Unless posted, advertised or otherwise communicated to the contrary LPCC rules are as follows:
REGISTRATION
1a. Registration is between 6:00 and 6:30 p.m. at the site. You may also pre-register through the city of La Palma here. Later registrations can be taken but those players may be separately paired in a late registration group, and their games will have a time deduction as appropriate. If there is an odd player left out in the late registration group, that player will receive a ½-point bye
1b. You may register for one or all the events in the 4-month session. If you register for the entire session, you will be automatically included in all the events unless you say otherwise. If you don't plan to play in, e.g., the second event, please notify the TD else you will be forfeited even though you had no intention of playing and did not show up for round one.
1c. The entry fee covers all the events for the session whether you play in all of them or not. There is no proration of entry fees for players who elect to play in only one event.
1d. Players who are signed up before 6:30 p.m. get paired at 6:30 p.m.and start at 7:00 p.m.. Latecomers get put into a late pairing group and start at 7:30 p.m. with a time control of G/100, d5. Players arriving after 7:30 p.m. get a ½-point bye for the first round.
1e. Since all tournament games are USCF rated, players must have an active USCF membership to play in tournaments.
BYES
2a. Need a bye? Email us at: bye_request@lapalmachess.com. You must send us this before 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Earlier is better. If you know a week or more in advance, you may also put a note on the previous week’s pairing sheet that you’ll need a bye. Pairings are made at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Players are not guaranteed a bye unless their request is confirmed verbally or by email. We are trying to avoid “no show” forfeits. Players who do not show up for their pairing will be forfeited. They will be penalized by not being paired the following round
2b. The following table shows how many half-point byes are normally available. Last round byes are allowed only if the bye request is submitted before the first round of the tournament. Last round bye requests are irrevocable.
| Number of Rounds | Number of Byes |
|---|---|
| 1 - 3 | 0 |
| 4 & 5 | 1 |
| 6 & 7 or more | 2 |
CLOCKS & TIME CONTROL
3. Except for occasional one-night events, time controls are Game/1:55 plus a 5-second time delay
4. If a game starts after 7 p.m., it is the player's responsibility to deduct the appropriate amount of time from both clocks so the game cannot last beyond 11 p.m.. The tournament director (TD) may make this adjustment for the players at any time, with or without the consent of the players. Games going beyond 11 p.m. may be stopped and adjudicated by the TD
5. If your opponent is not present at the start of the round, start your clock anyway. If you decide to wait for an opponent (before starting his clock), it is your responsibility to adjust the total time accordingly. If both players arrive late, the first player to arrive should split the elapsed time and then start their clock.
6. Digital clocks with time-delay are standard and preferred.
7. All games must be finished by 11:00 p.m. because the park closes. There are no adjourned games.
PRIZES
8. Tie-break systems used by LPCC are as follows (in order): Solkoff, Cumulative, Cumulative of Opposition, and Opposition's Performance
9. LPCC special prizes are calculated as follows: Largest rating gain prizes are based on pre- and post-ratings published on USCF's MSA tournament rating report; Biggest upset and Best Under prizes are based on initial event ratings, i.e. the latest published monthly supplement ratings as used by the TD in SwissSys. Those with Provisional ratings must start with 20 games or more. Best game prizes are normally judged by IM Jack Peters, and the submission deadline is Monday at midnight following the last round.
GENERAL
10. Pairing between family members will be avoided in early rounds to the extent possible. The following table shows in how many rounds restrictions apply:
| Number of Rounds | Number of Rounds Restricted | Rounds Not Restricted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | 3 | 3 |
| 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 8 | 5 | 3 |
11. Please remember to post your results. If your opponent does not show up, post the result as "1F" for you and "0F" for your opponent (not 1-0).
12. If you are immediately outside of the club doors, please keep your voices down.
13. In Blitz tournaments, the touch rule is in effect.
SMART DEVICES
14. Policy On Cellphones, Smart Devices, And Laptops:
a. General
Players and spectators must turn off their cell phones at the start of the round. Players may not engage in texting while seated at the board. Repeat offenders are subject to consequences at the TD's discretion. Consequences may include reductions of time off your clock, or in severe cases forfeiting your game.
Chess players are not allowed to reference any chess material whatsoever during a game. This includes online articles, puzzles unrelated to one’s game, one’s own score book, or any printed chess material. This especially means any app that has a chess engine.
