Auckland Interschool Chess Championship

• Auckland schools that have qualified for the National Interschools Finals are invited to compete in the Auckland Interschool Chess Championship. Whether you play or not has no effect on your qualification. By the way you should complete the form for the National Finals
• This is an opportunity to play with the same time controls and same rules (mostly) as a warm-up. We believe this event has contributed to the success Auckland schools have had at National Finals over the years. You should definitely read this caveat
• We guarantee entry for every qualified school that enters by 11 September. Wild-card team entries from Auckland may apply to enter and will be notified on 12 September. If your school needs more notice contact me to discuss your options
• Please reply Yes or No to whether you will compete, so we don't have to follow you up. You can always changed your mind later.
• Contact Wayne if you have any questions or suggestions

Tap here for current entries

Contents

• Key information
• About the competition
• Schedule
• Thanks
• Reserves
• Information for Schools
• Information for Student Players
• Information for Parents, Visitors, and Spectators
• Prizes
• Health
• Phones
• Photography
• Conflicts of Interest
• Disputes
• Privacy

Key Information

About the Competition

• There will be three separate tournament divisions running simultaneously - primary, intermediate and secondary.
• There are four rounds. We will be following the same rules as used for the National Interschool Finals with four exceptions
• Official Competition Rules from the NZCF
• Official Laws of Chess from FIDE

Caveat

I (Wayne McDougall) am grateful to the volunteers who ran these free events. Unfortunately schools would often get less than a week's notice, and sometimes the event wouldn't happen at all. And there was no way to tell. I tried asking; I tried offering to help. I'm told the event would be on; but then it doesn't happen. Or I just get ignored. I believe the last event ran in 2019

So no more. I'm giving up trying to go through proper channels. I'm giving up waiting until it is too late to do anything. I'm told that those in charge have no interest in interschool competitions.

So I'm running an event myself. And open to all schools that qualified

If something official does start up, I'm happy to step aside as long as that doesn't inconvenience schools

Otherwise, let's play chess

Differences from the National Interschool Finals rules

1. Pairings

   We will use Swiss Pairings, as at the National Finals, unless the number of teams in a division is so low that we run a round-robin. It's possible but unlikely, that we combine divisions.

   If we have more than 5 but less than 8 teams, a Swiss pairing may fail. In such a case, we will ensure the best performing teams will play appropriate partners, but the lowest scoring teams may play a team they have already played. Not ideal, but we will swap colours; think of it as a revenge match and your best chance to gain some more points and experience.

2. Time Restrictions

   Games may be adjudicated early in order to stay on schedule

3. Illegal Moves

   While we are following both the intent and the rules on illegal moves, it is likely that the National Finals will follow the three-strikes-you're-out policy.

4. Reserves

   We probably will follow the same rules on the use of reserves as the National Finals, but as the arbiter has a choice we don't know what they might do. We follow the standard procedure normally followed

Schedule

• You have all competed at regional competitions so you all know how the competitions work. There will be no briefing before the first round other than pointing out the locations of the toilets and describing the emergency procedures and exits. We expect the first round to start at 9.20am
• We expect the playing venue to open by 8.45am subject to Auckland traffic. If you arrive earlier, you may have to wait.
• Each round will last about an hour, but we will start the next round as soon as possible.
• The three tournament divisions may not start together. We will try to minimise disruption to games that are still going as a division starts a new round
• If you arrive late, you will likely be paired with other late arriving teams. If you arrive very late you will likely receive a Bye. This may be full points, half points or zero points based on the Arbiter's assessment of what is best for the competition and the teams. You may receive full points for your final scores but partial points for pairing purposes
• The start time is late enough that every school can arrive on time by leaving by 8.20am which we think is more than reasonable. And every school can be back by 3pm
• There will be no lunch-break. Students can eat between their games. We will ensure that every student has the choice of at least a 10 minute break between rounds 3 and 4

Force Majeure

Thanks

• This event is hosted in the Waitakere Chess Club rooms but no responsibility or blame goes to them. Thanks to the New Lynn Sea Scouts for the free use of the venue, and thanks to the Auckland Chess Association who didn't say we couldn't use their tables.
• Wayne McDougall FIDE National Instructor is the Chief Arbiter for this competition. And responsible for the forthright opinions in this document. Any errors, problems and mistakes should be attributed to Wayne McDougall. Feel free to complain - that may result in improvement.

