Kent FIDE Congress

Saturday 8th & 9th July 2023

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TUNBRIDGE WELLS BRIDGE CLUB

40 London Road
Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1DL

Tunbridge Wells Bridge Club is located directly off the A26 (London Road) as it passes through Tunbridge Wells (the nearest Rail station is 50 minutes away on a straight train from London Bridge). The venue is about 3 minutes walk from Tunbridge Wells Rail station. There is limited car parking on site but spaces should be available at less 100 yards from the venue at the Torrington Car Park

Photo Gallery from the 2019 event appears here

5-Round Swiss Tournament - 60+30

3-Sections ECF & FIDE rated: U2350, U1950 & U1650

Sections

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY:

All entrants must be either Gold or Platinum members of the English Chess Federation, or members of another chess Federation. The minimum Gold membership requirement is a condition of rating FIDE Standard play events. ECF members at Supporter / Bronze / Silver level will be able to upgrade to Gold and only pay the difference. Please see the ECF website

Players may take a Half-Point Bye in Any One Round Except the Last Round if requested on the entry form

Entries on the day of the tournament will only be accepted (Only if the event has additional capacity) in Cash before 9.15am, and will be subject to an additional surcharge of £10. Very late entries will be paired at the Organiser’s discretion

The Organiser/s reserves the right to reduce the Prize money And/Or merge sections, if there are less than 50 entries for the event, or insufficient entries in any section

Players without a FIDE ID code (FIN) will be registered as ENG

Please enter early if possible - the event is limited to 100 players

Rate of Play, Requesting Half-Point Bye & Withdrawals

Each player will have 60 minutes plus a 30 second increment per move from move 1

If your opponent has not arrived within 30 minutes of the start of a round, they will be defaulted and you should report to the Organiser’s desk

Players wishing to withdraw or request a Half-Point Bye should advise the Organiser's Desk as soon as possible but certainly ahead of the Pairings for the next round

Disputes

In the event of a dispute regarding the rules during play, a player should Pause the Clock and summon an Arbiter - the Arbiter's/Chief Arbiter's decision in all matters will be final & binding

Refunds

Refunds will not be granted for any absence from any round/s or for the whole tournament

Planned Playing Schedule

Please aim to arrive by 9.30am to allow a prompt start to the first round of the day. While every effort will be made to adhere to the planned playing schedule, we may have to be flexible based on how the day unfolds

Refreshments

The plan is to serve basic tea & coffee

Local shops are available at a few minutes walk from the venue for any refreshments/meals

Disabled Access

The venue is Disability friendly

Ratings

The Higher of the latest ECF and FIDE Standardplay Rating Lists as on 1st July 2023 (followed by the RapidPlay Ratings List) will be used to determine player’s rating/s. Player/s with new rating/s may elect to be transferred to the appropriate section at no extra charge. Unrated players must provide an estimate of their playing strength at the time of entry by emailing to the Organiser

Pairings, Sections & Clocks

All pairings will be done using 'Swiss Manager' software and displayed on Chess-Results.com - please copy & paste this link for details "https://chess-results.com/tnr779626.aspx?lan=1&turdet=YES"

Default time is 30 minutes, after which Re-Pairing may be made based on availability of sufficient players for each player whose opponent has not arrived and for any player otherwise having a full-point bye, adjusting the remaining time for the round accordingly. If a player does not show up for a round with no prior information to the Organiser, then that player will be removed from the rest of the tournament

In general, sections will not be merged. However, the Chief Arbiter reserves the right to merge sections if there are an insufficient number of entries (less than 16) in one or more sections. The Organiser also reserves the right to adjust the section grade boundaries or to move players to another section in light of the entry response. If the sections are merged, prizes will still be awarded to the participants of the original individual sections

Please don't forget to bring your Clip-board & Pen/Pencil. Digital clocks will be used in all sections

Prizes

There will be cash prizes as advertised. In the event of a tie the main cash prizes will be shared. No player can win more than one prize and the Organiser's decision will be final. Except in the U2350, no unrated player may win more than a maximum of £60. However, to be eligible for this prize money they must have provided written evidence of their playing strength, before Sunday 2nd July 2023. A list of all Prize Winners will be available on the Chess-Results website shortly after the event. Winners are advised to email the Organiser as soon as possible with their Bank Details i.e. Name of the Bank, Sort Code & Account number. Prize monies will be aimed to be sent within 7 days by Bank Transfer or via Paypal (a PayPal transaction fee as applicable i.e. 3% currently, will be deducted from any payment)

Fair Play Regulations

To comply with FIDE regulations, All mobile phones and electronic devices, including smart watches, must be completely switched-off (not merely muted) at all times in the playing area & they should be placed put face-down on the playing table, or in a bag under the desk that must not be moved whilst games are in progress.

Electronic devices must not be carried on the person during a game unless explicitly authorised by an arbiter for medical reason/s - please seek permission from the arbiter in advance of the game. These rules apply at all times during playing sessions. If it is evident that during play, a player’s device is not turned off or a player has such a device on their person or has had access to any such device, the player shall be defaulted & will forfeit / lose the game

Any spectators (Players are classified as spectators after finishing their games), Parents/guardians/carers and others who may enter the Playing Hall must do so quietly & must also have their mobile phones / electronic devices switched-off

Photographs

Photographs taken at the event may be used for publicity purposes. Any objection should be notified to the event Organiser prior to the event

Behaviour, parental supervision and disclaimers

Please treat the premises with respect and follow all signs and rules as requested

A high standard of behaviour and respect for others and property is always expected. Players entering or leaving the Playing Hall while other games are in progress should do so quietly

Smoking, including Vaping is NOT allowed on the site; nor is the consumption of Alcohol

The Organisers and Arbiters are unable to act "in loco parentis" for children. Parents/guardians/carers are responsible for their children throughout the entire duration of this event. Children under the age of 8 must remain under sole parental supervision throughout. Supervision of children over the age of 8 and teenagers may be shared between adults. However, Parents/guardians/carers should note that they are still ultimately responsible for their children and their behaviour at this event event

The Organisers accept no responsibility for any damage, theft or accident to the person or property of any competitor, trainee or other visitor at this event. Nor are they responsible for the effects of actions of anyone else attending this event

GDPR - Personal data is held solely for the purposes of our events. This is for administration and to inform you of future chess events. We share some data with the English Chess Federation and FIDE for rating purposes. Results, ratings and photos may be used on social media pages or in publicity unless informed otherwise. Please message the Organiser if needed

Additional Conditions of Entry