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Standing Subcommittee (Rules):
      rgadoury (chair), BosqueVerde, chesskix, f5/fpawn

Standing Subcommittee (Technology):
     bmw2002 (chair), AlPearson, BosqueVerde, chesskix, DaveTheRook, fledermaus, Gomer, rgadoury

The role and purpose of the Steering Committee is to manage the affairs of the league, to set its direction and expansion, see to its advertisement and management, writing the Constitution, Statutes and Handbooks, and reviewing the rulings of the previous Oversight Committee. This is the ultimate governing body of Team 45 45 League with all rights and responsibilities. (Article III of the League Constitution)

League Members may stay informed of potential rules changes by watching this page. Prior to voting results being displayed here, members may make their comments known by notifying any Steering Committee member, who may choose to forward your comments to the Steering Committee. The Committee members will not disclose any details of the Committee discussions.

Item 1 - T38 Tournament Parameters - Approved
Item 2 - Clarification statute 10.C.i.b - A range of times equal to or greater than 3 hours = two offers.
Item 3 - Editorial Revision to simplify Statute 8.B (Default Board Assignments)
Item 4 - Editorial Revision to clarify Statute 11.iii (Disconnections)
Item 5 - Editorial Revision to remove "2-2" from references of a tie
Item 6 - Editorial Revision to simplify Section 13
Item 7 - Agreed Draws - When to allow?
Item 8 - Editorial Revision: Remove the word "repeatedly" from Section 15.A.ii.c.
Item 9 - Discussion of cheating
Item 10 - Editorial Revision: Add “prior to game time” to Section 10.C.viii.

Item 1. T38 tournament parameters

Submitted by the Chief TD; 06/13/2008

Time Control: 45 45
Sections: 6 (U2200, U2000, U1800, U1600, U1400, U1200)
Rounds: 6 - (possibly 7) followed by Playoffs
Team entries accepted: July 1, 2008 – July 15, 2008.
Team Entry Deadline: July 15, 2008.

Ratings "fixed" starting June 11, 2008.
(Some ratings may be adjusted by the Entry Clerk)

Round 1 Posted: 22:00 July 22, 2008.
Three rounds of playoffs will end October 7, Sept 30, 2008 <editorial correction>

Count of team RR reductions (if any) precedes board removal tie-breaks.
Tiebreak board removal rules start with board 4 this tournament

Approved 11 yes, 0 no; June 15, 2008

Item 2 - Clarification statute 10.C.i.b - " A range of times greater than 3 hours (e.g. 09:00 – 13:00) is counted as two offers."

“Currently offers exactly 3 hours apart count as 1 offer, while 3 hours and 1 minute count as two. Many leaguers do not realize this and make their offers by taking the first one and adding 3 hours to it figuring they will be ok (we are assuming here that there is another distinct time to make 3 total offers). This can cause headaches both for the player and the TD's as technically (actually there is no technically about it) this can be partial blame and also if the opponent misses the first deadline, he is excused from accepting one of the original times as the 1st post did not conform. While some leaguers understand this, most do not until there is a problem. I think it would be much cleaner to give the one minute to the poster.

Rules Subcommittee proposal: 10.C.i.b. (Revised) To qualify a range of time as two different offers it must be greater than 3 hours.  Since agreed playing time can only be posted in 15 minute increments (i.e. :00, :15:, :30, :45) the minimum offer that will qualify as two offers is 3 hours and 15 minutes. For example (13:00 - 16:15) is counted as two offers while (13:00 - 16:00) is not.

After discussion, the SC voted on the following choices:

Choice A. Leave 10.C.i.b. as it currently reads which is: " A range of times greater than 3 hours (e.g. 09:00 – 13:00) is counted as two offers."

Choice B. Change 10.C.i.b. to read as follows: 10.C.i.b. (Revised) To qualify a range of time as two different offers it must be greater than 3 hours. Since agreed playing time can only be posted in 15 minute increments (i.e. :00, :15:, :30, :45) the minimum offer that will qualify as two offers is 3 hours and 15 minutes. For example;(13:00 - 16:15) is counted as two offers while (13:00 - 16:00) is not.

Choice C. A range of times equal to or greater than 3 hours is counted as two offers.

Approved Choice C: 7 for C, 1 for A, and 3 for B.  June 18, 2008

Item 3. Editorial Revision to simplify the wording of 8.B (Default Boards)
Submitted by Rules Subcommittee chair, posted July 9, 2008.

