World Blitz & Rapid Regulations 2013

[LawrenceCooper]

Regulations for the FIDE World Blitz Championship 2013 & FIDE World Rapid Championship 2013
http://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS ... s_2013.pdf

1.   Frequency

The FIDE World Blitz & Rapid Championships shall be organized annually under the aegis of FIDE by a
federation entrusted with the task by the General Assembly or the Presidential Board at least one
year in advance. All rights for the organization of the World Blitz & Rapid Championships and the
title of the World Blitz Champion or World Rapid Champion belong to FIDE.

2.   Format  

The events will be  Swiss pairings tournaments and will be held over two days for Blitz and three
days for Rapid. The Blitz will have fifteen rounds with each player playing with white and black
against his paired opponent. The Rapid will be fifteen rounds, Swiss event.

3.   Participation

3.1 All players rated at least 2500 in any of the three FIDE rating lists (Standard, Blitz or Rapid) as
at the 1st of March 2013 are eligible to participate in the World Blitz Championship.
3.2 The Blitz & Rapid Championships are open to all the National Champions representing their  
National Chess Federation regardless of their title or rating.
3.3.   Applications have to be sent by the national federations only.

4.   Organisation

At least two months before the tournament, the organising federation will send an invitation to all
affiliated federations. The invitations shall be approved by the FIDE President. Copies of the
invitation shall also be sent to the FIDE President, to the Continental Presidents and to the Zone
Presidents.

5.   Time Control

5.1 In the Blitz Championship, each player will have 3 minutes + 2 seconds additional time per
move, starting from move 1.
5.2 In the Rapid Championship, each player will have 15 minutes + 10 seconds additional time
per move, starting from move 1.
 
6.   Tournament Conditions
6.1 The players are not permitted to speak to their opponents during the games. Appropriate
sporting behaviour is expected from all participants and FIDE rules of conduct are to be strictly
followed at all times.
6.2 During the playing session, a player may leave the playing area only with the permission of
the Chief Arbiter and only if he is accompanied by one of the arbiters.
6.3 Players are required to attend the Players' Meeting on the day of the Opening Ceremony at
a time to be decided by the Chief Arbiter and the Organisers. If necessary, the Chief Arbiter may call
other Players' Meetings.
6.4 The draw for Colours and Pairings will be made in the first Players’ Meeting for all three
events.
6.5 Players are requested to note the requirements of FIDE Regulations C.01 (Article 8.1) in
respect of their dignified appearance at all times during the matches. FIDE may provide a dress code
for the event and players and officials will comply with the dress code.
6.6 Players will not be allowed to offer draws directly to their opponents. Any draw claim will be
permitted only through the Chief Arbiter in the following cases:  
 a triple‐repetition of the position as per  article 9.2 of the FIDE laws of chess,  
 in dead drawn positions  as per article 9.6 of the FIDE laws of chess,  
 and applying the rule of 50 moves as per article 9.3 of the FIDE laws of chess  
6.7 If any player withdraws after completing 50% or more of the games, the rest of his games
are lost by default. In case a player completes less than 50%, all his results are annulled. If such a
withdrawal is not justified, he will forfeit his right to the prize for the tournament as well as incur
further sanctions by FIDE
6.8 The zero tolerance rule will be in operation. A large digital countdown clock will be installed
in the playing hall.  An announcement will be made 5 minutes before the game is due to start and
again one minute before the start of the game.
6.9   A protest against any decision must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals
Committee, immediately after the game. The decision of the Appeals Committee is final.
6.10 Apart from the players and principals, no other person shall be allowed in the actual playing
area during the games, except with the express permission of the Chief Arbiter.
6.11.   The players are not permitted to bring into the playing venue any electronic or technical or
other equipment extraneous to play, which may in any way disturb or upset the opponent or may be
in breach of the Rules of Chess. The Chief Arbiter shall decide what constitutes extraneous
equipment liable to offend the opponent or may be in breach of the Rules of Chess.
6.12 The players shall shake hands (or shall greet each other in a normal social manner in
accordance with the conventional rules of their society) before the start and after the end of each
game. If a player fails to meet these requirements and after being asked to do so by the Chief
Arbiter, then the player will lose the game immediately.
6.13 During the game, a player may talk only to an arbiter or communicate with a steward.
6.14 Organizers shall provide in sufficiency, free of charge, coffee, tea and soft drinks for the
players and principals. It is advisable that the same offer shall apply for the press members.
6.15 During play either the Chief Arbiter or the Deputy Chief Arbiter must be present in the
playing area.  
6.16 Tournaments will be played according to the rules of the inadequate supervision of the Rapid
play Laws of Chess ( FIDE Handbook, E.I.01B Appendices, art. 1 to 4 ).
6.17   The Chief Arbiter may, in consultation with the Chairman of Appeals Committee, the players
and after the approval of the FIDE President, issue additional written regulations to lay down the
exact playing hours and take care of other details not covered by these regulations.
6.18 Immediately after the end of the event, the Chief Arbiter shall draw up a report in the
English language and send it without delay to the FIDE Secretariat. The report shall be supplemented
by adding two copies of the bulletins of the event. The report shall contain the result of each
individual game as well as the final standings of the event. In addition, the report shall contain a
general description of the course of the event.
6.19 Immediately after the end of the event, the Chairman of Appeals Committee shall draw up a
report in the English language and send it without delay to the FIDE Secretariat. The report shall
contain an overview of the organisation, the conditions and any other matter that may be deemed
relevant by the Chairman of Appeals Committee.

