Here is an update/reminder of some of the issues that could affect some of our players, tournament directors, organizers and affiliates.

Time Controls or, as FIDE calls them, Rate of Play:

For a game to be rated, each player must have the following minimum time in which to complete all the moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.

• Where at least one of the players in the tournament has a rating 2200 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 120 minutes.

• Where at least one of the players in the tournament has a rating 1600 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 90 minutes.

• Where all the players in the tournament are rated below 1600, each player must have a minimum of 60 minutes.

The minimum ratings listed above are FIDE ratings.  Those time controls are for regular events and not for norm events.  That is not normally a problem and most arbiters seem to know this.  The biggest problem, however, seems to be the number of moves in the first time control when the game has more than one.  Here is the rule on that:

• Where a certain number of moves is specified in the first time control, it shall be 40 moves.

That means that a first time control that is not for 40 moves will disqualify the game from being FIDE rated!  So, 30/90, SD/60, for example, will not be rated by FIDE.

In most cases, tournament registration with FIDE is done by our USCF Ratings Officer based on information contained on the TLA.  In any event, tournaments (other than norm events) must be registered at least one week before.  The USCF office needs an additional three (3) days, for a total of 10 days.

To follow or not to follow the FIDE tournament rules and FIDE Laws of Chess…

Initially, this was to take place effective July 1, 2013.  This, however, has been postponed until July 1, 2014.  There will be further discussion at the FIDE Congress in Tallinn, October 1-10.  Therefore, until June 30, 2014, our tournament organizers and directors may use USCF rules for FIDE-rated events (other than norm tournaments).  Make sure, however, that TLAs and all other tournament publicity specifically states that USCF rules will be used.  Of course, the minimum time controls listed above still apply.  FIDE does recognize time delay so if this causes the 12 hour limit in one day to be exceeded, that is okay.

FIDE tournament rules and Laws of Chess for Norm events:

Norm events must follow the FIDE Laws of Chess and FIDE Title Regulations.  This has not been postponed until next year.  For more details, please read the FIDE Title Regulations effective July 1, 2013,   http://www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=163&view=article

There must be no more than 12 hours of play (scheduled) in one in one day, although delay or increment may cause this to be exceeded, and no more than two rounds shall be played on one day.  Without increment, the minimum time is two (2) hours for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game.  With increment of at least 30 seconds for each move, the minimum time is 90 minutes for the entire game (apart from the increment).  

In any norm tournament the time controls and settings must the same for all players.  If increment is used, all players must use increment, if delay is used, all players must use delay.  

For GM titles, at least one of the norms shall be achieved in a tournament with one round per day for a minimum of three days.

All norm tournaments must be registered with FIDE at least 30 days prior to the event.  Since the registration is submitted by our USCF Ratings Officer, again, we need an additional three (3) days.

For now, the FIDE registration of players has not changed – our Ratings Officer does the registration when the tournament is submitted for rating.  However, foreign players participating in FIDE-rated events in the U.S. must have a FIDE ID prior to the start of the event.  Those who do not have one must be registered, before the event, by their National Federations.

Are games of our USCF members played in other countries USCF rated?

In 2011, the USCF Executive Board passed a rule that FIDE-rated games played by USCF members in other countries will be USCF-rated for all players whose FIDE rating is at least 2200.  One of our volunteers, IA Randy Hough, reviews the crosstables of FIDE-rated events and submits the data to the USCF Ratings Officer.  Players rated below 2200 FIDE may elect to have those games rated; however, once the election is made, all the FIDE-rated games, from there on, will also be USCF-rated.  Obviously, a player may not “pick and choose” which tournaments will be rated.  This election, for players U2200 FIDE, may be made by emailing Walter Brown, USCF Ratings Officer, [email protected] .

Update on the FIDE World Cup…

A record nine U.S. players qualified for this year’s World Cup.  After four rounds of play only one U.S. player remains:  U.S. Champion GM Gata Kamsky.  Please follow his progress live on the event’s website, http://www.chessworldcup2013.com/

The World Cup is held every two years. There are 128 qualifiers (in order of priority): World Champion + four semi-finalists from the World Cup 2011, Women's World Champion, World Junior U-20 Champions 2011 & 2012, 18 rated players, 92 players from Continental Championships, six FIDE President nominees and four nominees by the organizer of the event.

Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky qualified by rating. In addition, we get five qualifiers from our Zonal Championship (the U.S. Championship in odd-numbered years). Gata won that event but since he had already qualified by rating, the next five at that event also qualified – Ramirez, Onischuk, Holt, Christiansen and Robson. Our Zonal spots are part of the positions given to the Americas. In addition, Continental Championships are now held every year from which four players qualify. Kaidanov and Shabalov qualified from the 2012 Continental Championship. 

Of the 92 players from Continental Championships, the Americas share of that is 20. Eight of those 20 spots are reserved for the two Continental Championships (four each) and the other 12 positions are for the Zonal Championships. We have the biggest (and strongest) Zone, in terms of players, in the Americas and our share is five positions. Canada is also a Zone by itself but only has one position at the World Cup. Some smaller countries are combined into one Zone. For example, Zone 2.3 is comprised of the islands in the Caribbean plus Central America (including Mexico, of course), That Zone of 26 countries only gets two positions.

The World Cup is actually part of the World Championship Cycle. The top two players from the World Cup qualify for the 2014 Candidates Tournament. Eight players, in the following order, qualify for the Candidates Tournament: the player who loses the 2013 World Championship Match, top two from the World Cup, top two players from the FIDE Grand Prix Series, top two players by rating and a nominee of the organizer. Of course, whenever a player is already eligible but subsequently qualifies, the spot goes to the next player, e.g., if the player who loses the World Championship Match is also among the top two in the World Cup, the third player at that event qualifies. The winner of the Candidates Tournament becomes the challenger to the World Champion.