​Regional and State 
Tournament Rules

1.     General

1.1.  The U. S. Chess Federation’s Official Rules of Chess, 5th Edition and all published revisions and editions and the U.S.C.F. National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations will apply to all tournaments unless otherwise specified. These rules and procedures will apply to all interscholastic team matches between member schools and to regional and state tournaments.

1.2.  Tournament format should be either Swiss system format, or if number of entries is conducive, a Round Robin format.  When using the Swiss system format, the number of rounds should be sufficient to allow reasonable chances that there will be no more than one perfect score.  (To positively insure that no more than one perfect score is possible, a Swiss tournament having p as the total number of players requires that n number of rounds be played so that p<=2n.  Refer to the Official Rules of Chess, Paragraph 27 for more detailed discussion regarding the number of rounds recommended for Swiss tournaments.)  Matches between schools may use the match format described below.

1.3.  Care should be taken when pairing players to avoid pairing teammates if possible.  Individual-team type Swiss tournaments should utilize the “plus-two method” of pairing to minimize the need to pair teammates.  Refer to the Official Rules of Chess, Paragraph 28N1 for details on “plus-two” pairing.

1.4.  Pairings should be done by computer if possible. Pairings made by computer will be considered official.

1.5.  Full point byes will only be given to those who do not play because there are an odd number of players.

1.6  Players who have played in a CAAS rated event in a previous year will begin the year with the rating established from their last event.  Players without a CAAS rating will be considered unrated unless they have a USCF rating, in which case they will begin with a CAAS rating that is equivalent to their current USCF rating.

2.     Tournament officials

2.1.  Tournament Officials must be trained and/or approved by CAAS.

2.2.  Tournament Directors should be thoroughly familiar with the Official Rules of Chess and the CAAS and AAA rules and regulations.

3.     Tournament facilities

3.1.  The playing hall must provide a for a minimum of 30 square feet of usable space per player.  This should include aisles for spectators with a maximum of 20 boards between aisles. These aisles should run the length of the playing hall (spectators viewing the games from these aisles would see the games from the side, not from behind the players).

3.2.  The site should have a skittles area at least half the size of the playing hall. The skittles area should be in the immediate vicinity of the playing site, indoors and easily accessible from the playing room.

3.3.  Restrooms for players should be easily accessible to the playing room.

3.4.  The site must be handicapped accessible.

4.     Tournament Room

4.1.  Tournament Directors will be on the floor at all times to assist in the event of any problems or question.

4.2.  Players should not leave the playing area during a game without notifying a Tournament Director.

4.3.  Analysis in the tournament room, even quietly is strictly prohibited. Players should leave the tournament room after their game is finished and results have been reported to the appropriate table. There will be a skittles room available for practice games.

5.     Parents, Spectators and Coaches

5.1.  Parents and/or coaches may help get their player(s) to their assigned boards in the tournament room prior to the beginning of each round.

5.2.  The Tournament Directors may allow a limited number of spectators. Spectators must sit on the sides quietly and may not approach the boards, Tournament Director tables, or communicate with the players or Tournament Directors in any way. This could result in the disqualification of a player.

5.3.  The Tournament Directors have the right to disallow spectators in the tournament area if (s)he thinks it is in the best interest of the players.

6.      Eligibility

6.1.  All players must be enrolled as full-time students at the school they are representing.

6.2.  All players must meet the eligibility requirements of the Arkansas Activities association.

6.3.  Schools must submit a roster of eligible players prior to any event in which they intend to compete.  This roster must be submitted by the date specified in the event’s announcement.  The roster may include more players than it is possible to enter in the event.  The school shall submit a list of which players will actually compete prior to that event’s close of registration.  The roster submitted by a team for the Regional Tournament will also be that team’s roster for the State Tournament.

7.     Regional and State Tournament Procedures

7.1.  A regional tournament will be held in each AAA activity district.

8.     Regional and State Tournament Format

8.1.  For any Regional or State tournament, the time control shall be consistent throughout a tournament with a minimum allowed time control of G/45.

