How It Works
The Club Championship is a tournament for all Queens Park Chess Club members. Members will be automatically enrolled into the tournament upon joining the club. Members can drop out by contacting our Competitions Manager or by emailing the Committee.
The 2024/25 tournament consists of 7 rounds over the season. Players can join the tournament up to and including Round 3.
We are using Swiss pairings. This means that after Round 1, players are paired based on their scores i.e. a player with 1 plays against someone else with 1.
The time control is 60+10. This means that each player starts with 60 minutes to make their moves, and they receive an additional 10 seconds for each move they make.
All games will begin at 7pm unless otherwise agreed by the players.
Pairings for a given round will be announced shortly after the completion of the previous round.
If there is a tie for first place after 7 rounds, the winner will be decided by a tiebreak using Chess Scotland’s Tournament Performance Rating (TPR). Tournament Performance Rating is the rating you would have received if you were an ungraded player in the event, so it does not disadvantage either graded or ungraded players.
This event is graded by Chess Scotland.
Arranging Matches
Each round will have a designated date with games taking place at 7pm at The Bungo. Members are advised to check in advance that their opponents are available to play their match to avoid surprise defaults or misunderstandings. If a player cannot make the designated date for a given match, then they must contact their opponent to reschedule. Rescheduling can be done through the Committee where necessary. Members can play their matches up to twelve days after the designated date of a given round. In round 7 only, there will be a 15 day window starting on the Set Club Night and including the following 2 Tuesdays.
If players schedule a game one week after the Set Club Night and one of the players can’t attend due to an emergency/unforeseen circumstances, then the game may be played at some point later in the week, subject to agreement from the Committee and the players. Please note that this may not always be possible, for example, if pairings for the next round have to be done immediately after the current round is finished.
Where Can Games Be Played?
The Committee recommends that members either arrange to play at the following Club night (with no guarantee of noise levels) or at a different chess club. The Committee can arrange for your match to be played at a different chess club upon request. Games can also be played in a public space. Club Championship matches cannot be played online or in private residences.
If members wish to play at the Thursday night group in Corona or any other such venue the Thursday group move to, then they should contact Marianne Burns first to confirm that she can accommodate this. Please note that players will be expected to either use their own clocks and score sheets for games played outside the club, or to ask a Committee member to borrow the supplies at the Club night prior to their match.
Please note that on the night of a designated round, a Committee member will act as arbiter for the games. If you rearrange your match, especially outside the club, we won’t be able to provide an arbiter and disputes will have to be settled between the players.
If Members request to borrow supplies from the club to play a club championship match, then they would be expected to reimburse the club in full for any loss of, or damage to, equipment.
In the event that a Member shows up to play their club championship match, but their opponent doesn’t show up, then an effort will be made by the Committee to arrange a graded friendly match on the same night.
Can’t Contact An Opponent?
If players do not communicate with their opponent or the Committee at all before the designated date for a given round then they may be defaulted and can be Disqualified. If your opponent doesn’t respond to you, contact a Committee member as soon as possible.
Can’t find An Alternative Venue?
If one player has to reschedule and the other player cannot make an alternative date, then the player that needed to reschedule must default their match. If players agree on an alternative date, this becomes the new set date and any further rescheduling will favour the player who can make the new set date, as written before.
Who To Inform About A Rescheduled Match?
If a match must be rescheduled then the Committee should be informed. The Committee should be informed either through WhatsApp or by email. Results of rescheduled games must be submitted to the Committee immediately following the conclusion of the game.
Defaults?
If players do not communicate with their opponent or the Committee about their availability during the run-up to a designated round date, they may be defaulted regardless of whether they show up or not. This is to avoid players coming to a club night and waiting around in case the player no-shows. If a player is in communication with their opponent or the Committee but doesn’t show up, a default will be called if a player hasn’t arrived after 30 minutes. The Committee reserves the right to remove participants from the tournament upon a second default.
How To Take A Bye?
To avoid having any matches defaulted, players are allowed to take a bye in advance of round pairings. Each player will have one half point bye that they can use in any of the first 6 rounds in the tournament at the players’ discretion. If players have used their half point bye but still won’t be able to play a round of the club championship (for example due to holidays, long term illness etc), players should contact the Committee in advance to receive a loss bye and avoid pairings for that round. If players don’t communicate with the club or their opponents and then miss a fixture then the Committee reserves the right to remove that player from The Tournament for future draws. No half point byes will be permitted in round 7.
Tournament Withdrawal
If a player no longer wishes to partake in the club championship in the middle of the season, they are free to leave the tournament without any repercussions/consequences and their membership status will stay active. The Committee requests that withdrawals should be communicated to the Competitions Manager. Players can choose to miss specific rounds if they want by contacting the Committee before the draw for a given round and requesting a loss bye.
Tournament Changes
Following the end of the 2023-2024 season the club was consulted on proposed changes to the rules and format of the tournament.
The final rules as consulted and approved by the Committee can be found here.
The report on the feedback received and alterations made can be found here.
All members are encouraged to read the Fide Laws of Chess.
The Queens Park Chess Club 2024-2025 Club Championship will run over the full season, starting on the last Tuesday in September 2024.
There are three main changes:
- Time control will be 60+10. This means that you will have 60 minutes for all your moves plus a 10 second increment added on from move 1.
- The club championship will run for 7 rounds rather than the 6 of last year.
- Every player will be entitled to take a 1/2 point bye once during the tournament.
Tournament Schedule
Note: The complete schedule for the tournament remains to be confirmed and will be finalised following the Glasgow and Dumbarton Leagues fixtures.
| Round | Designated Date | Round cut-off | Bye cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 Sep | 6 Oct | 16 Sep |
| 2 | Oct | ||
| 3 | Nov | ||
| 4 | Jan | ||
| 5 | Feb | ||
| 6 | Mar | ||
| 7 | Apr |
Current Standings
- [Not available]
Pairings & Results
- [not available]
Questions?
If you’ve got any questions, speak to Jordan McNaught (Competitions Manager) at any Club night or email us at contact@queensparkchessclub.com.
Champions
- 2023/24: Connor Thompson
- 2022/23: Rhys McCrosson
- 2021/22: Rhys McCrosson