To be universally understood without spending too many words, the chief arbiter and the chief deputy arbiter will keep available a yellow card and a red card. Getting a yellow card means that the actual player better be very careful from now on. Getting a red card means that the player has lost his/her game if it is not already finished!
Players getting a red card can also be expelled from the playing venue for the rest of the round and/or tournament. In case of a red card the chief arbiter will consider whether it is necessary to expel the player from the tournament and/or send a written report to FIDE and the national federation of the player.
Examples of offences which can result in a yellow card:
- Deliberately trying to cheat with touched/released piece.
- Deliberately trying to disturb the opponents or other players.
- Deliberately stop writing to exploit the opponent’s time trouble.
Examples of offences which can result in a red card without a yellow card given first:
- Deliberately kicking, hitting or threatening the opponent, arbiters or others.
- Being drunk, screaming in the playing room, or deliberately consulting computers, chess books etc during play.
Mobile phones in the playing venue must be switched off as long as any game is played. If the mobile phone of a player is making any kind of sound in the playing venue, the penalty will be a red card and loss of the game. Also any use of mobile phone from a player during a game, without permission in advance from the arbiters, will result in a red card and a lost game. No iphones, ipads, computers etc are allowed to be switched on inside the playing venue without permission in advance from the arbiters.
Note also that alcohol is not allowed in the playing venue during the playing sessions. Taking photos with any kind of blitz or sound will be allowed only for the first ten minutes of each round (or five minutes after the arrival of both players).
Unnecessary walk over losses are very unfortunate during a title qualifying tournament.
To avoid this the walk over deadline will be 60 minutes, and the arbiter might extend this deadline in case of extraordinary situations.
Regarding conduct all players are obliged to shake hands with the opponent before and after the game, to sign both scoresheets after the game, and to replace the pieces in their initial position after the game. We will use scoresheets with a copy, but after the game players are allowed to keep the original part of their scoresheet. The copies are to be left beside the board after the game.
Deliberate or accidental violations of the FIDE rules like for example the rules of touched/released pieces, disturbing behaviour or illegal moves, will as far as they are noted be pointed out by the arbiters - even if the opponent does not react.
Players are allowed to walk and/or to sit in the area surrounding the playing venue during the game. The playing area includes the toilets, the hotel reception area and the smoking area just outside the hotel. Players however will have to ask an arbiter before visiting their hotel room or before leaving the hotel while playing, and before leaving the playing venue if they are at move.
In case of a dispute between the players, please stop the clock and call the arbiters – and do so immediately if you are in doubt about whether anything irregular has taken place. If a player observes something “possibly irregular” in another game, she/he is expected immediately to inform the arbiters - but of course in no way to interfere directly in the game.
Regarding the writing of the moves: As the tournament is played without incremental time, players can stop writing when having less than five minutes left on their own clock. All players have to keep their scoresheet updated until having five minutes left on their own clock for 40 moves or for the rest of the game
As we are playing without additional time for each move, there should be no possible complications related to the number of moves and the clocks. The arbiters hence will not remind a player forgetting to stop the clock after his/her move, and the opponent will be the only one allowed to do so. If a player misplaces pieces etc, the opponent instead of stopping the clock will have the possibility to start the opponent’s clock.
Appendix G (for “Quickplay Finishes”) in the FIDE laws of chess will be used for this tournament. Following this the G.5 rule (earlier known as 10.2 rule, giving arbiters the possibility to declare a game drawn after the demand of a player if the arbiters consider that the player can only lose the game on time), applies. Please note this applies only for the last time control, and that the player claiming a draw must do so when having the move and having less than two minutes left for the game. For such a demand to be accepted the player demanding a draw must have a position more or less impossible to lose on the board. (And this in most cases means the material in general and the pawns in particular must be very much reduced – and/or the position very blocked.)
“Prearranged games” are neither socially or legally accepted in this tournament! Short friendly draws, theory duels leading to perpetual check etc of course are normal parts of a chess tournament at this level, and unless it is done in some very demonstrative way the arbiters will not react against any such draw. Any discovered lost, won or drawn game connected to money transactions, promises for future meetings etc, however will face strong reactions - possibly including exclusion from the tournament as well as reports to FIDE and/or the player’s national federation.
