UNITED STATES CHESS LEAGUE
 






  








                                                                                                                                                                          
Home   Standings Games
  Schedule  Players History
 League Leaders
 Team Stats  Rules  Polls   Store                                                                                                                


League Rules (Updated 10/1/2009)




A. Team Makeup



1. Each team's roster consists of eight main players and two alternates.


2. Each match consists of four roster players whose average rating is no more than 2400.75


3. Any player rated above 2590 will count as only 2590 when determining whether a lineup has a legal average; this is done to reward teams for using the strongest players in the country on their rosters.


4. To encourage more females to play, any team with at least one female on their main roster will be given an extra spot in their main roster (so their main roster size will be nine instead of eight). For teams to take advantage of this, all females on their main roster must reside reasonably close to their home city (e.g. naming a woman from the other side of the country who might happen to be in your area for a couple of matches simply because they are a "free" spot, would not be allowed). The League has the right to disallow this extra roster spot for any team using a woman who is felt not to be in the spirit of what this is trying to do.


5. When a team determines the board order of their players, for two players whose ratings differ by more than fifty points, the higher rated player must always play on the higher board. For two players differing by fifty points or less, assuming the higher rated player does not have a higher FIDE title than the lower (if so, the higher rated must again play on the higher board), then the board order of the two players is at the discretion of the manager. That order must be decided on by the team the first time the players in question are slated to play in the same match, and whatever it is decided to be then, that same order must be maintained for the remainder of the season. Note that the “higher FIDE title” restriction applies only to the titles GM and IM (i.e. this rule does not apply to WGM, FM, WIM, or WFM titles). Whatever a player's FIDE title is at the beginning of the season will also be the title they will be considered to have for the rest of the season for the purposes of this rule as we do not wish to suddenly make certain lineup orders illegal in the middle of the season when teams might have planned for them prior to the season.


6. Any team will be allowed to use a player rated U2000 for any match even if they are not the roster in case of emergency. This should only be done in case of extreme emergency, never for strategic purposes. In particular, when utilizing this stipulation, a team will never be allowed to stack their lineup in a way which wouldn't be possible using only their normal roster members.


7. Once the season starts (that is, once a team begins its first match), each team will be allowed to replace at most two of their main players. A replacement player must be rated U2400 or if not, should be no more than fifty points higher than the player they are replacing. Like the previous rule, a replacement should be made only in case of emergency and never for strategic reasons. When a team adds a player to their roster, they must also wait one week before using that player in a match unless waiting would cause them to have to use a lineup of rating U2250 in their upcoming match. But generally to use a player on a given Wednesday, they must be added by Wednesday 11:59 PM EST of the previous week.  The rules for replacing alternates is slightly different and section E should be referred to for the details on that.


8. No player will be allowed to compete in the playoffs unless they have played at least two matches for their team (this restriction still applies to those who might have joined their team late in the season as a replacement player).


9. The lineups for teams playing on Wednesday should be received by the Commissioner by Sunday 9:00 PM EST (for those playing on Monday, by Friday 9:00 PM EST, and if a match happens to be on some other day, likewise three days prior at 9:00 PM EST). Should emergencies occur which force a team to make changes to their lineup after this deadline, the following penalties will be enforced (these apply to those playing on Wednesday whose lineups are due at Sunday 9:00 PM EST, but synonymous penalties will be applied to those who happen to be playing on other days).

            9a. If the League is notified by Monday 9:00 PM EST, the board in question will lose one-fourth of its starting time, and if more than one board is affected by this change, each affected board will lose one-fourth of its starting                       time. For example, if your Board Two has to cancel, and you wind up moving your Board Three up to Board Two, your Board Four up to Board Three, and put a new player on Board Four, then each of Boards Two,                       Three, and Four would each lose one-fourth of their starting time.

            9b. If the League is notified by Tuesday 9:00 PM EST, then each affected board will lose one-third of its starting time.