Previous 8.B: 

If the Team Captain fails to submit a Board Assignment list for a given round, it will be assumed that the Team will play their top four players, which shall be known as the Default Board Assignment. At the TD's discretion, a Team Captain may submit an alternative Default Board Assignment list which may be used if the Team Captain fails to submit another for a given round.

Proposed Revisions:

If a team the Team Captain fails to submit a Board Assignment list for a given round, the entry clerk shall enter the last Default Board Assignment list the team had submitted. At the TD's discretion, a Team Captain may submit an alternative Default Board Assignment list which may be used if the Team Captain fails to submit another for a given round.

8.B after revisions:

If a team fails to submit a Board Assignment list for a given round, the entry clerk shall enter the last Default Board Assignment list the team had submitted.

Under our editorial revision policy, unless a SC member wishes to bring it up for further debate, this change will be incorporated into the Statutes in one week.

Item 4. Editorial Revision to clarify and simplify the wording of 11.iii (Disconnections)
Submitted by Rules Subcommittee Chair and League Secretary, posted July 22, 2008

In the previous tournament, a game was started, in the sense that the match was sent and accepted, thus creating a game on the server.  However, white experienced severe lag and/or disconnection, and could not make a move.  The server did not register him gone for more than a few seconds at a time, thus the letter of the previous 11.iii was not met.  However, it is obvious that the spirit of it was met.  This revision attempts to bring the letter in line with the spirit in this instance.

Previous 11.iii

iii. In other situations that can best be described as technical difficulties, the intent and spirit of the league is that the games be played to a conclusion if possible. However, should a player disconnect for more than 15 minutes (or multiple times totaling 30 minutes), the offended player may request a set game win, may offer to resume playing the game at a time convenient to him, or may choose to continue with the game as originally scheduled. It is expected that players and captains will discuss resolution of affected games with Section 3.B. in mind, and not question the motives of the opponent.   ¶SC33-34

Proposed 11. iii.

Under our editorial revision policy, unless a SC member wishes to bring it up for further debate, this change will be incorporated into the Statutes in one week.

Item 5. Editorial Revision to remove "2-2" from references of a tie
Submitted by Rules Subcommittee Chair, posted July 22, 2008.

13.F See also 13.I  When it is necessary to specify a winner in a single match that ends as a 2 game to 2 game draw, the following procedure shall be used to determine that winner:

13.H  When the "championship" final round playoff results in a 2-2 tie, the teams will play another match with colors reversed. Should the second match also finish in a tie, the tiebreak rules of Section 13.B.ii.a. shall be applied. Should it come down to 13.B.ii.a.10--a coin toss--the teams shall be declared co-champions. In the ICC Conference the coin toss shall be used only to determine which team shall receive ICC prize membership extensions if ICC does not wish to award duplicate prizes.  ¶ SC 22-23

Under our editorial revision policy, unless a SC member wishes to bring it up for further debate, this change will be incorporated into the Statutes in one week.

Item 6. Editorial Revision, to simplify Section 13
Submitted by Rules Subcommittee Chair, posted August 2, 2008.

Under our editorial revision policy, unless a SC member wishes to bring it up for further debate, this change will be incorporated into the Statutes in one week.

