Club Ladder

Standings

Rules & Details

Any club member can participate. New players may enter at any time during the tournament - they will be added at the bottom.

Players climb the ladder by beating opponents above them.

Players can issue a challenge to any player up to three rungs above them. This only applies to participants who are present on the evening; absentees will be ignored.

Challenges must be issued in person during a Monday club night no later than 9 pm.

If you challenge a player and win, you move up to their rung of the ladder, and your opponent moves down one. If you challenge a player and lose, neither player changes position. If you challenge a player and draw, each player moves one step up or down, respectively.

You may not refuse a challenge unless you have already agreed to play another ladder game that evening, if you are playing in another club event that night (such as a league match or other club tournament), or it is after 9pm. Refusing the game for any other reason will result in a loss by default for the opponent.

If you challenge an opponent and lose, you may not challenge them again on the same evening.

Players who are absent for two weeks in a row will be demoted one rung, then an additional one rung per week until their return. Exceptions will be made for anyone who is absent for other club commitments such as league matches.

Board colours will be determined by “picking a hand”.

Clocks must be used. The ladder time format is 15 mins + 5 sec increment.

Usual chess rules apply; touch-move, move and press the clock with the same hand etc, but there will be no time penalties for illegal moves.

The ladder tournament will run quarterly, beginning and ending on the first and last Monday club night of each quarter, respectively.

The ladder will initially be sorted in order of ECF rapid rating, with unrated players at the bottom.