Zoom Requirements for EVENT:

A side-rear view zoom camera is required with video on showing the player in their playing environment with a view of the screen. Preferred is a double camera setup including a normal front view as well.

• Side/Rear View CAMERA ANGLE FOR TOURNAMENT

Zoom camera angle

Guidance for joining Zoom Meeting Rooms:

• Make sure to test Zoom by arriving early (~30 min) to the event. We also recommend attending a walkthrough of how to set up Zoom if this is offered during the week prior to the event.

• Players can leave the Zoom area once they have completed their game for that round. They should expect to join the correct Zoom meeting rooms 15 minutes before the next scheduled round.

• Correct Zoom links by BOARD # will be posted at chessclub.com/EVENT/zoom. o Players must go to the zoom room that corresponds to their team’s Board # for any particular round. Please Note, your zoom room may change each round depending on team score.

Zoom Rules:

• Players must be visible on Zoom during their games, using their real first and last names.

• Side/rear view cameras should be set so that they display the player, the player's screen, and the surrounding playing area. The best location for this camera is on a separate device, clearly showing the player, the playing screen, and the surrounding area. The camera angle should be behind the user, which allows a view of the player, entire chessboard, monitor, and mouse. Fixed laptop, desktop, or Mac cameras are allowable.

• No headphones or headsets will be allowed once games have started.

• Follow all directions given by the Zoom TD, and please keep in mind these might be in verbal announcements, screen shared visual aids, or most importantly direct chats.

• The Zoom TD may on occasion require that Zoom cameras be adjusted if a player falls out of view or their side/rearview camera in order to see the screen and the playing environment.

• Players with the wrong Zoom requirements, not following zoom TD directions, or who are not present on Zoom will usually be given a warning before there is any penalty. Non-Compliance may result in a player being ruled ineligible for prizes, and their score not counting for their team

• Players found to be accessing applications and/or windows outside of play.chessclub.com/EVENT, Zoom, NJSCF.org or the ICC Grids during the event may be penalized at the tournament director's discretion up to possible forfeiture.

• Players are recommended to close all other windows and to have Zoom running separately from your playing device. This reduces the possibility of lag affecting your connectivity. Make sure you test Zoom and your webcam before the event starts!

• Players are not allowed to watch EVENT Twitch coverage during their games.

*****Being on Zoom and ICC is not the same thing! Players must be logged in to ICC as well as the Zoom call in order to play in the tournament.

Bathroom Policy:

For Online Regular rated play (G/60+10), players are allowed 2 bathroom breaks per round. Additional bathroom breaks may be penalized at the tournament director's discretion and will be a factor considered in "fair play" measures.

• Before going on a bathroom break, players must type "bathroom" in the Zoom chat with a Zoom TD and type “back” once they return.

• A player may not leave for a bathroom break while on move.

• NOTE: Players are warned that improvement of play after a bathroom break is considered highly suspicious and, depending on other factors, could lead to a player being forfeited and/or removed from the tournament.

Troubleshooting/Contact with a TD:

1. If you have a problem during your game, or if you need a tournament director for any reason, you should take these steps in the following order.

a.      Contact the Zoom TD via the Zoom chat. The Zoom TD will respond and communicate with the player. Do not wait until the end of your game. If it appears your opponent has not moved for a considerable amount of time, the player should contact the zoom TD.
b.     Use the channel chatroom in ICC set up for the tournament
c.     Use the Chess Control Zoom room if necessary for direct contact with a TD.
d.     Email to esdoyle@aol.com if no reply.

2. If a TD needs to contact the player during the game they will take the following approach

a.     Contacting the player on Zoom via the Zoom chat
b.     Responding to the TD in a reasonable amount of time is the player’s responsibility
c.     Sending a “tell” (Message from a director) in ICC directly to the player. Usually, this will relay them back to the Zoom chat for more information
d.     Contacting the player via registration information

3. To Report a Fair Play concern, players should

a.     Report it directly to their Zoom TD for direct assistance.
b.     Email to speedtrap@chessclub.com
c.      Note: All Games are reviewed for fair-play analysis by the ICC Fair-Play Team.

Disconnection Policy:

Disconnecting before the start may remove you from the tournament. If you disconnect after the start, you will not be removed automatically, but you need to return as soon as possible, or the tournament directors will rule your game a forfeit loss.

If both players have made at least one move, and a player then becomes disconnected to the ICC server, the disconnected player must reconnect to ICC as soon as possible and type /resume in the main console. The players should make every effort to resume the game.

If a player’s opponent appears not to have moved for a long time, that player should advise the Zoom TD in their zoom meeting right away. This could mean that one of the players is not synchronized with the ICC server during the game, even though it may appear to be the opponent’s move, it is the player’s clock that will continue to run.

The Tournament Director may decide to award a rated win to the opponent of a disconnected or unsynchronized player, who has made at least one move in the game, before the time on that player’s clock has expired if a reasonable amount of time has elapsed without reconnection to the ICC server.

• Successfully playing US Chess online rated games are subject to one’s ability to use the various interfaces to connect and play. The ICC, the Tournament Organizers or US Chess, cannot be responsible for games lost due to an entrant’s difficulty remaining connected or inability to use the programs used to play. Completed games cannot and will not be restarted, resumed or ratings adjusted for any reason.