            9c. If the League is notified after Tuesday 9:00 PM EST, the canceling player must be directly replaced on the same board (i.e. if your Board Three cancels, you cannot move your Board Four up to Board Three and put the                       new player on Board Four, the new player must go directly to Board Three). The new player must not be more than twenty five points higher than the canceling player (if such a player on the roster cannot be found, then                       you will generally be forced to use a player U2000 in that spot), and that player will lose one-half of his starting time.

            9d. If a team makes last minute changes on multiple occasions, the penalties may become more serious than those stated above. The Commissioner has the right to impose time penalties even harsher than the ones listed if it is                       felt that they are warranted, and this can also extend to the team in question receiving sponsorship penalties if once again the Commissioner feels it is warranted.

            9e. Although a penalty above may be written as "lose one-fourth of his starting time", it will generally not be applied by directly subtracting that amount from the offender's starting time. For example, in a game with time control                   sixty minutes, if a player is penalized one-third of his starting time, instead of the game having time control sixty minutes vs. forty minutes, it will likely have time control seventy minutes vs. fifty minutes or something very                       similar to that in order to schedule the game to end at about the same time as the other games in the match. Once again, exactly what time control the game does use is at the discretion of the Commissioner.

            9f. If any player cancels last minute on multiple occasions, that player may be barred from playing in the League in future seasons if again the Commissioner deems it fit.


10. Teams who would like to know their opponents' lineup early may send their lineup or even just some particular board(s) for a given week early to the Commissioner and "lock" it. If both teams choose to use this option, then the lineups for both teams will be revealed right when both teams have committed to this. Should you choose to lock your lineup, and the other team does not use this option, you may still make any changes to your lineup before the normal deadline with no penalty, but if both teams do use this option, thereby revealing both lineups, a team which makes changes afterwards will face time penalties similar to the ones mentioned in the previous rule.


11. Although this will hopefully be extremely rare, the League has the discretion to make special exceptions to the usual lineup rules when it appears a team will be unable to field a lineup of rating average at least 2250. This is because when team is unable to do so, it gives their opponents too much of an advantage in schedule strength which undermines the competitiveness of the League. In general, should this bending of the rules be necessary for a team, they will likely face a sponsorship penalty unless it's clear that the inability to field an appropriate lineup was beyond their control.


12. Each team must have one manager and at least one assistant manager. If an issue arises and it's impossible to contact either of these managers within a twenty four hour period, the League has the right to impose any penalties (either time penalties or loss of sponsorship) which are considered appropriate.


13. Given that these matches are taking place online, and the League is relatively young, unforeseen problems or difficulties may occur. If this should happen, it is up to the League to determine the fairest course of action. Also, if any team should try to circumvent the rules in a creative way that was not previously considered by the League but in the Commissioner's opinion clearly violates the spirit of the league, the Commissioner has the right to change the rules at the given time.



B. Game Rules, Playing Sites, and TD Rules



1. If a team scores more than two points, they win the match. If the score ends two to two, it's a tie and both teams get a half match point in the standings. Match points are the most important statistic in the League; overall game points come into play only as the first tiebreaker to determine playoff seeding should two (or more) teams be tied in match points. So while winning a match is the most important thing, winning by a large margin can be beneficial in giving tiebreak advantages.


2. The only clock time that matters is the time which is displayed on ICC. If you run out of time on ICC, you lose the game.


3. Some players use a physical board (either then entering their moves on ICC or having a relayer do it). When such a player gets low on time, it is permitted for them to switch to making their moves directly on the computer if they wish.


4. We recommend that if a player is worried about mouseslips and has the time that they type moves as a preventative measure against them (see section C for more on this topic). If a player does so, it is further recommended that they type them in the fashion of "a1 – b1", "f8 – c8", or the like to prevent any possible ambiguity which might result in an unintended move.


