Skip to main content

Woodbury Chess Club

Menu

WCC Tournament Rules

1. Half-Point Bye Limits

Swiss Tournaments

  • 6- or 7-round events: Maximum of 2 half-point byes per player.
  • 8- or 9-round events: Maximum of 3 half-point byes per player.
  • Players may request a zero-point bye after exhausting their available half-point byes. Zero-point byes are subject to the same request deadlines as half-point byes.

Quad Tournaments

  • Half-point byes are not permitted in quad tournaments.

2. Bye Request Deadlines

  • Players may request half-point byes before the start of the first round for any future round(s).
  • After the tournament begins, a bye (except the final round) must be requested by 7:45 PM on the Saturday preceding the Tuesday round.
  • Final-round byes must be requested before the start of the second-to-last round.

3. Pairings

  • Each round is normally paired and posted to the WCC website by 9:00 AM on the Sunday preceding the Tuesday round.
  • The Tournament Director may adjust this schedule when necessary.

4. Late Bye Requests / Failure to Appear

  • Players who miss the bye deadline should still notify the Tournament Director as soon as possible if they are unable to play their next scheduled round.
  • If the round has not yet been paired, the player receives a 0-point bye.
  • If the round has already been paired, the player remains paired and the opponent receives a forfeit win.
  • On the second occurrence in the same tournament, the same rule applies and the player is then withdrawn from the remainder of the tournament.
  • A player withdrawn under this policy in two consecutive WCC tournaments is ineligible for the next WCC tournament.
  • Players withdrawn under this policy do not receive an entry fee refund.

5. No Notice / No Show

  • A player who neither requests a bye nor notifies the Tournament Director and fails to appear will be forfeited, withdrawn from the remainder of the tournament, and disqualified from the next WCC tournament.
  • No entry fee refund will be issued.
  • The Tournament Director may waive these penalties in a genuine emergency.

6. Electronic Devices (Phones & Smartwatches)

  • Players are responsible for ensuring phones, smartwatches, and other electronic devices are silenced before each round.
  • If a phone or smartwatch produces an audible sound during an active game:
    • First occurrence: Warning.
    • Second occurrence: Forfeit.
  • During an active game, players may not use a phone, smartwatch, or other personal electronic device unless authorized by the Tournament Director.
  • During an active game, players leaving the playing area for any reason must leave their phone, smartwatch, and other personal electronic devices at the board and must not leave the playing area with those devices.
  • Using an electronic device to obtain chess information, communicate about the game, or receive outside assistance may result in immediate forfeiture and additional disciplinary action.
  • Medically necessary electronic devices are exempt from the Electronic Devices policy to the extent necessary for their intended medical use.

7. Cheating and Outside Assistance

  • A player found by the Tournament Director, based on the available evidence, to have engaged in cheating or received outside assistance shall immediately forfeit the current game, be removed from the remainder of the tournament, forfeit any prizes earned, and be permanently banned from future Woodbury Chess Club tournaments.
  • Cheating and outside assistance include, but are not limited to:
    • Using a chess engine or other electronic assistance.
    • Receiving advice, analysis, or other assistance during a game.
    • Consulting books, notes, databases, or other reference materials during a game.
    • Using any electronic device to obtain chess information or outside assistance during an active game.

8. Scorekeeping

  • For purposes of these rules, a “Classical” time control is any game with a time control of Game/30 or longer.
  • Players are required to record their moves as accurately and legibly as possible in games played under classical time controls. Scorekeeping is not required for quick chess or blitz chess events.
  • Players who qualify for a scorekeeping exemption under US Chess Rule 15A1 (Players Unable to Keep Score) due to a disability or sincerely held religious beliefs may request an exemption before the start of the round.
  • A player granted a scorekeeping exemption shall have 5% deducted from their starting time for that game.
  • Players are not required to continue recording moves once their own remaining time falls below five minutes.
  • A player required to keep score but who fails to do so shall be subject to the following penalties:
    • First offense: Warning and three minutes added to the opponent’s clock.
    • Second offense: Forfeit of the game.
    • Continued refusal during the same tournament may result in removal from the tournament.

9. Governing Rules

Any tournament rule or situation not specifically addressed in these Woodbury Chess Club Tournament Rules shall be governed by the current US Chess Official Rules of Chess. Woodbury Chess Club tournaments follow all applicable US Chess rules.

US Chess Rules