The Greater Toledo Area High School Chess League Constitution

I. Organization

A. League Divisions

1. The League will be arrayed in as many divisions as necessary
2. The names of the divisions will be decided upon at the organizational meeting prior to League play
3. Teams will be placed in divisions according to their relative locations and the number of teams entered
4. A school may enter more than one team in a division
5. There is a $40 fee for a single team and $45 fee for two or more teams to enter the league

B. Functions of Officers

1. President

a. Ensure the schedule for league play and playoffs are available in a timely fashion
b. Organize the playoffs and Beach tournaments
c. Enforce rules of League and arbitrate disputes. Arbitration will be based on interpretation of the USCF rules of chess

2. Vice-President

a. Become President in the event the President is unable to fulfill his duties
b. Report results of League play to local news media midway and at the conclusion of the League play
c. Arbitrate disputes in the event the President himself is directly involved

3. Secretary

a. Keep minutes of meetings
b. Send schedule of League play to participating schools

4. Treasurer

a. Collect or refund money from dues and League functions
b. Purchase prizes and trophies

C. Voting Procedures

1. Election procedure

a. At the beginning of the year, each officer position is open.
b. Any individual may run for any position noted in article I.B.
c. Each coach and current officer may vote once for any position
d. The individual receiving the most votes will be the officer for that position for the duration of the season
e. All individuals casting a vote must be physically present to do so

2. Meeting agenda

a. Topics are discussed by coaches and officers present at the meeting
b. When motions are made to vote on topics, each coach and officer is allowed to vote once

i. Individuals who are both a coach and an officer is still allowed only one vote

c. All individuals casting a vote must be physically present to do so

II. Matches

A. Arrangements

1. Schedule

a. The home team's advisor shall be the referee and shall be responsible for making certain that the dates, playing times, and the visiting advisor knows directions to the school

2. Postponement

a. Advisors may call ahead of time to make arrangements to change a match to a different day. However, only weather conditions can postpone a match on the scheduled day of a match.
b. If a match is postponed, advisors should reschedule within two school weeks of the original date, or agree to set a date within three school weeks of the original date. Matches need not be confined to Mondays and Wednesdays.

3. Forfeiture

a. If advisors are unable to complete arrangements for a match, each shall inform the President of the reasons for delay. The President shall then determine which is the offending team, and declare it to have lost by default.
b. Agreed draws for games or matches not played are not permitted, and such draws are scored instead as double default.
c. A team forfeiting two matches during the season will be dropped from the League, and, if the team has played less than half its schedule, all matches and game points gained from them by opposing teams will be deleted from the statistics.
d. If a team fails to arrive within an hour of the end of their school day, it forfeits the match, unless prior arrangements have been made.
e. A forfeited match is scored as one match point and four game points for the team that did not forfeit, although the ratings of individual players involved will not be changed.

4. Match Conditions

a. A match consists of one game played on each of four boards
b. If either team has fewer than four players, then as many as possible shall play. Unopposed players win by forfeiture
c. A player may not compete at more than one board during a match
d. Each team must play its strongest players at boards corresponding to the order of the players' ratings: highest on first board

i. If a team forfeits a board, the opposing team may withdraw a higher ranked player to allow a lower ranked player to play.
ii. A player with a new 1200 rating must play on the last board to allow rated players to play ahead of them

e. If a school has two teams in a two-team division, players on those two teams will be ranked strictly according to their ratings, regardless of their rank initially. For example, this might require switching the A Team fourth board with the B Team first board. A school's A Team must consist of its four highest ranked players.
f. If a school enters two separate teams in different divisions, players may not cross over and play with each team. Once a player has played a game for one squad, they remain a part of that team for the remainder of the season and may not then play a match on the top 4 boards of the other team.
g. An adult advisor from both schools must be present at all times during a match, and shall act as referees, whose duties will include supervising play, enforcing regulations, and prevent other players from interfering with games still in progress.
h. A team coach or adult representative may forfeit a board when they feel it is necessary
i. Disruptive behavior or activities are to be handled as follows:

i. If the disruptive behavior or activity comes from your opponent, request the opponent to stop the behavior at once
ii. If the disruptive behavior continues or is being done by someone other than your opponent, contact your coach or adult representative. The coach or adult representative is to contact the other team's coach or representative. That adult is to insist that the disruptive behavior or activity end. If the disruptive behavior or activity continues, the offending team forfeits that board.