5. If a player plays with a physical board at their side and moves first on their chessboard, that player is FORCED to make the same move on the computer that they made on the board. If a TD sees that they have done otherwise, then the player will be penalized (the exact penalty is at the discretion of the USCL official). Using a physical board is a good preventative measure against mouseslips as if a player makes a move on the physical board and then they (or a relayer) mouseslips on ICC, the League is much more likely to grant their takeback request (again see section C for more on this policy).


6. Team members may not speak to other team members while playing; they must use their own judgment when deciding whether or not to accept a draw. It should be made very clear to the player in question what the current score of the match is, and they should be allowed to view their teammates' games in progress before deciding whether or not to accept a draw. The reason for this is that if a player were to ask a much higher rated player whether they should take a draw, it would be difficult for the stronger player not to take their evaluation of the position in question while giving advice; we would want such advice to be limited only to the match situation, not based on how the stronger player might evaluate the position. Since that clearly cannot be enforced, each player must make those judgments by themselves.


7. Each team must have a League approved TD present at all times during their matches. This TD does not have to be a USCF TD, though that would be preferable. Each TD will need to be advised by the Commissioner about certain rules and requirements for the League. Teams may have different TDs from week to week for convenience, but no TD may ever have a direct relation to the team (most importantly, it cannot be someone on the team who happens not to be playing that week).


8. A team's TD should be present at the beginning of the match through the end of it. Teams may start their match without a TD present if their TD happens to be late randomly, but any team which consistently does not have a TD present at the start of their matches will almost certainly be fined, and any team which does not have a TD present within half an hour of starting their match will also be fined.


9. Each team must play at a public location where chess fans can come to observe the games in person.


10. Fan attendance should be encouraged as we would like to have as many chess enthusiasts as possible watching the matches in every city.


11. For the most part all team members will be required to play at the same site as their team members. However, exceptions can be made at the Commissioner's discretion. The following features would make it more likely that you could play a match in another city or state.

            11a. You are away due to a major chess event or obligation.

            11b. If the place you will play at is a public area where fans can observe which may help to generate publicity for the League in areas where it is lesser known.

            11c. Your team has not used this option earlier in the season.

            11d. There is a League approved TD present to observe your game.

            11e. The opposing team is agreeable to this arrangement. The final word on whether this will be allowed is the Commissioner's decision since maintaining the integrity of the League is the foremost concern, but the opposing                             team being agreeable to it makes it more likely for it to be allowed in an otherwise unclear situation.

            11f. It is a regular season match. This will be allowed in the playoffs only in the most extreme situations such as you are representing the United States in a major chess competition such as the Olympiad, the World                                    Championships, or the World Junior etc. Also, if there is a very good non-chess related excuse and the absence of this one player makes your team significantly weaker and thereby compromises the competitive aspect of                    the League, it might be allowed then also.

            11g. If you are able to play at the location of your opponent for that week, and the opposing team is okay with it, this will always be allowed. The League will treat every such instance of this very seriously.  It will only even be                     considered if it's obvious that being away was completely unavoidable. We do not want to prevent our top players from playing due to being away at some serious chess event. We also do not wish to put any team at a                         huge disadvantage (which in addition to hurting their chances can compromise the overall integrity of the League) by preventing them from using one of their players so we will try to remain as flexible as possible in these                         situations. Do understand that this has been allowed very few times in the first four seasons so a large amount of time such a request will be denied.



C. Takebacks and Disconnections



1. If a player mouseslips on ICC, they may request a takeback which will be reviewed by USCL officials and whether it is granted will be based upon the following conditions.

            1a. The officials should be nearly 100% certain the move in question was a mouseslip.

            1b. Neither player should have been especially low on time. There is no exact line at which a takeback will no longer be granted, but the lower the clock times are in general, the less likely a takeback is to be accepted. It's                           extremely unlikely that anyone will be granted a takeback when either player is under five minutes.  The only real exception to this is the case where one player is under five minutes while the other player has at least ten                           minutes, and the latter player's relayer makes the wrong move on ICC (which is considered more of a relay error than a mouseslip).

