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Tournament PoliciesIssued: Apr 10, 1995Revised: May 24, 1996 Revised: Oct 9, 1996 PURPOSEEffective management of Club organized tournaments makes life easier for the organizers, minimizes disputes and maximizes everyone's enjoyment. The following policies provide a framework within which the Club will organize and operate its tournaments in order to provide this effective management.GENERALThe policies in effect at the beginning of the tournament will remain in effect for the duration of the tournament. Discussion about policies during tournaments and possible improvements are encouraged but conclusions or recommendations from these discussions can only be applied to future tournaments at the discretion of the Club Committee.The procedures to be used during the tournament that cover the game rules, allocated sections, how winners will be determined and how prizes will be awarded will be posted or announced before play begins. Play officially begins when announced by the Tournament Director. No changes to policies and procedures will be valid for the associated tournament after on-site registration begins. The following announcements will be made before play begins:
ENTRY FEES AND VOLUNTEERSThe Club Committee will set entry fees for all tournaments at its discretion. As a guideline the following schedule can be used:
Youths are offered low entry fees to encourage beginners and the building of a strong membership base. In recognition of their work, volunteers seconded by the Club Committee may enter the tournament without paying a fee but are then ineligible to receive any cash prize, gift or gift certificate prize. Because other tournaments are often difficult to attend, these volunteers will still be eligible to receive an award's trophy or AGTC points as applicable. However, volunteers who pay the appropriate entry fee are eligible for all prizes. RULES IN EFFECTThe rules to be used for each game in the tournament will be announced before play begins and will be either:
ALLOCATING SECTIONSUnless specifically designed otherwise by the Club Committee, the tournament will be divided into at least two sections, an Open Section and a Handicap Section. Players can chose between the Open and Handicap Sections at registration. If there are less than six players registering for the Open Section they will be assigned to the Handicap Section.These Sections will be further subdivided depending on participation. Entering ranks will be used to determine in which division players will compete. The Open Section will be further subdivided into Low Dan or High Dan Divisions if it contains more than twenty registered players. The Divisions will be determined by dividing the list either precisely in two for an even number of players or such that the low division has one more than the high division for an odd number of players. The list of players will be first ordered by entering rank and then by lot (coin toss). The Handicap Section will be further subdivided into Division I, II or III corresponding to strong, medium or beginner ranked players. If there are six (6) or more players entering at 20k or weaker and twenty or more total entries, there will be a Division III for beginners. If there are more than 16 remaining players the Section will be further subdivided between Division I and II. This will be determined by dividing the list either precisely in two for an even number of players or such that the Division II has one more than the Division I for an odd number of players. The list of players will be first ordered by entering rank and then by lot (coin toss). PAIRINGS, BYES, FORFEITS AND WINNERSIf byes are needed a player can request a bye before the pairings for that round are announced, otherwise they will be determined by the Tournament Director. Byes are counted as a win for the purposes of pairings but are ignored for the purposes of scoring. Requests for byes after pairings are announced will not be considered.If a player refuses a game, that player forfeits the round and it is counted as a loss. When a player is or players are late for a round, the Tournament Director will start that game's clocks. If one player is present, the clock is started for the absent player. If both players are absent, half the late time will be deducted from both basic times. If both players fail to show before the basic time runs out both players will forfeit. Late time will be determined for each Tournament and announced before play begins. Pairings in the Open Section will be determined by using the Swiss-McMahon method which is a manual system. Winners are determined first by their number of wins, then by the Sum of their Opponent Scores (SOS), then by Sum of their Defeated Opponents Scores (SDOS) and finally by the Sum of Round Scores (SRS). Pairings in the Handicap Section will be determined by using the accelerated pairings program available from the AGA. The program will be used to maximize opportunities for players from different clubs to compete against each other. Winners will be determined by one of the following methods. The chosen method will be announced before play begins. The first method will choose winners first by their number of wins, then by their final rank and then by the change factor as determined by the accelerated pairings program. This method encourages stronger players to participate. The second method will choose winners first by their number of wins and then by the change factor as determined by the accelerated pairings program. This method rewards rapidly improving players. The Pairings Process is the responsibility of the Tournament Director or any volunteer(s) so designated by the Tournament Director. AWARDING PRIZESPrizes will be awarded to winners in each Section and Division (depending on participation) at the discretion of the Club Committee. Prizes will be announced before play begins. Winning volunteers may not receive cash, gifts or gift certificates if entering for no fee. (See Entry Fees And Volunteers above.)A typical prize structure for a full participating tournament is;
T = Trophy $ = Cash C = Gift or Gift Certificate Gift Certificates may be exchanged for a percentage (usually 50%) of their face value in cash. PARTICIPATIONThe Houston Go Club runs tournaments to further the sport and enhance the popularity of the game in the community. Participants in these tournaments agree to abide by the terms of these Policies and the decisions made by the Tournament Director. The Tournament Director, in consultation with the Club Committee if necessary, reserves the right to terminate participation in the tournament of any persons who:
MISSING PROVISIONS AND DISPUTESAdjudicators, appointed before play begins, may be called upon by the Tournament Director to judge the outcome of any adjourned games and so indicate to the Tournament Director.Any situation not covered by these policies will be determined as needed by the Tournament Director on a case by case basis. The Tournament Director will make every effort to consult with the Club Committee and will make binding decisions for the duration of the tournament. APPROVEDThis policy has been approved by the Club Committee.Signature on file 10/22/96 HGC President Note: Youth age raised to 22 from 18 to be consistent with the AGA - net yet committee approved.
Last updated October 10, 2007 (rev 1.5) |
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