UNITED STATES CHESS LEAGUE

  





   





                                                                                      
  

If there is a tie during the regular season as to the final playoff spot the following rules will be used (For instance 2 teams being tied for 2nd place with 5.5/10), the tiebreak procedures are as follows, with tiebreak 1 being the first tiebreak, and the lower ones being used only if the above tiebreak procedures also result in a tie:

 
1. Total team game points. Thus winning a match 4-0 will give you more tiebreak points than winning a match 3-1.

2. Strength of Schedule. The team whose opponents have the highest combined score wins this tiebreak. If this is tied we go to opponent's total game points as a tiebreaker.

3. Head to Head Results. If you have beaten the opposing team 1.5-.5 during the regular season you will go to the playoffs, or if you are tied for first place, you will get draw odds in the Semi Finals. If this tiebreak is tied 1-1 we move to total game points in both matches. So if team A beat team B 3-1, yet team B beat team A 3.5-.5, then Team B would qualify.

4.  Total Match Points versus Divisional Teams. Thus if your team went 4.0-2.0 in divisional matches, whereas Team B went 3.5-2.5, then Team A would have the better tiebreaks.

5.  Total Game Points versus Divisional Teams

6.  Total Game Points from Board 1

7.  Total Game Points from Board 2

8.  Total Game Points from Board 3

9.  Total number of team wins. Thus if one team has a total of 20 points, with 15 of these points being from wins, whereas another team has a total of 20 points with only 14 being from wins, The team with 15 wins has the better tiebreaks.

9. An Armageddon blitz game between chosen members of the teams


 If there is a tie between three teams in both match points and game points, we will attempt to use the above rules to eliminate teams. The last resort will be an online blitz game between chosen members of the teams.



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