            1c. You made the move on a physical board first and then you (or the relayer) slipped on ICC. If your TD can verify this, it is almost certain that your request will be granted.

            1d. No player on your team should have received a takeback earlier in the match. If they have, the takeback can be granted only if the other team is also willing to accept it (this does not apply if either takeback involves a                           player using a physical board).

            1e. You should not have received a takeback previously in the season. If you have, once again the takeback can be granted only if the other team is agreeable to it (this again does not apply if you are using a physical board).
            
            1f. The mouseslip should not have the effect of ending the game. If a mouseslip blunders mate in one, allows a threefold repetition, leaves you no mating material, or happens to be an unintended draw offer or resignation, then                      it will have to stand, even if the mistake was made by a relayer as it is simply too disruptive to restart a game once ICC registers it as having ended.


2. It should be noted that when a takeback is given, due to the circumstances that the error might have occurred under (especially with players/relayers using computers which are foreign to them), it's entirely possible that the move that ends up being played will be something entirely different than the error move (perhaps involving moving an entirely different piece).  League officials will decide based on the circumstances if the entirely different move will be permitted but if they decide that it is, it should not come as a surprise to the other team as the officials will have examined the situation and determined that the new move should be allowed.


3. The opponent of a player who does receive a takeback will receive a time bonus of at least five minutes (once again the exact length is up to the USCL official). We have raised this minimum from two minutes as was the policy in earlier years in the hopes of cutting down on mouseslips as much as possible and especially the animosity that can be created when they are granted.


4. Whenever a player disconnects, their opponent may receive a time bonus. If a player disconnects during their own move, their opponent will generally get at least one extra minute and sometimes two if it's late in the game or if the disconnect is relatively long. If they disconnect with less than fifteen minutes on their clock, it's almost certain that the full two minutes will be awarded while if they have less than five minutes, three or even more minutes may be awarded for a disconnection of reasonable length. If a player disconnects during their opponent's move, the opponent will generally not receive any time, unless the opponent has less than ten minutes on their clock when they will receive one minute for the disruption. If someone disconnects extremely early in the game (on either player's move), before there is any real chance that their opponent could use this extra time as an advantage, it's possible that no time bonus will be given. Generally in time scrambles, teams should expect the League to be much harsher than usual in giving time bonuses to players whose opponents who disconnect.


5. In reference to the previous rule, since there are many different circumstances under which disconnections happen, USCL officials have fairly broad discretion in what penalty (if any) to give for them. For example, if a player disconnects several times in a short time span with less than fifteen minutes on their clock through no fault of their own, it's unlikely that a two minute penalty will be given for each such disconnection. Due to the broad discretion the officials have, players should not complain in these situations that the penalty given was not enough or was too harsh as once again the official has broad discretion, and it is extremely disruptive to the League for players to be doing that while the official is trying to get the game restarted.


6. If a player (or team) has a rash of disconnections at the beginning of their match, the Commissioner has the right to require all games in question to be restarted (and of course the players must make the same initial moves after the restart which had previously been made), with a new time control. The new time control will be decided by the Commissioner; just as is done for the time penalties for late lineup changes, it will be based upon having the game(s) finish about when they were originally scheduled to, while appropriately penalizing those who have disconnected many times. This policy is needed since if players are repeatedly receiving time bonuses for their opponents' disconnecting, the match can go much later than scheduled which can naturally create a whole new set of problems. The League also has the right to log on as the actual players when they are disconnected so that their clocks are still running during long disconnections. We generally will only do this early in the games if a connection problem seems like it may take a few minutes to sort out so that the game does not go well beyond when originally scheduled to.



D. Playoff Structure



1. The top four teams in each division will qualify for the postseason.  For determining seeding, match points are the first criteria, and then there is a set of tiebreaks if teams have the same number of match points.


