Teams may not remove players from their roster or discourage players from joining a match to obtain a more favorable matchup.
Score Adjustments: Match scores will be finalized after taking into consideration the account closures of members due to cheating or abuse, and also after applying penalties for multi-team players (see Player Eligibility). This will occur prior to announcing the final standings.
End
In summary, don't cheat and don't attempt to play for more than one team in the USTCL. Now let's have fun, win our matches, and fight our way back into Division 3... beginning next month.
Greetings Team Tennessee,
The 2023-2024 season of the US Team Chess League (USTCL) starts today, and Tennessee will be competing in Division 4 this year. I hope all the old regulars and many of you newcomers will participate this year.
Sadly Team Tennessee drew a bye in the first round so our league games will not start until August 14 (against North Dakota). Look for an invitation in your inbox around the first of August (and every month thereafter) to join that match.
Before we get started, I ask each of you to take a few minutes to read the USTCL rules. Most of them are fairly standard online chess rules, but there are a few specific to the league that you must know.
Read USTCL rules here:
https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/us-team-chess-league-rules-regulations
and here:
https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/2024-division-4-rules-schedule-and-pairings
Again, I encourage you to read the complete rules before participating in league play.
Now that you have read the complete rules, here is an abridged version with just a few of the basics. Pay particular attention to those sections in bold typeface. Specifically, read the section labeled *Player Eligibility.
Rules and Regulations (abridged)
Length of Season: 1 year
Format: 9-round Round-robin
Match Name: USTCL 2024 R#: Team Tennessee vs Team _________
Game Type: Standard Chess
Days per Move: 3 days
Description: Opening databases without engine evaluation and opening books are permitted in Daily Chess, but the use of engines and tablebases is never permitted. See here for the applicable rules: https://support.chess.com/article/648-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fair-play-on-chess-com. If you are not clear about the rules - ask.
Rating Range: Open
Minimum Games: 5
Players per Club: 3 players minimum, no maximum
Concurrent Games per Player: 2
Start Date: 14th of the month
Start Time: 7 PM PT (9 PM CT, 10 PM ET)
Rated: Yes
League Standings: Standings will be posted periodically in each thread. Only matches that have been clinched will be shown as a result in the standings.
Prizes: Trophies for places 1 thru 3. Trophies will be awarded by January 1st of the following year.
* Player Eligibility: A player can only play for one team in this league throughout a season regardless of division. Once they play for a team, they must stay with that team throughout the season. USTCL admins will post notifications of multi-team players in the division thread a few days before the match is due to start.
Promotion/Relegation: The top two teams on June 30th will be promoted to Division 3.
Unfinished Matches: If a match result has not been determined by the season end date, but it is necessary that the match conclude in order to determine the divisional composition for the following season, then the remaining incomplete games within that match will be decided using chess.com's analysis tool. If a player is leading by a score of 2.0 or more, they will be determined to have won that game. If the difference is less than 2.0, the game will be determined to be a draw.
Tiebreakers: The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head results. The second tiebreaker will be the differential between match points won and lost across the entire season. Uncompleted games will not be scored for the purposes of the second tiebreaker.
* Removal of Players: Team admins may remove players from their roster who exceed a timeout ratio of 15%, or violate the Player Eligibility rule above. Removed players must be published in the team match thread prior to the start of the match. Example: Player A was removed in accordance with timeout rule: Timeout ratio 55%. Teams may not remove players from their roster or discourage players from joining a match to obtain a more favorable matchup.
Score Adjustments: Match scores will be finalized after taking into consideration the account closures of members due to cheating or abuse, and also after applying penalties for multi-team players (see Player Eligibility). This will occur prior to announcing the final standings.
End
In summary, don't cheat and don't attempt to play for more than one team in the USTCL. Now let's have fun, win our matches, and fight our way back into Division 3... beginning next month.