FIDE rating of online tournaments

[Paolo Casaschi]

FIDE just announced a first step towards FIDE rating of online tournaments:

http://www.fide.com/component/content/a ... ement.html

The FIDE Executive Board of the 86th FIDE Congress has accepted the Online Commission's proposal to allow National Federations to organize online team events, in order to enable financially weak clubs to participate in costly league championships, especially when long distance transportation is an issue. Such tournaments and matches will be hosted by the FIDE Online Arena (FOA), the official FIDE platform for online chess. Games played in FOA shall receive standard rating (according to FIDE regulations) as if the games were played over the board, but these games do not count for title norms and cannot be included in title certificates.

[Roger de Coverly]

The FIDE Executive Board of the 86th FIDE Congress has accepted the Online Commission's proposal to allow National Federations to organize online team events, in order to enable financially weak clubs to participate in costly league championships, especially when long distance transportation is an issue. Such tournaments and matches will be hosted by the FIDE Online Arena (FOA), the official FIDE platform for online chess.

The BCF had rules for telephone matches, when pairings in the National Club or Counties Championship were such that travelling wasn't a good option.

These involved each team being assembled in one place, with stewards and a neutral arbiter. Using a server negates the need for stewards, but what of arbiters being present, to ensure the players are who they say they are and are not consulting external sources during play?

[soheil_hooshdaran]

That is certainly an issue in days when players are caught using computers.

Those events would be like correspondence games! Interesting they are rated as OTB games!

[NickFaulks]

Will the ECF take advantage of this opportunity to have FIDE rated games without being hampered by the Laws of Chess or any anti-cheating regulations?

[Roger de Coverly]

This also refers

http://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS ... nex_23.pdf

Nothing about arbiters, witnesses etc.

[Ian Thompson]

This also refers

http://www.fide.com/images/stories/NEWS ... nex_23.pdf

Nothing about arbiters, witnesses etc.

No, but the requirement to conduct tournaments in a "smooth and undisputable (sic) way" could be regarded as imposing such a requirement.

[Bill Porter]

Games played in FOA shall receive standard rating (according to FIDE regulations) as if the games were played over the board, but these games do not count for title norms and cannot be included in title certificates.

It's hard to interpret this statement as anything other than FIDE is willing to tolerate cheating on ratings but not titles.

[shaunpress]

Will the ECF take advantage of this opportunity to have FIDE rated games without being hampered by the Laws of Chess or any anti-cheating regulations?

Nick, is it safe to assume there was no official involvement of the Qualifications Commission in this decision (or if there was, it was ignored)?

[Mike Truran]

Unless my 4NCL and ECF colleagues advise me otherwise, I will assume that this is just another load of old FIDE bo**ocks designed to: (a) raise money from a captive audience; (b) capture personal details that FIDE can sell on illegally; (c) serve some fat Greek's personal agenda.

[Roger de Coverly]

Unless my 4NCL and ECF colleagues advise me otherwise

I don't suppose the question has ever been asked, but if the cobwebs were blown off the old BCF rules for telephone matches, would they permit the Isle of Man and Scottish teams to participate in the 4NCL and be FIDE rated without being physically present? Similarly perhaps for a Cornish or even Sussex or Kent based team for Telford.

[Mike Truran]

Good question.

Although as I recall from the telephone matches I played in many years ago they took several hours more than an over the board match. I have no idea whether that would be practical in the 4NCL with the time controls we have.

Thoughts?

[Roger de Coverly]

Although as I recall from the telephone matches I played in many years ago they took several hours more than an over the board match.

At least in principle, if every board was paired with a laptop, tablet, or phone at a pinch, transmission delays could be reduced to seconds. It would need a cooperative server, an agreed trade of coverage and advertising rights in exchange for free hosting might be enough.


It would also be necessary to work out a convention for how clock times were measured. The old fashioned way was that they were stopped for move transmission, but the time on the "home" clock was considered definitive.

[Mike Truran]

There's also the question (which I raised earlier today with my 4NCL colleagues) about the cost implications for the 4NCL (or any other organisation) of fitting out the relevant games (at both ends?) with the requisite laptop/tablet equipment.

[Roger de Coverly]

There's also the question (which I raised earlier today with my 4NCL colleagues) about the cost implications for the 4NCL (or any other organisation) of fitting out the relevant games (at both ends?) with the requisite laptop/tablet equipment.

Implicit in the FIDE Arena suggestions are that the players supply the equipment and Arena membership. Minimal requirements I would have thought is a phone capable of sending and receiving text messages and a waiver of the rules requiring them to be switched off. That's server independent.

The key issue, as it always has been, is the need to have trustworthy officials or observers to ensure that players at the remote locations are not consulting external sources of advice.

The history of remote matches pre-dates FIDE, so there should be some experience to modernise.

[Mick Norris]

The US Chess League uses ICC
rules