Team Composition

Reserves

• You may choose your reserve to play before the start of any round
• The reserve will always play on board number 4
• If the player being dropped from your team in this round is on board number 4, then this is a straight swap
• If the player being dropped in on board 3 then then your board 4 player moves up to the number 3 spot and the reserve plays in the now vacant number 4 spot. Similarly, if your number 2 player is dropped then your three and four board players move up on space. And so on
• It is not much fun being the reserve who does not play. So schools typically pick one or more of the following strategies:
  • Xome schools assess their opposition and make a judgement call that they do not need to field their strongest team. The brutal truth at National Finals is that schools from the rural provinces are nearly always much weaker than those from urban centres
  • Some schools cycle between their board number 4 and reserve, especially if the are roughly equal in strength, so both board number 4 and the reserve play in 2 matches each
  • If you consider your team is not competitive for winning a place, or that becomes apparent after losing the first two rounds, then schools might cycle through their team, dropping players 4, 3, and 2 in the last 3 rounds, allowing the reserve to play in 3 matches, so that everyone plays 3 matches, except board 1 who plays in all 4
  • A refinement of this is in consideration of board prizes. So you may not want to shuffle or move players who would otherwise be eligible for a board prize. Losing 1.5 points or more (one loss and one draw or worse) almost certainly means you will not win a board prize
  • And some reserves will accept their role to stay out of a team, if it means their team has a better chance of getting a medal (including them) or to allow a team member a chance to win a board prize (heroic)

Reserves at National Finals

Some old-hands noted that I wasn't playing my reserve player. I will always be grateful that they took me aside and explained the reality of how schools give reserves some games, as I detailed above. As Wayne became an old-hand himself at National Finals he got to pass on this same wisdom, which has often been gratefully received.

Until one Arbiter decided, with no prior notice, that they were going to incorrectly try and implement the irrelevant reserve policies of the international chess olympiad. And they didn't do it correctly. This had the effect of teams either being unable to play their reserves, or else to simply not notify the officials that their reserves were playing, meaning the names on results and board prizes were incorrect

Wayne wrote to the NZCF asking them to state that an Arbiter wasn't allowed to interfere with how a school used their reserve. Instead they wrote an incoherent new rule giving three options to the Arbiter, but with no requirement of notice of which policy will be used. So we're now in the situation that you may go to the expense of transport and accommodation for a reserve who is denied the ability to play on the whim of an Arbiter, with no warning before flights are booked.

I hope that in most cases reserves will operate as detailed above. But there's no way to be sure.

Information for schools

Information for Teachers, Parents, Visitors, and Spectators

• The official rules is that no spectators are allowed in the playing area. We will not enforce that unless it becomes necessary
• You must comply with the rules on phones, photos and health. You are encouraged to wear a mask. You are not permitted in the playing area if you are sick, including a persistent cough or runny nose
• Tea, instant coffee and biscuits will be available for the adults
• There is no WiFi

Information for Student Players

• You should bring warm clothing - a school jersey or jacket
• You must bring your own packed lunch - you cannot buy food
• No food at the tables. Only water is allowed, if you must, and water bottles must be on the floor and not on the playing tables
• The draw for each round depends on the results of the previous round. So a new round does not start until all the games in the previous round have been finished, been recorded and processed
• You should bring a quiet activity (cards, a book) and something to play outside (maybe a handball for a group). If you finish your game early you will have a long wait until the next round
• Basic Chess Strategy
• Chess Tips for Tournaments
• There are no badges or medals to be won in this tournament
• You must not talk or gesture or make facial expressions while watching other games. You must not talk to the players. Doing so may result in your team's loss of game,