7. Tournament Schedule

Date    Number of rounds Time of start of games Other comments
05.06.2013 Arrival     
05.06.2013 Opening Ceremony
19:30 May be subject to change depending on Organisers
06.06.2013 – day 1 Rapid 1‐5 15:00
07.06.2013 – day 2 Rapid 6‐10 15:00
08.06.2013 – day 3 Rapid 11‐15 15:00
09.06.2013 – day 1 Blitz 1‐16 15:00
10.06.2013 – day 2   Blitz 17‐30 15:00
10.06.2013 Closing Ceremony
19:30 May be subject to change depending on Organisers
11.06.2013   Departure
   
8.   Principals  
8.1 The FIDE President after consultation with the WCOC shall appoint the following FIDE
Principals. These are :
 FIDE Representative who will be Chairman of Appeals Committee;  
 Two Members of Appeals  Committee
ï‚· Chief Arbiter and his Deputies (2);
 Press Officer;  
ï‚· Global Chess Representative
8.2   The organizing federation shall appoint an adequate number of Assistant Arbiters (one
Arbiter per 15 matches) to ensure that all games are reasonably supervised.
8.3   All principals will be hosted on a full board basis in at least a four star hotel by the organisers
for the duration of their stay.

9. Arrangements for the Playing Hall

9.1 The WCOC shall ensure the playing hall and its environs meet the requirements of the FIDE
Regulations for the Organization of Top Level Tournaments (as per FIDE Handbook).  
9.2 The playing venue shall be decorated with the FIDE flag, IOC flag, the flags of the host nation
and the participating players’ Federations and the sponsors' brandings.
9.3 After the WCOC agrees with the Organisers on the arrangements in respect of the
tournament hall, facilities, accommodation and meals, transportation, telecommunication,
ceremonies, no objections from the participants shall be acceptable.

10. Interviews, media and PR functions  

10.1 The players are expected to cooperate reasonably with the media. General interviews with
them can be arranged only through the Press Officer.  
10.2 The players are required to make themselves available for short interviews immediately
after each game. In general, both players shall be available for the daily press conference.  
10.3 Players are required to be present at all official functions approved by FIDE President or his
representative during the Tournament including official receptions and the opening and closing
ceremonies.  
10.4 Only photographers and camera crews expressly authorized by the Organising Committee
may work in the playing venue.  