2. The first seed will play the fourth seed, and the second seed will play the third seed in each division in the Quarterfinals.


3. The Quarterfinal winners in each division will meet in the Semifinals.


4. The Semifinal winners meet to determine the League Champion.


5. In the Divisional Playoffs (i.e. Quarterfinals + Semifinals), when a team faces a team it is seeded at least two higher than (i.e. 1 vs 3, 1 vs 4, or 2 vs 4), the higher seed receives both draw odds and color choice for the match in question.  When the seeding difference is only one (i.e. 1 vs 2, 2 vs 3, or 3 vs 4), the higher seed picks either draw odds or color choice (prior to choosing lineups), and the lower seed gets the other advantage.


6. In the Championship Match neither team receives draw odds while the team with the better regular season record (using the same tiebreaks that were used to determine playoff seeding if necessary) gets color choice. If the match ends up tied, there will be a blitz tiebreaker right after the match to determine the League Champion. These are the rules for that tiebreaker.


7. The Championship Match, unlike any other match, will likely be scheduled for a weekend afternoon to avoid it going too late (as it has in previous years) since the blitz tiebreaker may be needed. The lineups for the Championship Match may also be required a week in advance, unlike three days for other matches, for publicity reasons.



E. Alternate Rules



1. Two players of any rating can be declared as alternates by each team before the season.


2. Each of these players may play at most two games and a combined total of at most three games.


3. Alternates are not eligible to compete in the postseason (semi-exception in E6 though).


4. The main intent of the alternate spots is to give each team an extra degree of flexibility. As such, the alternates should really be local players who will generally fill in during extreme circumstances (though teams can use them whenever they see fit). Just like for the female roster bonus, doing something like naming a GM from the other side of the country who might happen to be in your area for a tournament would not be considered in the spirit of the alternate system. In general, any GM or IM alternate will need to reside in reasonable locale to the team in question to be allowed as an alternate. The League has the right to declare ANY alternate who is felt not to be in the spirit of the system as ineligible.


5. Once the alternates are named, and your season begins, they can only be replaced by a player who lives within approximately a hundred miles of your playing site. Once an alternate has played a game, they cannot be replaced on the alternate list under any circumstances. Any team replacing an alternate who hasn't played a game yet during the season must comply with the same rules that are used to replace a player on the main roster, in that they must be either rated U2400 or less than fifty points higher than the player they are replacing.


6. For teams wishing to switch players on the main roster with those who are alternates after the season begins, or simply wanting to switch an alternate to the main roster, this is how it works.  If this involves adding a brand new player to the roster, this change must also fall under the general rule of replacing players outlined in A7.

            6a. If neither player has played a game, teams may switch a main player and alternate with no penalty (i.e. this does not require the use of one of the team's two allowed replacements).

            6b. If the alternate has already played a game, then when moving them to the main roster, the player they replace is removed from the roster entirely (i.e. they cannot move to the alternate spot).  The team effectively loses that                       alternate spot, and this, unlike (a), does require the use of one of the teams' two allowed replacements.

            6c. If the main player has already played a game and the alternate has not, then once again the main player is removed from the roster entirely, but in this situation, the team is permitted to replace that alternate (following the                           rule mentioned in E5, but again they cannot be replaced with the main player who's place they are taking). This also does use up one of the teams' two allowed replacements.

Note that if a team switches an alternate to the main roster, any games that player has already played still count towards the three total allowed for alternates. Also, when an alternate moves to the main roster they must play at least two regular season games AFTER being added to the main roster (i.e. at least two games as a non-alternate) to be allowed to compete in the playoffs; this is done since we do not want teams putting an alternate on the main roster during the final week, feeling that that player might be more useful than some other in the postseason.



F. Ratings



1. Teams may use any monthly rating list from September of the previous year to August of the current year to pick their players' ratings – with the main stipulation being that they must use the same rating supplement for ALL of their roster members. We allow teams to use fairly old rating lists both to allow teams to start planning out their rosters well before the season and to reward teams for using young, improving juniors on their rosters.


