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Captains help their players with procedures, and represent their teams in dealings with the league.  Captains put a team together, enter the team, submit weekly board assignments, teach their players League procedures, monitor their players' game forums, encourage their players, and represent the team in communications with the league.  Captains do NOT give any sort of advice during a game, and do NOT advise regarding draws or resignations during a game.

Who can be a captain?  Captains must have an RR of 0 or higher. First time captains must have an RR of +1 or higher, and have played a minimum of four games or have served as an assistant captain in prior tournament(s). 

Captains set the tone for the team.  Please take the initiative in encouraging communication among your teammates, and especially in helping new members with league procedures.  Impress upon them that every game should be taken seriously, because every game counts in the TEAM standings.  Set an example of courtesy and good sportsmanship.

Assistant Captains are required, in case a captain is unavailable to act at any given time. It is assumed that the captain will take the lead, but if he is not available, the assistant captain has all the rights as captains.

Attention T-98 players. Because we lost our mail forwarding service we must make maximum use of ICC messaging. These are the requirements to play:

  -  All Players must set their ICC accounts to send messages to their e-mail (Type:  /set messmail=1). Also, Players must check the Game Forum Daily,

  -  Team Captains must communicate with their players by personal e-mail and copy Rgadoury on each Roster or Board Assignment change.

  -  The Game Forum shall be used for all scheduling and updated as needed.  The Team4545 Bot is still active and should help start games.

 Note.—FAQ 38 Game not scheduled – How TDs rule should be required reading for all players, captains, and TDs before anyone starts to schedule a game. FAQ 38 was written to give clarity and understanding to how the rules for scheduling were written, how TDs are going to interpret those rules when they must rule on a “game not scheduled”, and how all players and captains should see their roles in this process.

Rating note.--When entering a team, a common error message reads "__ does not have a fixed rating for this tournament." The only players who already have fixed ratings assigned are those who played in the previous tournament. For all other players, the Entry Clerk must review and assign a rating before they can be added to a team in the current tourney.  If the player has already "entered" by filling out a profile, the error note is there only because the Entry Clerk has not yet noticed the entry and assigned a rating. It is okay for you to send a note to the entry clerk stating that your player needs to have the rating assigned,

1 - Putting a team together.

As captain, you will put together a team of 4 – 5 players, using the following considerations:

1. Who?  You can find teammates from among your ICC acquaintances, by advertising in ICC channels, or by looking at the Interested Player's Page.  Just tell them that you are putting a team together, and ask if they want to be on it. Caution: Before considering drafting from the IPP to fill in your roster you should already have assembled a solid nucleus of at least three committed players.
2. Communicate!  Talk to any prospective teammates, making sure they understand what they are committing to, and making sure that they agree to be on your team.
   • Be clear with each player how much playing time you intend to give him.  Will you expect him to play every round?  Will he be only a "reserve"?   Make sure he knows your intentions and agrees.
   • When forming your team, you can "draft" players off the IPP without asking them first, but you must immediately contact them by email, welcome them, but ask if they want to play for you.
   • If the player does not like your plans, offer to take him off your roster immediately, so that he can find a more suitable team before round 1 begins (players cannot change teams within the same section after play begins).
3. The IPP (Interested Player Page).  Please help us keep the IPP meaningful with accurate data.  Once you and the player agree that he will be on your team, ask the player to update his profile, taking himself off the IPP for that section.  Read FAQ #35 for IPP Guidelines for Captains.
4. How many players?
   • If you have only four players, each player will need to play in each round.
   • If you have five or six players, you can rotate the play opportunities however you see fit, for example giving a week off to a player who tells you he will have a busy week.
   • Most players want to play as many rounds as their personal schedules allow.  Be sure that you and your players understand each other's expectations.
5. What section? The average of the standard ratings of your top 4 players determines the section you play in.  In calculating this average, a floor of 300 points under the section cap is the lowest number used for any player.  See floor.
6. Team Ratings Calculator:  You can verify that your proposed team fits in the desired section, and that your desired players have Registered and Profiled, by using the Team Ratings Calculator, after Fixed Ratings have been published for the tourney in question.
7. How Many teams? Each player may be on (as a player and/or captain) only one team per ratings Section (U2200, U2000, U1800, U1600, U1400, U1200).   New players may be on only one team in their first tourney.  Players in their first tourney upon returning from a red card suspension also may be on only one team, and may not be captain (but may be assistant captain).
8. See Statues, Section 4 for more details.

2 - How to Enter your Team to Participate in the Next Event

1. After team entries open, click on Captains' Menu in the left margin of this page, and fill in the form that appears, choosing between Team to Create, and Select a Team.
2. You may return to the Captain's Pages to update your team roster (replacing players or adding players) at any time during the course of the tournament (until round 6), as long as the new team composition still conforms to all team requirements, as explained above in "Putting a Team Together".   (See Statutes, Section 16 for more details.)
3. Problems or Questions?  Email the Entry Clerk at Entry@Team4545League.org

3 - Weekly Duties -  Cheerleader, Caretaker, and Supervisor of your Team (i.e. “Mom”)

1. YOU set the tone for your TEAM.   Your players might not realize how this event is different than an individual tournament.  Let them know that forfeited games disappoint the team and the opponent.
2. Help your players understand "server time," how to convert to their own time, and understanding 12-hour vs 24-hour clocks.
3. Show this Sample Game Forum to your new players, and talk them through what steps they will take.