Players must submit to a search for electronic devices if requested by the TD. Refusal to cooperate with a search request warrants forfeiture of game and ejection from the tournament, with no refund.
LPCC reserves the right to inspect any player’s, parent’s or spectator’s cellphone, tablet smart phone, or smart device. A player who refuses to submit to such an inspection will have their game forfeited and may face suspension from play at the club. A parent or spectator who refuses to submit to such an inspection may be asked to leave the club.
b. Basic Cellphones
A basic cellphone is a device that can only be used for telephoning or texting. Such phones do not support installation of software or chess functions.
For players, basic cellphones must be off at all times from 7:00 p.m. until all tournament games are finished; however, a player may turn on and use their phone after their game if they remain outside If, for emergency reasons, a player must keep his phone on, permission of the TD is required before the round starts. Phones allowed to be on must be set to vibrate.
Players are not allowed to text during play.
Penalties: If a cellphone rings or is used to make an outgoing call during play, the player will be warned on the first offense. On a second offense a player will lose 10 minutes or half of his remaining time, whichever is less. If the player’s cellphone rings in the tournament room while games are in progress for a third time during the tournament, that player shall forfeit. If an offending player’s game is over when the cellphone rings, the penalty shall apply to the next round.
c. Smart phones, tablets and other smart devices
A smart phone, tablet or smart device is one that supports installation of software or chess functions, or can be connected to the internet.
For players, smart phones and tablets must be off at all times from 7:00 p.m. until all tournament games are finished; however, a player may turn on and use their smart phone — for telephone purposes only — after their game is over if they remain outside. All other applications must remain off until all tournament games are over.
If, for emergency reasons, a player must keep his smart phone on, permission of the TD is required before the round starts. Phones allowed to be on must be set to vibrate.
Players are not allowed to text during play.
Penalties: depending on the seriousness of the situation. A first time offense by a new player (those who have played in USCF tournaments for less than one year) who may not appreciate the club’s concern with computer cheating, will result in a warning. Subsequent offenses by inexperienced players may be penalized by forfeit loss of the game or elimination from the tournament without refund.
Experienced players (those who have played in USCF tournaments for one year or more) are held to a more stringent standard. If the violation is due to a simple oversight by the player (e.g., the phone was inadvertently left on but in the player’s pocket, but he did not consult it during the game) the first offense is penalized by a forfeit loss of that night’s game.
It is a serious offense for an experienced player to operate a smart phone or smart device during play, whether he views any chess app or not. The penalty is expulsion from the tournament without refund. Any repeated or a more serious violation (e.g., viewing a chess app with engine during play) will result in suspension from LPCC events for a term decided by club officers.
Use of smart phones to make telephone calls: a player may only make a telephone call with one of these devices with advance permission of the TD, and in the presence of the TD or his designee.
d. Monroi, iPads and Music Devices
iPads, Monrois and other devices for keeping electronic score sheets may be used if the device and its app are approved by the USCF. Such devices must not have an app with chess engine installed, and must lock out all other functions in the iPad or other device until the game is over and the final result entered.
Devices used to play music which cannot operate software (e.g. iPods), will generally be allowed if the opponent does not object.
e. Spectators and Parents
Spectators and parents are not allowed to use smart phones, tablets or laptops in the playing room without permission of the TD.
Penalty: If a parent’s phone rings in the tournament room while their child is playing a game, the penalty will be applied to the child’s game.
f. Suspensions and Probation
Any player who has been suspended from the LPCC can only return to play under probationary conditions. This will include, and is not limited to, confiscation of his smart phone, tablet or smart device before play begins. Additional restrictions may be imposed by the TD.
g. Playing area
Players must remain in the playing area until their games are completed and the results turned in. The playing area is defined as the tournament room or rooms, the patio area, and the restrooms.
If a player must temporarily leave the playing area he must first obtain the permission of the TD, and advise his or her opponent.
h. No-Show Forfeits
1. A player who fails to show up for a game for which he or she was paired will not be paired for the next round. In following rounds the player will be paired if: (a) if he or she is present before 6:15 p.m., or (b) in the case of unavoidable late arrival the TD is notified that the player will be late but will attend.
2. A player who incurs two no-show forfeits will be dropped from that tournament.
3. A player who incurs four no-show forfeits will be dropped from all tournaments for the remainder of the year.