j. The visiting team will have WHITE on odd-numbered boards
k. Playing sessions shall be a maximum of three hours in length.
l. If chess clocks are available, they must be used. If clocks become available after a game has begun, then either opponent or advisor may place the clock on that game. Time should be divided evenly between the players.
m. For the regular season, each player will have seventy-five (Game 75) minutes to complete the game. For post-season matches, each player will have ninety (Game 90) minutes to complete the game.

i. If the clock used for a game is capable of being set for time delay, it should be used and is the preferred clock. Time delay should be set for five seconds, starting on move one.
ii. If time delay is not used or not available, claims based on USCF rule 14H are not valid.

n. Extra rated games may be played at a faster or slower rate of play than the time controls above IF both advisors and players agree to the time control.
o. If, for any reason, playing time is shortened and game remains incomplete, the referee will inform the player of the several possibilities:

i. players may agree to a draw
ii. one player may resign
iii. the game may be adjourned to a decided time and played before the week is out
iv. failing all else, the game may be submitted for adjudication, in which case players will make a legible diagram of the position and mail it to the League President, including such pertinent information as names, schools, notations, and players’ signatures.

B. Ranking

1. Any previously established League rating over 1200 will be retained from one year to the next.
2. Experienced players shall begin a season no lower than 1200.
3. Previously unrated players will be considered substitutes until they acquire a rating other than the provisional 1200N (or unrated), and must play the lowest possible board.
4. Other than for the above exceptions, players must be ranked exactly according to ratings.
5. Before the end of the regular season, any player may challenge another school’s player in the League to a game in which ratings will be counted. Both players must report the result of the game to their advisor / coach for recording.
6. Students who do not have access to a chess team through their school may join the geographically closest team.
7. Only students enrolled in a junior or senior high school or are of junior or senior high school age (12 or older) may have a rank and may play ranked matches. Junior high players are typically not able to displace high school players unless they are in rating order. Unranked games can be played by anyone during a match as long as league rules are followed.

C. Scoring

1. Game Points

a. A won game counts one point; a drawn game counts ½ point; a lost game counts no points.
b. A game lost by default is scored as a win for the opposing team, unless the game is defaulted by both players.
c. If a team fails to arrive within 60 minutes after the school day closes on the day of a match (unless other arrangements have been made), the clocks may be started. The offending team then has one hour to arrive and begin the match.

2. Match Points and Standings

a. The team winning the majority of game points receives one point for the match
b. If a match is drawn, each team receives ½ match point
c. The final standings of the divisions shall be based on match points
d. If teams tie in match points, then game points shall be determine standings
e. If a tie still exists, the respective teams’ records against one another shall determine standings
f. If a tie still exists, the tie shall be broken using the US Amateur Team tiebreaker system

3. Reporting

a. Each player must record his entire game on a notation sheet in League play and in tournament play. Players failing to take notation should be warned.
b. Match reports on proper form shall be made out by both advisors. The home team will enter the match results online within 1 day. The entry is to be validated by the visiting team within 5 days. Corrections are to be requested within 5 days of the match.
c. Individual games (II.B.5) are to be recorded online as a match for the day of the match and recorded at the bottom as an extra game.
d. Failure to report results on time may result in a double forfeit

4. League Playoffs

1. The winner of each division will receive a trophy. If a school has two winning teams, each will receive awards
2. For players in the two-team division, a player will participate on his school’s A or B team, depending on his having played more than half his matches with that team
3. The winner and runner-ups of the playoff tournament will each receive a trophy
4. In general, the top team(s) in each division will be invited to participate in the Playoffs
5. League officers will decide the number of teams in the playoffs
6. Individual games in the Playoffs are rated
7. League playoffs will follow the same rules as regular season with the following exception:

a. Rescheduled matches must be played after the preceding match for both teams and within 7 days of the scheduled date except in the case of weather caused postponement. In the case of weather caused postponement, the match must be rescheduled within 5 school days of both schools being open.
b. In the case of severe weather or other emergency (most or all schools closed), at the discretion of the league president, the schedule may be suspended (no matches played) and resumed on a date following the reopening of the schools.
c. There will be a bye date scheduled for all schools prior to the last match date of the playoffs.