PROPOSED SECTION 13

Section 13 - Standings and Tie-breaks

1. Standings shall be ordered by accumulated Match Points.
2. If teams have equal amounts of Match Points, the following tie-break methods shall be used in order, excluding those that are clearly meaningless:
   1. During the course of the preliminary rounds teams within any division with equal Match Points shall be ranked in order by:
      1. Game Points,
      2. Alphabetically by Team name.
   2. At the end of the preliminary rounds, teams within any division with equal Match Points shall be ranked in order by:
      1. When two teams are tied for a place:
         1. Game Points,
         2. Head-to-Head Match Points,
         3. Head-to-Head Game Points,
         4. Fewest number of Reliability Rating Reductions (forfeits) ¶ SC33-34
         5. Head-to-Head Match Points modified by removing the results of all Board 4 games,
         6. Head-to-Head Game Points modified by removing the results of all Board 4 games,
         7. Head-to-Head Match Points modified by removing the results of all Board 3 and 4 games,
         8. Head-to-Head Game Points modified by removing the results of all Board 3 and 4 games,
         9. Head-to-Head Match Points modified by removing the results of all Board 2, 3 and 4 games,
         10. Head-to-Head Game Points modified by removing the results of all Board 2, 3 and 4 games, then:
         11. A coin toss by the Tournament Director.
         12. Note.— In a.5 to a.10, substitute board 1 for board 4, board 2 for board 3, etc, in odd numbered tournaments. Boards are removed from bottom up in even numbered tourneys and from top down in odd numbered tourneys.
      2. When three or more teams are tied for a position, the tie-breaks given in this section shall be used with the following additional procedures applied at any and all levels of the tie-breaking process:
         1. If the tied teams can be stratified at a certain level of tie-breaking, then they are placed according to this stratification.
         2. If any teams are still tied after some stratification at a certain level of tie-breaking, then the next level of tie-breaking is applied to those teams still tied.
      3. In the playoffs, tiebreakers to determine seeding among division champions, and eligibility and seeding among wild card teams, are the same as above, first by MP, then by GP, then by Total RR reductions, then by board removal in “head to head” matches, except that all six matches from preliminary play shall be used. Specifically, remove board 4 (or board 1) from all six matches among the tied teams and recalculate MP and GP as though they were three-board matches. If still tied, remove boards 4 and 3 (or 1 and 2) as though they were two-board matches. Greater MP is the first breaker, even if the other team(s) GP come(s) out higher. If a team had a bye, the bye match is calculated as a draw at each board.
3. Withdrawing Teams
   1. The results of the teams who have completed matches against the withdrawn team shall stand as played.
   2. If a team withdraws in the midst of a round, games already played at the time of withdrawal shall stand. Remaining games in the current round, or in later matches, that do not get played shall be set game in favor of each opponent.
4. When the "championship" final round playoff results in a tie, the teams will play another match with colors reversed. Should the second match also finish in a tie, the tiebreak rules shall be applied. Should it come down to a coin toss the teams shall be declared co-champions. The coin toss shall be used only to determine which team shall receive ICC prize membership extensions if ICC does not wish to award duplicate prizes. ¶ SC 22-23

PREVIOUS SECTION 13

Section 13 - Standings and Tie-breaks

1. Standings shall be ordered by accumulated Match Points.
2. If teams have equal amounts of Match Points, the following tie-break methods shall be used in order, excluding those that are clearly meaningless:
   1. During the course of the tournament, teams within any division with equal Match Points shall be ranked in order by:
      1. Game Points,
      2. Alphabetical by Team name.
   2. See also 13.I   At the end of the tournament, teams within any division with equal Match Points shall be ranked in order by:
      1. For the situation where two teams are tied for a place:
         1. Game Points,
         2. Head-to-Head Match Points,
         3. Head-to-Head Game Points,
         4. Fewest number of Reliability Rating Reductions (forfeits) ¶ SC33-34
         5. Head-to-Head Match Points modified by removing the results of all Board 4 games,
         6. Head-to-Head Game Points modified by removing the results of all Board 4 games,
         7. Head-to-Head Match Points modified by removing the results of all Board 3 and 4 games,
         8. Head-to-Head Game Points modified by removing the results of all Board 3 and 4 games,
         9. Head-to-Head Match Points modified by removing the results of all Board 2, 3 and 4 games,
         10. Head-to-Head Game Points modified by removing the results of all Board 2, 3 and 4 games, then:
         11. A coin toss by the Tournament Director.
      2. For the situation where three or more teams are tied for a position, the tie-breaks given in subsection (B)(ii)(a) of this section shall be used with the following additional procedures applied at any and all levels of the tie-breaking process:
         1. If the tied teams can be stratified at a certain level of tie-breaking, then they are placed according to this stratification.
         2. If any teams are still tied after some stratification at a certain level of tie-breaking, then the next level of tie-breaking is applied to those teams still tied.
3. The team in first place in the Final Divisional Standings shall advance to the Championship Division.
4. If there is a need to provide the Championship Division with an extra team, all second place teams are considered and the provisions of subsection (B)(i) of this section are used to determine which team is advanced to the Championship Division. When two or more teams that have not met, have the same MP and GP records, and are tied for a final playoff spot or for seedings, the tie will be broken using the six-game records of each team under the provisions of (B)(ii) and (I). ¶ SC 26-27
5. The Final Sectional Standings shall be the Final Championship Divisional Standings. All teams not participating in the Championship Division shall be placed by the provisions of subsection (B)(ii) of this section.
6. See also 13.I  When it is necessary to specify a winner in a single match that ends as a 2 game to 2 game draw, the following procedure shall be used to determine that winner:
   1. Fewest number of Reliability Rating Reductions (forfeits) ¶ SC33-34
   2. The results are modified by removing the results of the Board 4 game,
   3. The results are modified by removing the results of the Board 3 and 4 games,
   4. The results are modified by removing the results of the Board 2, 3 and 4 games, then:
   5. A coin toss
7. Withdrawing Teams
   1. The results of the teams who have completed matches against the withdrawn team shall stand as played.
   2. Results of any remaining matches by the withdrawing team will be shown as Set Game to each opponent.
8. When the "championship" final round playoff results in a 2-2 tie, the teams will play another match with colors reversed. Should the second match also finish in a tie, the tiebreak rules of Section 13.B.ii.a. shall be applied. Should it come down to 13.B.ii.a.10--a coin toss--the teams shall be declared co-champions. In the ICC Conference the coin toss shall be used only to determine which team shall receive ICC prize membership extensions if ICC does not wish to award duplicate prizes.  ¶ SC 22-23

