Regulations
The 2023 U.S. Championship and 2023 U.S. Women's Championship shall both be 12-player tournaments paired as a Round Robin.
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Prompt Arrival: Players are expected to arrive promptly for their games. Players not at their board at the beginning of each round may receive a fine of $500 to be deducted from their prize for each occurrence. Players more than 30 (thirty) minutes late for a round shall forfeit that round. Players who withdraw or forfeit a game may not receive any prize money.
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No Draws: A “no draw” rule will be in effect throughout the Event, including any playoff games. Player may not mutually agree to a draw. In the event of a claim for a draw under Article 9.2 of the FIDE Laws of Chess (three-fold repetition) or under Article 9.3 of the Laws (50 move rule), one of the Event Arbiters must be asked by the players to verify the claim.
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No Electronics: No electronic devices shall be allowed in the tournament area. Any violation of this policy shall result in a fine of $500 to be deducted from Player's prize for each occurrence. In addition, any violation involving a cell phone or other electronic device that emits any noise during a game shall result in forfeiture of that game. If a violation occurs in subsequent games, the same penalties shall apply.
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Time Control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds (increment) per move starting from move one.
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Notation: Due to the 30-second increment, Players are required to maintain an accurate and legible score sheet at all times during all games, and are required to keep their notation up-to-date.
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Playoff Procedures: The following tie-breaks will be used for the purposes of the crosstable and any special prizes or trophies: 1. Direct Encounter, 2. Most Blacks, 3. Koya System, 4. Sonneborn Berger, 5. Won Games. If two or more Players are tied for first, a playoff shall be held to determine final standings among all tied players. An Armageddon Game is defined as follows: White shall start with 5 minutes and black shall start with 4 minutes. A 2-second increment shall be added starting with move 61. Black shall be declared the winner if the game ends in a draw.
- Two Players: The tie will be broken with a two-game rapid match (G/10 +2 increment). If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by an Armageddon Game.
- Three or Four Players: If there are three or four Players tied for first, the Players shall contest a rapid round robin (G/10 +2 increment). If no clear winner is produced, the remaining tied players shall contest a blitz (G/3 +2 increment) a) round robin (if three or four players remain tied) or b) 2-game match (if two players remain tied). If the contest is still undecided, the winner will be decided by a series of Armageddon Games.
- More Than Four Players: If more than four players are tied for first place, all tied players shall contest a blitz (G3 + 2 increment) round robin. If more than one player is still tied for first, the winner will be decided by a series of Armageddon Games.