Illegal Moves

However in interschool tournaments we play as good sports. We want the results to be based on playing ability and not technical rule breaches

If your opponent makes an illegal move, then politely point it out, restart their clock, they take the move back and choose a different move. Touch-move still applies so if they can legally move the piece then they must do so

If you cannot resolve this between yourselves, pause the clock and raise your hand. If they persistently make illegal moves or you think they are trying to gain an unfair advantage, raise your hand

Arbiters will forfeit the game for repeat offenders who are in a losing position, and for those seeking to gain an unfair advantage

Warning Rant

So we will be following the intent of the NZCF Good Sportsmanship rule; many of you will now be used to the archaic three strikes policy. That may be well what happens at the National Finals. But for this event its probably better practice for you to win your game through gameplay.

It is our opinion that the Good Sportsmanship rule is a mistake; it encourages deliberate cheating and means that events can't be FIDE rated as we are not following FIDE rules. But as long as that is the stated objective of the NZCF for interschool competitions we will honour the intent. Certainly the compromise of a legalistic one count difference between three and two is not worth it.

Time

• No game will be ended unless all 3 are ended
• A player with a winning position that doesn't know to convert to a checkmate will be suggested as a draw
• An obvious winning position will be suggested as a win
• An apparent draw will be suggested as a draw
• If the games are not critical to the outcome of the tournament, an ending will be pushed for - this might be scoring as a win to both players
• A critical game that threatens the tournament schedule may be preserved to be run at the end of the tournament as a play-off if required to determine a result

Ratings and Prizes

Board Prize

What we do: A board prize recognises that you are a good player that may not be in a good team. So if you win all your matches you could win a board prize even if your team doesn't receive any medals. This can be a problem when there are reserves. Let's say you win 5 out of 6 games on board 3, and then your number 1 player has a bye and you move up to board 2. You win, but that doesn't count as a win on board 3. We don't think that's fair. So we reward "outstanding performance" regardless of which board numbers you played on. That said, playing against board 2 player is harder; you are more likely to lose. So some schools won't use reserves in a way that upsets potential board prize winners.

You might be a reserve that only plays 2 games but wins both. We will recognise such a top performance on your certificate.

The only 'board prize' recognition at this tournament is a recognition of notable individual performance on your digital certificate

Health

• Do not bring players who are obviously sick. No one wants to be sick just before travelling and competing in the National Interschool Finals or at all.
• The standard for health is not what your school will accept; it is whether you are a threat to to health of others.
• Those with persistent coughs or runny noses will not be allowed to compete. We understand that this means you may not be able to field your strongest team. We are happy to discuss options.
• Masks are strongly encouraged. Players will be face to face for up to 5 hours. It is a high risk environment for respiratory diseases. We will do what we can to provide fresh air ventilation. The Chief Arbiter will be modelling mask wearing. Please bring your own masks, but surgical masks will also be provided.
• Always wash your hands with soap and water or hand sanitiser before leaving a toilet or bathroom, regardless of what you have done in there or what you have touched
• Please notify us if you have a player that requires more protection, such as banning peanuts from the playing area
• Wayne McDougall is on site at all times and a qualified First-Aider, trained in the use of Epi-Pen and CPR for children and adults
• If one of your players may require special care (eg allergies, asthma, epilepsy) do not leave the site, eg in search of a latte, without a full briefing with the Arbiter first

Phones

Photography

Conflicts of Interest

• Wayne McDougall coaches chess as an unpaid volunteer at many schools. My interest is not in promoting one school or one player, but to see all schools and players have the option to perform to their best.
• Players I have taught don't like it when I make decisions on their games because they know I know they know the rules so they don't get the benefit of the doubt. :-)
• If you have any concerns about me judging or assessing issues or games, please discuss with me and see the section on disputes
• I do pride myself on being fair to all and have never had a problem - but you don't have to accept my word for that. If you are unhappy, challenge away. I'm happy to discuss.
• Anything weird like a player apparently engaged in cheating - we would involve the adult supervising the team

Disputes

Privacy