Club Ladder 2021-22

Crawford Macnab

1 February 2022

We are running a club ladder this season to encourage frendly games to be played.

See the Rules below for details.

Grading

Chess Scotland Grading Data can be viewed at Grading Data .

Games

21st Feb 2022

24th Jan 2022

17th Jan 2022

10th Jan 2022

20th Dec 2021

13th Dec 2021

29th Nov 2021

22nd Nov 2021

15th Nov 2021

8th Nov 2021

Rules

1. The Chess Ladder is a form of competition where each player is assigned a position. A lower number means higher position on the ladder. The first games of the competition can be played on any Club night on or after 18 October 2021 and the Ladder will end and result determined following any games played on Club night 28 March 2022. A small Trophy may be awarded to the victor to hold for one year (to be determined).

2. The goal of the competition is to move up the Ladder, ultimately to the #1 position (the highest place). Players move up, or at least maintain their place on the Ladder, by winning Ladder games. Players either maintain their place or move down the Ladder when they lose Ladder games. A player can also move down the Chess Ladder between games, should other players overtake them by winning their games.

3. Initial positions on the ladder are determined by reverse grade (or estimated grade) order. Additional players may join the ladder at any time before 1 January annually, but will join at the bottom of the ladder. A player may resign from the ladder at any time and will be immediately removed.

4. You may only challenge somebody up to or including five (5) places above you on the ladder. A refusal to play is treated as a loss. All challenge games accepted will be played at a mutually convenient time. If either player feels that all repeated and reasonable efforts to arrange a game has been ineffective, he may appeal to the Ladder organisers (see rule 14).

5. Ladder games shall by default be played with a clock using standard Club Short Time Control rules, or a shorter Time Control if mutually agreed. The Time Control shall never be shorter than one hour for each player for all their moves.

6. Games played at standard Club Short Time Control rules (only) shall be eligible for grading, and only if mutually agreed prior to play. Graded game results shall be clearly highlighted as such when reporting the outcome.

7. Players shall toss for whom plays white prior to the start of play.

8. If the player lower on the Ladder wins, that player takes the higher placed player’s spot on the Ladder and the higher placed player moves down one spot, immediately below the victor.

9. If the higher placed player wins, there is no change in either players’ placings. There is thus no incentive to challenge a player lower on the Ladder, but you are welcome to do so should you wish!

10. If the game ends in a draw, the lower placed player on the Ladder takes the spot immediately below the higher placed player.

11. All Ladder results must be reported to both Ladder organisers as soon as possible after the game, to allow future challenges to be properly made within these rules. However, the organisers shall adjudicate the Ladder based on their knowledge at the time and challenges between competitors shall be made and accepted on the same basis. There shall be no retroactive adjudication purely due to the late reporting of results, for example, or any other reason.

12. We trust all players to behave in a sporting fashion and that draws by agreement will be made solely based upon the board position. We recommend that the final board position in any draws by agreement should be recorded so that they can be made available to the Ladder organisers upon their request, should any allegation of “gaming the system” be made.

13. After a Ladder game is played, at least one of the players must play a Ladder game against someone else before they can play each other again. The results of any such games played breaking this rule, even if inadvertently, will be voided and both players will be dropped one place on the Ladder.

14. If either player feels that all their repeated and reasonable efforts to arrange games have been ignored, or if any member of the Ladder believes that attempts to “game the system” and abuse the spirit of these rules have been made, then this should be brought to the attention of the Ladder organisers. The Ladder organisers will promptly and jointly make a unanimous determination before any further games are played by those involved and may award a victory to either player, declare a draw or dismiss the appeal. In extremis, a player may be expelled from the Ladder for repeated determinations against them. If either of the organisers are one of the players involved in such a dispute, the appeal will be determined solely by the other organiser. If both organisers are involved in such a dispute, then the result of any appeal will be determined by the Club Secretary. All such determinations will be final with no further level of appeal.