"Recommendation [for the ICC]: Excellent! Best service for your money. Suitable for beginners to Grandmasters." — Grandmaster Roland Schmaltz, The Complete Chess Server Guide (2004)
ICC Help: STtourney
MONTHLY STANDARD TOURNAMENTS!
Play 4 rounds, one game each Tuesday.
P R I Z E S!
135th Tournament: February 5, 12, 19, 26
136th Tournament: March 4, 11, 18, 25
137th Tournament: April 8, 15, 22, 29
138th Tournament: May 6, 13, 20, 27
133rd Tournament: June 3, 10, 17, 24
134th Tournament: July 8, 15, 22, 29
***ATTENTION: The tournament is run on automated bots. ***
Automated bots used: Pear -- for Open Sections.
Automato -- for U1500 Sections.
I. TOURNAMENT FORMAT:
Four-Round Swiss
Time Control: 60 0
Rated Games
II. SECTIONS:
Six Sections:
Three different times with two sections in each:
(All times listed are ICC Server Time)
2PM ET: Open
U1500 (Under 1500)
8PM ET: Open
U1500 (Under 1500)
11PM ET: Open
U1500 (Under 1500)
There are six separate sections to make playing convenient for
people in different time zones, and to allow you to play against
others near your rating. You may enter only one section per tourney.
To play in the U1500 sections, your ICC standard rating must be below
1500 and your "Best" Standard Rating must be below 1800 at entry.
Provisional rated players may only enter the open section. At the TDs
discretion, you may be entered into the open section regardless of your
current standard rating based on other ICC ratings and performance.
III. PRIZES:
Open section: First Place -- Three months ICC membership
Best U2000 -- Two months ICC membership
Best U1700 -- Six weeks ICC membership
U1500 section First Place -- Two months ICC membership
Best U1300 -- One month ICC membership
Your ICC Standard rating at the entry determines your prize eligibility.
If you are provisional at that time, you are not eligible for any class prize,
only for First Place in the Open Section. Class Prizes are not awarded to
players who have a "Best" Standard Rating that exceeds that Class Rating by
300 points or more.
Prize distribution in each section is as follows:
First Place: Divided by all 1st place winner(s) regardless of rating.
Best U2000: Divided by best equal score players rated 1700-1999.
Best U1700: Divided by best equal score (Open) players rated under 1700.
Best U1300: Divided by best equal score (U1500) players rated under 1300.
IV. ENTRY:
!!! You enter (Join) just before your section start time !!!
ICC Channel 32 is the STtourney Channel so please add that channel by
typing: "+ch 32". Tourney information is announced in this channel
(including when the Tourney is Open for entry). The Section TD will
also monitor this channel for STtourney questions.
All Open Sections are managed by the Pear Bot "+ch 227".
All U1500 Sections are managed by Automato Bot "+ch 226".
* JOINING * When the tourney is announced as "Open" in Channel 32,
join by typing:
"Tell Pear Join" - (To Join the Open Section)
"Tell Automato Join" - (To Join the U1500 Section).
*Verify*
To check your tourney status in any bot tourney type: "Tell 220 Status"
You should see " . Waiting" - If you see "no <username> isn't one of my
players" or " # Forfeit" ... you should try the join process again.
Once entered you are registered for the entire month unless you are
forfeited out or withdrawn (on request). If you are forfeited or
withdrawn, a "#" sign will appear to the left of your username in the
players list (See above). In this case, try "tell pear join !" or
"tell automato join !" again. If this does not seem to work, notify
your Tournament Manager / Section TD by: "Tell 32 Help I can't join ...".
Players are also added to the STtourney Group so the TD can send group
messages with tourney information. If you are in the tourney but not
yet added to the Group, ask the Section TD to add you. If you do not
want Group messages ask the section TD to remove you or message
STtourney asking to be removed from the group.
V. DATE/TIME OF GAME AND STARTING A GAME:
All games are scheduled for Tuesday. Playing Time depends on your
section and is ICC Server Time. Type "date" on ICC to see the current
server time and compare it to your own time to avoid misunderstanding.
It is possible to reschedule but only if your opponent agrees.
See Section VIII.d below.
*Procedure For Playing*: Show up 15 minutes prior to the scheduled
time of your game. Please join and Verify as listed above.
The Open Section robot "Pear" or U1500 Section robot "Automato" will
spoof you with a match command against your opponent at starting time.
You just have to click a button to send it or accept one sent to you.
Note that if your opponent is not present, this will not seem to work.
The Manager or Section TD of the tournament will notice this however
and will send out a notice on Channel 32 that you can claim a forfeit
win after 15 minutes. You have the choice to keep waiting or request
a forfeit win (see below). The same process applies if your opponent
is here, but is not accepting.
VI. PAIRINGS AND RESULTS:
Pairings are posted by the tournament robot at the start of each round.
If you play your game at the scheduled time, there is no longer a need
to report the result to the TD. This is only necessary, if you and your
opponent agreed to reschedule the game to a later date.
***** Notice ***** To avoid players being stood up by No-Show players,
Only those players who are on ICC at game start time will be paired!
