League Rules 2005/6

The Committee of the Ulster Chess Union will be the final arbiter in any dispute concerning these rule(s).

The League fees for EACH TEAM must be forwarded to the Ulster Chess Union Treasurer by the date stipulated by the League Controller.

League Rules

Each team shall play every other team in its Division home and away (For small divisions extra games may be organised at the discretion of the League Controller).
For each match a team will score the number of game points, and the winning team will gain a bonus of 2 points, and in the event of a draw each team will gain 1 point. [e.g. A team winning 5-0 will get 7 points - the losers 0 points. A team winning 3-2 will get 5 points - the loser's 2 points. Teams drawing 2.5 each will get 3.5 points etc.]
The winners of the Division will be the team with the most points.
There will be promotion and relegation between Divisions at the end of each season. The top team being promoted to the next higher Division, and the bottom team being relegated to the next lower Division. [in the event of a tie for promotion/relegation play-off match(es) will be arranged by the league controller at a neutral venue in the week following the end of the season]

All matches shall be played on the date, in the venue and at the time specified by the League Controller.
The League Controller shall inform all secretaries of their club's team(s) fixtures for the year.

A team shall consist of five players, unless specified by the League Controller.

All players must be registered members of the Ulster Chess Union.
At least five players per team must be registered members of the Ulster Chess Union.

A player shall not represent more than one club in any one League season.
A player shall not represent more than one team in the same Division in any one League Season.
A player shall be ineligible to play in a particular Division once he has played more than two games in any higher Division(s).
No player is eligible to play for more than one team during the same week for the first three calendar weeks of the season. [Note: any team playing an ineligible player will be defaulted on that board, and Rule 6g will apply as well.]
No player with a grading of over 1800 may play for a Club Team in the 2^nd Division if that club has a team in a higher Division, and no player with a grading of over 1600 may play for a Club Team in the 3^rd Division if that club has a team in a higher Division.

FIDE Active Chess rules (extended up to 1 hour and 30 minutes) shall apply throughout the game. [Note: A score of the game must be kept by each player until they have less than five minutes remaining on their clock. An illegal move does not lose the game in any circumstances. In the case of an illegal move being played the opposing player restarts his opponent's clock and asks him to take back his move.]
Each player shall have one hour and thirty minutes to make all their moves.
Players in the away team shall have white on the odd numbered boards, and the home team shall have white on even numbered boards.

All matches shall start at the time specified by the League Controller.
The captain of the home team shall start all the clocks (of the players who have the white pieces) at the specified start time. Should he fail to do so: the home team shall forfeit any time lost.
No player may commence play before their team Captain has made their team list available.
Board order shall be arranged in order of playing strength i.e. in grading order using the most recently published grading list i.e. The highest graded player shall play on board 1. The lowest graded player shall play on board 5. However player(s) may play out of grading order where there is less tan 100 grading points difference between the players(s).
Any board played out of such grading order will be defaulted.
If a team does not have 5 players available; the remaining players must fill the top boards.
All games played below a defaulted board are scored as a loss, unless exceptional circumstances exist.
All games in a match must be played at the same time. Any game not so played will be defaulted.

The default of two matches in any one season shall result in the forfeiture of all that team's matches for the year.
Fixture Alterations & Postponements

Irrespective of the reason a team captain must contact the division controller (to seek his approval) before altering a fixture: either to the date or to the start time of the match. Failure to do so will result in the deduction of two points from the offending team(s).
Postponement of matches will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.
Any postponed match must be played within one month of the original date of the fixture. Or on a date specified by the Division Controller.

Any matter arising out of these rules or not covered by these rules shall be referred to the league controller and his decision will be final.
Failure to comply with any of these rules will result in penalties being imposed on the offending team.
The League Controller will notify clubs of any penalties to their teams in writing: within seven days of any penalty arising.
Ignorance or misinterpretation of any of these rules is no excuse.
The League Controller shall be appointed by the UCU Committee.

NB. The official contact for each team will be their respective club secretaries and not the individual team captains.

Board prizes will also be presented to the players with the highest score on each board: for each division. [To qualify for a board prize a player must have played 50% (i.e. 8 games in a nine team division) of games possible on that board. In addition games played on a higher board will be counted towards a player's overall result and those games played on a lower board ignored.]
The winners of each division will be presented with their respective trophies and medals, and the runners-up with their medals at the annual Ulster Chess Union AGM.
In all league and cup matches between teams the home team must ensure that the premises arranged for the match are available on the agreed date and time of the match. In the event of a match being played at a neutral venue the team which is first in the draw will be assumed to be the home team and will therefore take the responsibility of the home team and ensure the venue is available. If either team cancel for any reason, the team concerned will be deemed to have defaulted. The team which has not defaulted may claim the match if they wish or in the interests of fair play and good sportsmanship, allow the match to be played at a time and place convenient to both.