2. The League retains the right to require that a team use a player's FIDE rating for their roster instead of their USCF rating. This will only be required in very extreme situations when the difference between the two ratings is so large that it would clearly not be in the spirit of the League to allow the USCF rating to be used. If a player has a provisional USCF rating in the supplement the team wishes to use, then League officials will determine what rating will be used for that player based on their current rating and their FIDE rating.  Note that this is intentionally fairly ambiguous as to what the policy will be in this situation as cases can really differ from person to person, and officials will therefore have fairly broad discretion in deciding what the fairest thing to do is.


3. Although this is not especially relevant to the way the League works (only truly pertinent to determining All Star Teams, Rookie of the Year, and Most Improved Player), the ratings displayed in the weekly lineups, the ratings displayed on players' ICC accounts, the ratings used to compute performance ratings, and the ratings listed on the player pages will be the ratings from the August supplement of the current year (or perhaps June or July) rather than the "League Ratings" which vary amongst months for different teams. This will make those statistics more up to date and uniform for all players and give readers a better indication of teams' current strength.



G. Team and Player Responsibilities



1. Teams are expected to put their maximum effort into all of their matches and games. Short or pre-arranged draws will not be tolerated even if the match/game in question has no playoff significance. This especially applies to matches in the final week of the regular season when a tied match might be mutually beneficial to two competing teams (or perhaps a specific result being beneficial to one team while naturally detrimental to some other team). Teams in violation of this run the risk of sponsorship penalties or tiebreaker penalties. In the most extreme cases of this being abused (violations of this nature in the final week of the regular season would definitely be considered very extreme), the penalties may become even harsher, and teams could even be forfeited entirely if the Commissioner feels it is warranted.


2. Just as in basically any playoff system, it is of course possible that some teams may have matches in the last few weeks which are not relevant to their playoff situation (e.g. already having clinched first or already being out of contention). In that case, such teams are still expected to use lineups reasonably close in strength (rating-wise) to their best lineups as their matches may still have huge implications for their opponents and by transition for other teams in the League. Both for the League's image and for maintaining the integrity of the playoff system, we must require this. Once again, teams who are believed to not be following this policy without sufficient justification are subject to sponsorship penalties.


3. Each team must have a back-up internet connection in case their primary internet fails. They are also expected to be able to switch to their back-up internet in a reasonably timely fashion if it is necessary so that their match is not forced to end far later than scheduled. Teams who do not satisfy this requirement are subject to additional time penalties if it becomes a big issue and possibly even forfeiture of the match if it is felt extreme enough by the Commissioner.


4. Full team rosters must be submitted to the Commissioner at least one week before the opening day of the season; teams who fail to do this will almost certainly face a sponsorship penalty. If teams wish to make any minor changes to their roster after this deadline, prior to their first match, they will generally be allowed to do so with no penalty. However, should they add an entirely new player to the roster at that stage, they will not be able to use that player in their first match – the same type of restriction mentioned in A7.


5. Players are expected to be on time for their games (it is recommended that all players try to arrive fifteen minutes early so that unforeseen delays do not cause them to be excessively late). Games will be started promptly at the listed starting time, and those who are late will have their clocks started. Both to avoid this and to show respect to the other player as well as the League, players should not be habitually late to arrive for their games.


6. Any player who offers an early draw (generally prior to move fifteen would be considered too early, but there is no exact move number at which this becomes acceptable; how much time has been used to reach the position in question is also a factor) will likely have a time bonus given to their opponent if League officials feel it is appropriate.


7. Players are expected to behave in a sportsmanlike fashion during their games. In particular, intentional disconnections or excessive draw offers are subject to penalties if the Commissioner deems it warranted. A player who makes three consecutive draw offers in a short time span, without one made by the opponent, will almost certainly have a time bonus given to their opponent, unless there is a reasonable expectation that there might have been a threefold repetition or the reaching of the fifty move rule.