VIII. RULES:
a. USCF rules will be used for cases not handled automatically by
ICC code (within the limitations of internet play).
b. BYES
Late entry is permitted up to the second round with a half-pt Bye for
the first round. If you are joining before the start of the 2nd round just
type: "Tell <Bot> latejoin" and you will get the 1/2 point 1st round Bye.
Late round Byes are zero points but please avoid a forfeit by requesting
them in advance by message to STtourney and Section TD/Manager.
In case of uneven number of players, one player will receive a full-point
Bye for that round. The manager of the tournament cannot set who will
receive such a Bye; it is done automatically by the Bot.
c. FORFEITS
A player who does not appear for a round (or a rescheduled match)
without prior notification can be forfeited from the tournament at
the discretion of the tournament manager. Re-Entry after a missed
round is possible if you: Show up 15 minutes before to the next round
starts and type: "Tell 32 I Didn't show up for my last Game -
Please Pair me in this round". You need to do that BEFORE the next
round is paired. The TD will respond in channel that you are in
unless you have been forfeited from the tourney.
d. RESCHEDULING
1. Rescheduled games are not encouraged. The automated bots will not
publish pairings ahead of time so playing before time is not possible.
2. Both players should be present at the round start time.
They can agree to play their game at a later point in time.
BOTH players must send STtourney a message regarding the
time and date the game will be played. They should also
inform the tournament manager about their intention to
reschedule. The tournament manager will then set the
result of the game to "o - o" for the time being.
3. Rescheduled games must be played and reported in a
message BY BOTH PLAYERS to STtourney before 10PM on
the Sunday before the next round. If a rescheduled game
is not played and neither player reports the results,
it will be scored as a draw. Before the start of the next
round, the tournament manager will set the results of all
rescheduled games.
Example message to STtourney about a rescheduled game result:
"mess STtourney 2PM Open, Round 3, Capablanca-Lasker 0-1"
*** Please confirm your game is scored correctly before the next
round is paired by typing: "Tell <Bot> games". ***
e. DISCONNECTIONS
If a player disconnects, he or she is given 15 minutes to
reconnect. Players who do not return within the 15 minutes
forfeit that game upon request from their opponent. Every
effort must be made to finish the disconnected game per ICC
rules however that result shall not replace STtourney forfeit
result unless requested by the offended player.
f. COMPUTERS And/Or OTHER ASSISTANCE
Absolutely no aid from computer-playing programs is allowed.
If ICC management suspects (we do not need to prove) computer
use, you may be banned from all future Standard Tourneys.
Also, people who have ever been "busted" by the ICC computer
detection group are ineligible to play, even if they are no
longer using computer programs on the ICC.
You may not receive assistance from other chess players during
your games. You may not have someone else play on your ICC
account for you. Either of these violate not only the STtourney
rules, but also the ICC user agreement, and may result in
banning from the ICC.
g. REQUESTING SET-GAME / FORFEIT WINS
If your opponent fails to arrive 15 minutes after the round has
begun (2:15 PM or 8:15PM or 11:15PM ET) you may claim a win by
forfeit. (Message STtourney with result noting the forfeit and
send a channel 32 tell to the TD / tournament manager)
Players may give up their right to claim this win and play a
Late arriving opponent. They may also agree to reschedule the
Game but if so their game will be treated as any other
Rescheduled game and is subject to the same policy.
If both players fail to arrive 15 minutes after the round time
and have not messaged STtourney about rescheduling, then the
game will be scored "0-0" and both players risk being forfeited
from the entire tournament at the managers discretion.
h. INCORRECT COLORS
Games played with the wrong color assignment will count as
the official game. There is no obligation to replay the game.
If 3 moves have not been played by each side (before white's
fourth move) the game should be aborted and restarted with the
correct colors if possible. Notice that it is not possible to
start with wrong colors when using the tournament bot, so this
rule is obsolete for all circumstances except in the case of
rescheduled games.
i. NO-SHOW POLICY
Note that there are so called "dr-points" given to players who
are forfeited from the tournament. When a player accumulates
too many dr-points, he/she can be denied entry to STtourney
and other tournaments on ICC for a duration of one or more
weeks. We also reserve the right to ban players from future
STtourneys, even if the player has not accumulated the amount
of "dr-points" which leads to them being banned from general
tournaments on ICC. In general, the manager will forfeit players
who are not present at starting time to avoid having others who do
not get an opponent (instead of pairing missing players and waiting
the 15 minutes). In particular, if you missed your game in the
previous round, but want to play in the current round, make sure you
inform the TD in time (before Pairings are made). Otherwise you will
be forfeited from the tourney for the remainer of the month.
j. LEAVING / WITHDRAWAL
If you wish to leave the tourney for any reason do "tell <Bot> Leave".
If leaving after a completed game so you can play in another Bot
tourney, please let the Section TD know and make sure you are joined
again before the next round begins.
The tournament manager oversees the tournament. He can make rulings
on particular games or forfeit players from the tournament at his
discretion. This applies in particular to situations of late starting,
lag problems, or disconnected players.
HELP Top
ICC Help: STtourney