4. Remind your players when their games are!

5. Board Assignments – Each week, decide which of your players will play in the next round, communicate that decision to your team, and submit that lineup (Board Assignments) via the Captains Menu  prior to Tuesday, 17:00. ICC time. 
   • If you forget to enter the board assignments by the deadline, your default board assignments will be used.  Please submit the lineup even if you wish your defaults to be used, to spare the Entry Clerk a bit of stress.
   • Your assigned players will always play in order of League Ratings assigned for the tourney.  It is not possible to change the board order.
   • You may makes changes to your Board Assignments for the next round right up to the Board Assignment deadline, but changes to default board assignments should not be made within the last hour before the Deadline. If you submit your board assignment, then change your team roster, be sure to resubmit your board assignments if you intend a change in board assignments for the upcoming round.
6. Check Player Availability!  Be sure that the players you assign will be available to schedule and play this week. You should already have checked with them and told them who will be playing. Keep your players out of forfeit issues, and your team happy with you.
7. Only 3 players available this week?
   1. This is an unusual situation that should be avoided with prior planning.
   2. However, if you find it unavoidable, do NOT assign the player that you know is unavailable.  This misleads your player's opponent, and puts your player or you at risk of a Reliability Rating reduction (every unplayed game results in a RR reduction for the player, or for the captain if the captain posts an admission of blame).
   3. Submit the board assignment, with only those players that are available.   AND send an email to the Entry Clerk Entry@Team4545League.org, so they can make sure the proper pairings take place.   You will take a loss at board four, but no RR reduction for anyone.  
8. Monitor Game Forums  - Watch Scheduling, game completion, and PGN reporting of each of your team members.  Pay attention to the Game Forum emails that come to you any time a post is added to the Game Forum of one of your players.   Even better:  visit the forum of each of your players every day to read each strand in context.

9. Agreeing to a set-game draw (the GM draw)- Captains should advise their players whether or not offering a draw or accepting a draw offer is to the benefit of the team. Keep in mind that players have the right to offer or accept draws, and once they agree the TD's will post the result.

4 - Spokesperson for Your Team

You are the conduit for information between your team and the division Tournament Director (dTD).   Your players should not communicate directly with the dTD; please have your players go through you whenever possible in order to streamline things, since you are more familiar with League procedures than the other players on your team.   You will try to verify the rules, using the handbooks, FAQ’s, and Statutes before conferring with the dTD.

Things you’ll want to post into the Game Forum for your players:

• Questions for the dTD
• Requests for dTD action, such as forfeits, or set games.
• If there is something in your player’s Game Forum that he should be attending to, and hasn’t, you can either encourage him to do so (e.g. using the Game forum or e-mail.  You received his e-mail address when you entered the team), or if he is not available, you can speak for him if you know his intentions.  However, use caution, because any scheduling you do for your player is binding on him/her.
• Captains should NOT make posts that comment on the opposing player's availability or sportsmanship.  Doing so usually escalates the emotions on all sides.  Stick to advising your own player and tell your player to stick to making offers, and let the TD handle other matters.

5 - Problem Solver for your team

Be on the lookout for any problem that your intervention could solve.  If your player has a dispute with an opponent, try to intervene.   You and the opposing captain might discuss the matter via the players’ Game Forum.  If you cannot come to a solution, post a request that the dTD resolve the issue.   You may be asked for more information. 

Once the dTD issues a ruling on a matter, if you think that he missed a pertinent factor, or misapplied League rules, make a single post diplomatically pointing it out.  After the TD responds, there should be no further debate.  If you still think the ruling does not correctly apply the bylaws, you may appeal to the Oversight Committee OCchairs@Team4545League.org.

Questions for the TD?  Almost always, you will use the game forum to contact the TD.  However, if there is a matter which is not appropriate for the Game Forum audience, please use email.  For email information, see Contact page.  Please do not ask a TD who is online for a definitive ruling.  He/she might be glad to help you with general information, but the online conversation will not be considered official. 

Problems or Questions?

• Team Entry or Board Assignment issues: Email the Entry Clerk: Entry@Team4545League.org
• Issues related to specific games (scheduling, rulings, etc):  Post your diplomatic comments in the appropriate game forum, or email your TD: <division name>TD@Team4545League.org
• For appeals of TD rulings, first point out to the TD why you feel the ruling is not correct. Then, if needed, email the Chair of the Oversight Committee at : OCchairs@Team4545League.org
• Other contact information: Contact page

6 - Sample Game Forum - Notice the help given by the captain here:

Revised November 2012