11.   Financial Regulations and Prizes

11.1   The entry fee of 100 USD shall be paid to the Organiser who shall transfer 50% of the total
amount to FIDE. All players must register by not later than 1st May 2013 following which entry fee
will be 200 USD.  
11.2   The organising federation shall award a gold medal to the winner of the title World Blitz
Champion, a silver medal to the player who took the second place and a bronze medal to the player
who took the third place.
11.3 The tie break system (for medals only) is as follows :
1. Direct Encounter
2. Greater number of wins
3. Greater number of games with Black (unplayed games counted as White)  
4. ARCO (Average Rating of Opponents Cut 1)
5. Buchholz Cut 1
11.4 The organising federation shall award money prizes for the Championships as follows :
Blitz Prize Fund US Dollars Rapid Prize Fund US Dollars
Prize Fund 200,000 Prize Fund 200,000
1st Place   40,000 1st Place   40,000
2nd Place   33,000 2nd Place   33,000
3rd Place   27,500 3rd Place   27,500
4th Place   22,500 4th Place   22,500
5th Place   18,000 5th Place   18,000
6th Place   14,000 6th Place   14,000
7th Place   12,000 7th Place   12,000
8th Place   10,000 8th Place   10,000
9th Place   7,000 9th Place   7,000
10th Place   4,000 10th Place   4,000
11th‐16th place (2,000 $ each) 12,000
11th‐16th place (2,000 $each) 12,000
11.5 All monetary prizes are shared equally, in cases of any tied position/s.
11.6.   At the end of the Blitz tournament the organiser will transfer an additional 20% (48,000
USD) to FIDE, over and above the prize fund, to the FIDE bank account.
11.7   The total fees for the World Blitz and Rapid Championships for the principals are as follows :
Chief Arbiter (3,500 USD), Deputy  Chief Arbiter (3,000 USD), Chairman of Appeals Committee (3,500
USD), Members of Appeals Committee (2,500 USD) and Press Officer (2,500 USD).
11.8   Travelling expenses plus accommodation on full board for players over 2760 (in any of the
three rating lists as at 1st April 2013 – Standard, Blitz or Rapid), plus the 6 FIDE Principals and the
Global Chess representative up to a maximum of 1,100 USD per player travelling from the same
continent or Europe and 1,500 USD for players travelling from African or American continent for
economy class tickets. Any travelling costs for accompanying persons will be the players’ or
Principals’ responsibility.  
11.9   All other players will be responsible for their travel expenses as well as accommodation
costs. The organiser will offer accommodation alternatives through their website.
11.10 The Organiser shall pay additional commercial costs of 15,000 USD to Global Chess MFZE for
assistance in the setup, administration, organisation and management of the Blitz & Rapid
Championships. The amount will be transferred directly to FIDE on behalf of Global Chess MFZE.

12. Opening & Closing Ceremony  

12.1   A short Opening Ceremony shall take place and all participants are required to take part.  
12.2 The Closing Ceremony shall take place according to schedule. The Organizer shall provide
three trophies to the first three placed players. The FIDE Anthem, the anthem of the winner’s
country and the anthem of the host country shall be played.
   
13. Appeals Committee

13.1 No member of the Appeals Committee shall sit in judgement in a dispute involving a player
or party from his Federation except where the dispute is between two players or two parties from
his Federation.  
13.2 All protests must be submitted in writing to the Appeals Committee not more than 15
minutes after the relevant playing session, or the particular infringement complained against.  
13.3 The Committee may decide on the following matters within a reasonable time frame:  
a) an appeal against a decision by an arbiter,  
b) a protest against a player's behaviour,  
c) a complaint alleging false interpretation of the regulations,  
d) a request for the interpretation of specific regulations,  
e) a protest or complaint against any participant, or  
f) all other matters which the Committee considers important.  
13.4 If possible, the Committee shall reach a decision not more than 15 minutes after the
submission of a protest. The appeals process shall include written representations and a written
decision. The Committee shall endeavour to find binding solutions that are within the true spirit of
the FIDE motto, Gens Una Sumus.  
13.5 Each protest must be accompanied by a deposit fee of USD500 or a written statement that
this fee can be deducted from the prize fund if the protest is rejected. If the protest is accepted, the
fee shall be returned. If the protest is rejected, then in this case, FIDE reserves the right to withhold
the deposit fee.
13.6 The decision of the Appeals Committee arising from any dispute in respect of these
regulations shall be final.

14. Payment of Prize Money and Stipends

14.1 The prize fund and stipends shall be paid by direct bank transfer in US Dollars from FIDE’s
bankers UBS, Lausanne.  
14.2 FIDE shall not be responsible if any national tax has to be deducted from the prize money or
for any tax obligation of the participants in their respective countries.  
14.3 At any time in the course of the application of these regulations, any grounds that are not
covered or any unforeseen event shall be referred to the President of FIDE for final decision.

15. Penalties

15.1 Should a player be in breach of conduct of any of these regulations, then the player may be
subject to an automatic penalty, by FIDE, of USD 1,000 for any instance of breach.  
15.2 Should a player be in repeated breach of any of these regulations, FIDE reserves the right to
expel the player from the tournament and subject the player to an automatic fine of USD 2,500. In
this case, the expelled player will not have any right to any prize money, irrespective of his standing
at the time of expulsion.
15.3 Should a player withdraw from the tournament without proper justification to the WCOC,
then an automatic penalty of USD 5,000 will be imposed by FIDE on the player and the player may be excluded from the next World Blitz Championship.