General
It is a condition of entry to the Irish Championship that all players accept these terms and conditions.
All participants must be current members of the Irish Chess Union (ICU) and all entrants to the main week-long event must be registered as IRL with FIDE. Non-IRL players are permitted to entered the other events but may not claim the title of "Irish Champion" in any section. The titles will be awarded to the highest placed IRL player. Prize money will be awarded as stated with no distinction between IRL and non-IRL.
Prizes to be paid by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT).
No Player may win more than one prize per event.
All place (1st. - 3rd.) prize money will be shared equally amongst tied players.
Outstanding member fees and entry fees may be taken from cash prizes won. Similarly, those receiving a free "invite" to the event (such as titled players) may have this entry fee taken out of any cash prizes won.
The onus is on players to ensure that they have paid their member and entry fees before the event begins.
Players cannot enter events that run simultaneously.
Competition Terms
The latest official ICU and FIDE rating lists shall apply prior to the close of entries.
Players rated 1900 or above on any published FIDE or ICU list in the current year of the event, prior to the close of entries, meet the rating requirement for the main 9-day event. (‘Live’ ratings do not count.) All others must apply for wildcards to the event if they wish to play unless they won a qualifying event or are a past champion. See appendix 1 below.
Pairing will be done in accordance with the FIDE Swiss pairing rules using the FIDE approved Swiss Master pairing program. Published pairings will not be changed unless: "They are in breach of one of the absolute pairing rules specified by FIDE".
Should a player not turn up for a particular round and fail to inform the controller they may be withdrawn from the tournament.
Players are reminded of Law 11.3 (Laws of Chess) regarding Mobile Phones.
Time Controls
Time control for the 9 day event: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves + 30 minutes for the rest of the game + 30 second increment from move 1. All other classical sections: 90 minutes + 30 seconds from move 1. All blitz events: 3 minutes + 2 second increment. All rapid events: 15 minutes + 10 seconds. Playoff time controls may differ at the discretion of the arbiter.
When a player has less than 5:00 minutes on the clock, they must still record their moves.
A player whose time runs out will lose the game, provided the opponent could, from the final position, checkmate with any possible series of legal moves (see laws of chess 6.9). The series of moves do not have to be logical, just legal!
The default time for every section is 60 minutes.
Irish Championship Tie-Break to decide Irish Champion
If exactly two players tie, the title shall be awarded to the winner of their individual game, if any. If their individual game was drawn, or if they did not play each other, there shall be a playoff; a 2-game rapid match with each player having one white and one black.
A. If three or more players tie, then the title shall be awarded to the player, if any, who achieved a greater score in games amongst the tied players than could be achieved by any other tied player under any set of results of unplayed games.
B. If step 2A does not determine a champion, there shall be a playoff 2-game rapid match between the two players (even if one of these players won the individual game between the two) who achieved the highest scores in games amongst the tied players, counting all unplayed games as draws.
The time control for these playoff rapid games should be 15 minutes + 10 second increment.
Any resulting tie for a place in the playoff match shall be resolved by drawing of lots, or, at the discretion of the arbiter, by blitz games.
If the players are still tied following their rapid match, the arbiter may choose to continue the rapid-match for another 2 games (with one white each) or move to blitz games or have a one-game draw-odds rapid game.
Playing Conditions
Sets and clocks will be provided for all players.
At the end of each game players must set the board up correctly (i.e. White Rook on a1).
Sets and Clocks must not be removed from the playing room.
Clocks must be left at the side of the board where placed by the Arbiter.
Spare sets will be available for analysis subject availability.
No analysis may take place in the playing rooms.
Appendix 1: Invited players
Players in the Irish Chess Championship may have the rating requirement ignored provided they are nominated by:
a. The ICU Executive (maximum 2 players)
b. The tournament organisers (maximum 1 player)
The Irish Women’s Champion, Irish 50+ and 65+ Champions, and all previous IRL winners of this event are automatically nominated to play in the Irish Championship irrespective of rating.
Change notes
1 oct 2024: Changed time control per AGM 2024 Motion 9