Item 7.  SC 37-38. Agenda Item # 7. Player initiated GM Draws.
Submitted by Rules Subcommittee 20 August 2008.

Problem: The set game provisions of Section 15.B. of the statutes refer primarily to games not played, when the TD must make a ruling on a game not scheduled, assigning blame, partial blame, or no blame. The statutes do not specifically address player and/or captain initiated offers to “call it a draw”.

We have a long established principle that players can agree to a draw at any time. These draws have been treated no differently than draws (1/2) agreed upon in a game, except for a perfunctory review and required posting by the TDs. GM draws most often happen in meaningless playoff games where the match has already been decided, but do appear in preliminary rounds also.

Solution: The point has been raised that these draws are not covered in the “higher authority” statutes. Rules has addressed this problem and proposes to remove all doubt by adding the following paragraph in Section 10.G.

10.G.iv. (New). GM draws: GM draws (=:=) may be agreed upon by the players and/or captains any time before the game is official. A game is official when a result occurs in the actual game played, or either player earns an automatic forfeit, or one player concedes.

Approval of this statute will require revision of TD Handbook, Part 6. Third bullet.

Three options were presented for voting:
By a vote of 2 for A, 8 for B, and 1 for C, choice B has passed.

Solution approved by the SC:
Add definition (Section 1), add when draws can be done (Section 10) and remove Section 15.B.ii

Section 1.A.xxi (new) Set game draw (=:=). A draw agreed to by the players (GM draw) instead of playing the game. A draw ruled by the Tournament Director when a game is not played and players have no blame or equal partial blame.

Section 10.C.x.(new) Players may agree to a set game draw at any time before full blame is incurred for no contact, no show, concessions, or before the deadlines for adjudicated games.

Section 15.B.ii (remove) Set Game" can also be used to award both players one half game point each, the so called "GM Draw". This can be used in situations where the players are unable to find an agreeable playing time through no fault of either player or when both players have equal partially established blame. If both players have clearly established blame, then the provisions of subsection (A)(iv) of this section are used to grant a double forfeit.

Approved 8, with 3 votes going for other options; August 30,2008

Item 8 Editorial Revision: Remove the word "repeatedly" from Section 15.A.ii.c.

Submitted by Rules Subcommittee, posted Sept 4, 2008.

Under our editorial revision policy, unless a SC member wishes to bring it up for further debate, this change will be incorporated into the Statutes in one week.

Problem. The word “repeatedly” (15.A.ii.c) implies that more than one delay (of 24 hours or more after the initial communication) must have occurred before partial blame is considered.

Solution. Remove the word “repeatedly.”

15.A.ii.c  During the continuing communications, the offending player fails repeatedly to reply in a timely manner as determined by the Tournament Director. ¶ SC 27-28

Item 9 Discussion of cheating

Item 10. Editorial Revision: Add “prior to game time” to Section 10.C.viii.
Submitted by Rules Subcommittee, posted Sept 4, 2008.

Under our editorial revision policy, unless a SC member wishes to bring it up for further debate, this change will be incorporated into the Statutes in one week.

Problem. A player has suggested that 10.C.viii, be modified to limit the amount time in which a responder can agree to play a game offer made less than 24 hours earlier.

Solution. Rules suggests that we simply modify the rule to say agreement must come before the offered time.

10..C.viii. “Exception to the 24-hour acceptance/confirmation guideline: Should a player offer a time that is within 24 hours of the time of the post, and it be accepted prior to game time it is presumed that he intended to honor it even if he did not see the acceptance..."

Previous SC Agendas: