Bellingham Knights Chess Ladder


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​Before joining the chess ladder, please read the rules below.  To access the "Join Chess Ladder" form, click on the link at the bottom of this page.  Submitting the chess ladder join form constitutes your acceptance of the rules. 
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Chess Ladder Rules:

Membership:
  • ​Any member of the Bellingham Knights Chess Club may join the ladder.   There is a one-time $10.00 join fee donation to join the chess ladder.
  • A USCF membership is not required to join the ladder.
Player Directory:
  • Shortly after joining the chess ladder, your form submission will be confirmed and you will receive a private link which will allow you to view the player directory to initiate challenges.  Please respect the players' privacy and do not give out this information.  Only players who join the ladder will have access to this page.
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Arranging Challenges:
  • You may challenge anyone who is one, two, three or four spots above you on the ladder.  For example, if a player is 10th on the ranking list, he can challenge player #9, #8, #7 or #6.   A challenged player is expected to respond within 48 hours of the initial contact.  If you are challenged to a ladder game, you must play within one week or as mutually agreed by both players.  A refusal to play or no show is treated as a loss.
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  • You may play challenge games any day of the week and at any venue that is mutually-agreeable to both players (date, time and place).
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  • Chess ladder players who do not play at least one challenge game each month will go down one place on the ladder for each month they don’t play.

  • After a ladder game is played, at least one of the players must play a ladder game against someone else before they are allowed to play each other again.

Forfeited Matches:
  • A player who receives notification of a challenge but does not respond or otherwise does not accept a challenge will forfeit the match and will be recorded as a lost match.  If a challenged player forfeits a match three times in a row, he or she will be removed from the Chess Ladder and must go through the sign-up process to re-enter the Chess Ladder at the bottom of the list.

  • If either challenger or person challenged does not show up within 15 minutes of the prescribed time and place, the player will forfeeit the match.

  • A challenger must contact the other player being challenged by email, text message and/or telephone call (all three contact methods can be used).  If there is no response or the challenge is not accepted within seven days, the challenger must notify the ladder manager of the forfeit so that the Chess Ladder can be updated.

  • In extraneous circumstanches, such as illness or vacation, this rule may be waived by the ladder manager.
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Playing Challenges:
  • ​A challenge match will consist of two out of three games.  In the first game, the player making the challenge plays White; the person being challenged plays Black.  After the first game, alternate colors.
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  • Time Control:  Challenge matches do not need to have a time control.  However, a time control must be used if a player requests it and provides a chess clock.  In this case, the players must mutually decide/agree on a time control slower than G15 (examples: G30, G30D5, G45, G60, etc.).  If the players cannot agree on which time control to use, then the time control shall be G30 (no delay).
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  • Chess Rules:  The standard chess rules apply with special emphasis on the "touch rule."  The touch rule states that if a player touches a piece during his/her turn, that piece must be moved if there is a legal move available.  Once a piece is released, it cannot be moved.  If a player wishes to adjust a piece, he/she must announce "Adjust" before touching the piece. 

  • Notation:  Writing down moves during a game (chess notation) is optional.

  • Scoring:  For each game, a win is 1 point, a draw is .5 points and loss is 0 points.  If one player has more points after two games, he/she wins the challenge.  If the score is tied, then a third game will be played.  If the score is tied after three games, the challenge is a draw.

  • It is the winner's responsibility to email the results (names and scores) to the Ladder Manager within three days after the game is completed.  The chess ladder manager will update the ladder with latest standings within 48 hours.

Moving Up the Ladder:
  • Play numerous challenges to jump ahead of other players or maintain your spot on the ladder. 

  • If the lower-ranked player wins, the lower-ranked player takes the higher-ranked player’s spot on the ladder, and the higher-ranked player moves down one spot.

  • If the higher-ranked player wins, there is no change in the players’ rankings.
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  • In case of a draw, the lower-ranked player takes the spot just below the higher-ranked player.
Other:
  • If a chess ladder player goes a year without playing a challenge match, he/she may be removed from the ladder.
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  • Challenges may not be played over the Internet (on-line).

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JOIN THE CHESS LADDER