8.2.   Individual and team ties will be broken by Modified Median, Solkoff and Cumulative.

8.3.  Regional tournaments shall be either Swiss-paired or round-robin individual/team tournaments.  The number of rounds played will depend on the number of entries. 

8.4.  For purposes of awards and qualification for the State Tournament, teams competing in Regional and State Tournaments will be classified into one of two divisions:  A-AA or 3A-4A-5A.

8.5.  For purposes of pairing, the Regional Tournament may be conducted in one section (both divisions combined) or two sections (one for each division) depending on the number of teams entered. Teams may have up to eight players; however, only the scores of the top four players on a team will be counted in determining the team score.

8.6.  Each division of the State Tournament shall consist of at least 16 - at least two for each of the Arkansas Activities Association Districts.  The total number of teams competing in the state tournament may not exceed 32 per division.

8.7.  The CAAS executive board will determine the number of teams from each division of each Regional Tournament that can qualify for competing in the State Tournament.  This determination will be based on the number of teams competing at each Regional Tournament as well as the total number of teams competing in all Regional Tournaments.

8.8.  The State Tournament shall be either a Swiss-paired or a round-robin team match tournament.  Each team will play four boards, which will be un-weighted for tournament scoring (i.e. a win on each board counts 1 point for the team).

8.9.   The State Tournament shall be conducted in one or two sections, depending on total number of teams competing.  Sections with five or fewer teams shall use the round-robin pairing format.  Sections with 6-16 teams shall be paired in a four round Swiss-system tournament.  Sections with 17-32 teams shall be paired in a five round Swiss-system. 

8.10. Teams at the State Tournament shall consist of no more than four players and must have at least three members. All players must have appeared on their team’s regional roster.  A team of three members will lose by forfeit on board 4.

8.11.  State team championships shall be awarded for Class A/AA, Class AAA/ 4A/5A and overall State champion.

9.  Play

9.1. Touch rules apply.

9.2.  Players must keep a move-by-move score.

9.2.1       In the event that a player gets more than three (3) moves behind in notation, the opponent may object to a Tournament Director.  Upon verification, the TD shall instruct the player that:

a)     if possible, the player must catch up his move notation and must do so on his time

b)     in any case to start recording moves from that point forward

c)     a time penalty will result if the same player, in the same game, should again become three (3) or more moves behind in notation and the opponent objects to a TD and

d)     forfeiture will result if the same player, in the same game, should for a third time become three (3) or more moves behind in notation and the opponent objects to a TD.

9.2.2       If a Tournament Director instructs a player to write down missing moves according to 11.2.1 and the player declares he/she cannot do so without consulting the opponent’s scoresheet, the opponent will be instructed to furnish his/her score sheet.  While using an opponent’s scoresheet, the player’s clock shall be running regardless of whose turn it is to move.

9.2.3       If both players are found to have inaccurate or incomplete scoresheets, both clocks will be stopped by a Tournament Director until the current position has been recorded by both players.  The game shall then proceed with notation beginning from the recorded position.

9.2.4       A player is relieved from the obligation to keep score if that player has less than five (5) minutes to the end of the time control.  If a player elects to discontinue taking notation under this provision, that player’s opponent may also elect to not continue notation.

9.3.  When making a claim, or in the event of any dispute, either player may stop the clock and raise his/her hand to summon a tournament director. Only the players involved may make a claim regarding matters that happen at the board.

9.4.   To claim a draw because the same position has occurred three times or by the 50-move rule, the player must have a reasonably complete score sheet.

10. Late Arrival of a Team

Teams which have not arrived by the check-in time will be removed from the tournament unless the team contacts the tournament director before the beginning of the first round. The TD may delay beginning the first round or, if the delay is going to be more than 15 minutes, give the delayed team a zero point bye in the first round. In no event should the first round be delayed by more than 15 minutes.  If a team originally expected to be delayed by less than 15 minutes has not arrived after the first round has been delayed for 15 minutes, the rounds should be re-paired and the delayed team given a zero-point bye for the first round.