8. Players are only to use their own league account; no player may login to an account of a team member under any circumstances. Any player caught doing so is subject to penalties such as suspension or fines.


9. Players must give all electronic devices (cell phones, IPods, headphones etc.) to their TD before each match who is required to keep them until the player's game is completed. Players (and relayers) may also not have any programs other than ICC open on the computer which a game is being relayed on. Any player not complying with these rules risks immediate forfeiture of their game.


10. Players (and their relayers) should not kibitz or whisper in their game or send tells to anyone (except League or ICC officials in an emergency) during their game. Any player who intentionally does so without proper justification will almost certainly receive a penalty.


11. If a player suspects another player or team of inappropriate conduct (in most circumstances, suspects cheating), they should express their concerns to the Commissioner and NO ONE ELSE. Any player who makes public accusations of this nature or in general takes any actions which the League feels are obviously aimed at doing so may receive severe penalties and may even be banned from the League if it is thought to be warranted.


12. As the League is still relatively young, there will often be new or unusual issues that arise during the matches which will require League officials to make difficult rulings quickly. When this occurs, excessive complaining by any of the parties involved will not be tolerated. It is not possible for officials to run the League effectively with players doing that, and those who do not abide by this run the risk of such rulings going against them by default and possibly even being forfeited if the League official feels it is appropriate. This kind of situation will also often mean a very tough ruling will end up going against one of the parties involved. Excessive complaining after the fact will also not be tolerated and is subject to severe penalties as are any statements made to League officials which are of a threatening or overly hostile nature.



H. Miscellaneous



1. Given that the League is relatively young, there is always the possibility of something unusual occurring. For this reason, all managers will be given the phone numbers of the opposing manager, the Commissioner, and possibly other USCL officials. If something unusual takes place, the managers should immediately call these numbers.


2. While we fervently hope that this never happens, there is of course the chance that the ICC server itself might crash for a long period of time on a given night making it impossible to complete some or all matches. Should this happen, the League will explore many options based on the exact situation including canceling all matches in question, replaying them at some mutually convenient time, declaring the matches as drawn, or having matches adjudicated based on what was happening at the time. Once again, we really hope that this never occurs, but it is certainly possible. Do understand that should this unfortunate happening take place, it will be very hard for the League to rectify it in a way that will be perceived as "fair" to all teams this affects, but we will do our best to find an equitable solution.


3. Once again, we hope this never happens, but it is conceivable that some team may "fold" in the middle of the season (e.g. due to whatever circumstances, they become unable to field a 2200+ lineup for a reasonable portion of their remaining matches). If this happens, that team is likely to lose their franchise permanently, and for the current season, the League will put a "replacement team”" in their stead. That replacement team will compete in all remaining scheduled matches the team in question had left (the starting times and time controls of those matches may be altered, but other than that the same). The replacement team will be eligible for the postseason only if they play at least four matches and score at least fifty percent in those matches.


4. The League reserves the right to postpone any match if circumstances seem to warrant it. The main time where this might prove necessary would be a weather situation in one city making it impossible for that team to reasonably compete on the scheduled day. Should this be needed, all efforts will be made to reschedule the match at a mutually beneficial time (almost certainly prior to the following week's matches), but of course it might simply be impossible (for rescheduling in general, a lot of leeway will be given to the team not involved in the emergency, but they are still expected to try to work this no-fault situation out to the best of their ability). If rescheduling proves impossible, the match will likely be called a draw, or if the League feels one of the teams isn't being sufficiently reasonable in trying to rectify the situation, that team might be forfeited. Once again, it's hoped that this dilemma never comes up (but did in Season One, with Hurricane Katrina) as we do not like teams to be able to agree to a draw without playing (as that can adversely affect them or other teams), but when this happens it will once again be very difficult to rectify it in a way which will be fair to everyone.

Click here to go back to the US Chess League homepage