RON EVERS RULES
THE RON EVERS MEMORIAL TROPHY TOURNAMENT
The Ron Evers Trophy will be competed for annually in memory of the lasting contribution to Durham
Chess made by Ron Evers.
The Tournament is FREE to enter and teams from outside the DCCA are welcome to enter.
The Ron Evers Trophy will be run as a 3 Round Swiss
Tournament and NOT a Knockout
Tournament as previous years. All games played in the Ron Evers Tournament will NOT be graded.
RULES:
1. Any club may enter any number of four-man teams. All players must be bona fide members of the
club. Each team must have a clear designation by letter or by name. A team which fields a player who
has previously played for another team in that season's competition shall be disqualified.
2. Each team's average grading is calculated and the difference between the two teams is used in
the following handicap system:
Stronger team's advantage - Weaker team's handicap
Grading
Game points
Points
Received
>=40
3½
>=30 - <40
2½
>=20 - <30
1½
>=10 - <20
½
3. A team intending to field a currently ungraded player must inform the County Grader beforehand.
The Grader will assign the player a grade – either the last published grade, or, if no such information
exists, a grade calculated from results currently available – and will notify both teams. If the player is
still ungraded then that player will take the average grade of the team.
Note: A rapid play grade takes precedence over a standard play grade if it exists for a player.
4. Players shall be listed in order of strength, with the strongest player on board 1 etc. Playing
strength will be defined as ECF grade +/- 10 points, i.e., a player with a grade of 150 can only change
places with any player that has a grade of 140 to 160.
5. The Ron Evers will be run as a 3 round Swiss and each round will have all the teams playing at the
same venue. A team winning their match will score 2 match points, a team drawing will score 1
match point and a team losing will score 0 match points.
6. At each venue all players will play two games per round, one game as white and one game as
black.
7. The time limit for the completion of a game is 30 minutes per player for all moves. Score sheets
need not be kept, but claims for a draw by repetition of moves or under the second part of rule 8
cannot be made without a completed score sheet.
8. To win on time, a player must have the material to force mate against the worst legal play, including
blocking in his own king, by the opponent whose time has run out. Furthermore, he should be making
a positive attempt to win, not merely making innocuous moves until his opponent's clock runs out. To
claim a draw under the second part of this rule, a score sheet must be produced and the claim must
be made before the flag has dropped. If the claim cannot be upheld this amounts to resignation. A
draw will be awarded if the provisions of either part of this rule are found to apply.
9. Ties for all places in the tournament shall be decided in favour of the team with the highest number
of game points, only the first four boards of every match being counted. In the event of two or more
teams finishing tied on both match and game points the Ron Evers organiser shall arrange play-offs
as necessary.
10. The tournament is intended to be contested in a spirit of good fellowship. The short playing
sessions should give enough time for some social contact.
11. It is hoped that disputes between clubs will not arise, as the tournament is a social one. Both team
captains should seek to conclude a definite result acceptable to both on the night. If they cannot, they
should each report back to the Ron Evers organiser. The Ron Evers organiser who will consider the
information and the organiser’s ruling shall be adopted.