2010 BUCA Individual Championship
- Rules
- How to Enter
- Accommodation
Friday, November 12th until Sunday, November 14th 2010
De Vere Herons’ Reach Hotel
East Park Drive
Blackpool
Lancashire
FY3 9RS
Tel: 01253 838 866
Rules
Entry fees
The entry fees are:
| Date | Venue Accommodation | Other Accommodation |
| Before October 21 | £20 | £25 |
| Otherwise | £40 | £45 |
It is essential you book at the venue well in advance of the deadline to secure your rooms.
Format
5-round individual Swiss. Players sorted by points (win = 1, draw = ½, loss = 0). The 2 tie-breakers at the end of the tournament will be the same as used to determine the British Championship qualification, i.e. the sum of progressive scores. This will be used to determine to split any ties throughout the field.
All players must be members of societies which are BUCA members. Players eligible must be either currently in academic study at the institution, i.e. an undergraduate, postgraduate or research student. There will be three sections, a FIDE-rated Open, Under 150/1850 and Under 120/1610.
In the FIDE-rated Open, a FIDE rating takes preference in terms of eligibility, then a conversion from an ECF grade. Conversely, in the ECF graded sections, a player’s ECF grade takes preference in terms of eligibility, then a conversion from their FIDE rating. All English players in the FIDE-rated Open must be a member of their national federation in order to play in the FIDE-rated Open. Consult your national federation if you wish to enter the Open, but are unsure about whether you need to be a member or not. To become an ECF member, forms can be found on the English Chess Federation website. Note that some players (particularly in the North of England) may be part of a zonal membership scheme. This is worth consulting in advance of purchasing membership. Should more than 32 players enter a section, to avoid the situation where two or more players could tie on 5 points without playing one-another, an accelerated Swiss system will be used. The degree of acceleration will be at the discretion of the arbiter. Alternatively, if possible, players may be transferred from the Under 120 to Under 150 section. This may also be done if there are an odd number of players in those sections, to remove the bye.
Any players who wish to enter but are not part of a University institution for the reason that their University doesn’t have a society may still enter the event.
Contact Alex Holowczak for details.
Byes
A player may opt for a bye in any round apart from the final round. This will score ½.
Recording
All games must be recorded using the accepted notation set out in the FIDE Laws of Chess.
Grading
All games will be graded by the English Chess Federation. If players wish for their games to be graded by another British Federation, say so on the entry form.
Prizes
The following prizes will be awarded:
a) 2011 World Student Games – the leading finishers in the FIDE-rated Open will qualify for the World Student Games, which will be held in Shenzhen, China, in 2011. The precise number of places that can be afforded by the ECF, BUCA and other financial bodies assisting is yet to be determined, but will be published in advance of the Championship.
b) 2011 British Championship – the leading British citizen in the FIDE-rated Open will qualify for the 2011
British Championship, which will be held in Sheffield in July/August.
c) Free entry to an e2e4 5-round Congress of your choice if you finish in 2nd place in the Open (or the highest-placed player who is inegible to play in the British Championship), or for winning either of the two other sections.
d) A 10discount to an e2e4 5-round Congress of your choice if you finish in 3rd place in the Open (or the second highest-placed player who is inegible to play in the British Championship), or 2nd place in the graded sections.
e) 2011 BUCA Championship – the leading player from each University will count to-
wards a mini-team competition. Whichever University has the highest combined total points from their leading player in each section will earn the right to one free entry in the 2011 BUCA Championship, held in Oxford on February 26 and February 27, 2011.
Time controls
Standard ECF default times will be in practice at the event (30 minutes). At the default time, repairing (if possible) will take place. Otherwise, players benefiting from a default will be able to play a shorter friendly against players in another section if possible, and score one point. Any player who has a bye may play a graded friendly if someone is available. A player who defaults in Round One will be taken out of the draw for Round Two if he or she fails to arrive at the venue within half an hour of the official start time of the Round.
Time limits
All moves in 90 minutes, with a 30-second increment from move 1. Any games played between players outside the FIDE-rated Open section who are also members of their national federation may be FIDE-rated.
Other Rules
Any situation not explained here implies that the FIDE Laws of Chess apply.
Game Times
| Friday | Saturday | Sunday | |||
| Round One | 1700-2100 | Round Two | 1100-1500 | Round Four | 1000-1400 |
| Round Three | 1600-2000 | Round Five | 1500-1900 |