Iowa State Chess Association

These are the Qualification Rules as modified by the March 29, 2014 meeting of the Iowa State Chess Association Board of Directors.

 

The Iowa Closed Championship

1. The Iowa Closed Championship is held annually in order to determine the state champion.

2. The championship will be decided in a six-player round robin tournament held in late March or early April as determined annually by the IASCA Board.

3. The championship will be played using a time control of Game in 90 minutes with a 30-second increment.

4. If a player during the championship withdraws from the tournament for any reason other than an emergency, that person will not collect qualifying points during the next cycle and will not be eligible to enter the next Iowa Closed Championship. The emergency must be verified by the IASCA Board.

5. The championship will be USCF rated. It may also be FIDE rated at the discretion of the IASCA Board and if advertised as such in advance.

 

Qualification for the Iowa Closed Championship

1. The cycle for qualifying events is April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

2. The clear winner of the preceding year’s championship is awarded an automatic berth, provided he or she has played in two qualifying tournaments (with having been paired and available to play in more than half the rounds in each tournament) in the current cycle.

3. The clear winner of the preceding year’s championship does not accumulate qualifying points in the current cycle.

4. If the preceding year’s title is shared, then the co-champions must requalify through the normal process. Co-champions accumulate qualifying points like all other players.

5. The five (or six if the championship title is shared or the previous champion has not played in the required number of tournaments) players who earn the most qualifying points receive bids.

6. In situations where two or more players vying for the last qualifying spot are tied, tiebreaks are used in order as needed until a player is selected to compete.

a. played in the most qualifying events in the most recent cycle with having been paired and available to play in more than half the rounds in each tournament

b. for ties involving only two players, had the best head-to-head score in qualifying events in the most recent cycle; for ties involving three or more players, omit “b” and proceed to “c”

c. had the highest official USCF rating according to the March rating list in the most recent cycle

d. had the highest official USCF rating in the most recent cycle

e. random drawing

7. Out-of-State IASCA members are eligible to compete in the Iowa Closed Championship. They must play in four qualifying tournaments in the current cycle as current IASCA members, with having been paired and available to play in more than half the rounds in each tournament. (If there are fewer than four qualifying events in a cycle, then they must play in all.) Their points will be awarded only after they have played in the minimum number of tournaments, and this may result in the need to recalculate the points of other players.

8. While these Qualification Rules aim to be accurate and complete, exceptional or unforeseen circumstances may arise. Such situations will be addressed by the IASCA Board.

 

Iowa Resident Definition

1. Adults, minors, and college students who live in Iowa for the majority of the current qualification cycle are considered Iowa residents by the IASCA.

2. Members serving in the armed forces who have an Iowa residence as their primary residence and are on active duty elsewhere are considered Iowa residents by the IASCA.

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General Rules for a Qualifying Tournament

1. A proposed event must be cleared through the IASCA Clearinghouse Director to make sure the tournament meets the necessary requirements and does not conflict with other tournaments.

2. It will be held at a non-smoking site.

3. It will require all participants to be current in dues to the IASCA at the start of the tournament.

4. Players must be IASCA members at the start of the tournament in order to be eligible for qualifying points from the tournament.

5. A qualifier fee that is used to fund the Iowa Closed Championship will be paid to the IASCA via the Treasurer.

6. It will be sponsored by a USCF affiliate and held in Iowa unless approved by the IASCA Clearinghouse Director.

7. It will be USCF rated.

8. It will be held on a weekend commencing no sooner than 6:00 P.M. on Friday.

9. In order to be eligible for qualifying points, IASCA members must achieve a score at least equal to 50% of the total number of rounds in the tournament, with having been paired and available to play in more than half of the rounds in the tournament. This means that in a 4-round tournament a player must score at least 2.0, with having been paired and available to play in at least 3 rounds. In a 5-round tournament a player must score at least 2.5, with having been paired and available to play in at least 3 rounds.

10. In the case of ties, qualifying points will be split evenly according to place. For example, if first place gets 8 points and second place gets 6 points, then both will receive 7 points if they were involved in a two-way tie for first place in the tournament and both were eligible for qualifying points.

11. If a qualifying event permits it, reentry into a tournament is permitted. A player who reenters a qualifying event is eligible for qualifying points just like any other new player.

 

Types of Qualifying Tournaments

There are four types of qualifying tournaments: Super Grand Prix Qualifier, Grand Prix Qualifier, Qualifier, and Mini-Qualifier.

Super Grand Prix Qualifier Requirements

1. A fee of $1 per player in the open section will be paid to the IASCA to fund the Iowa Closed Championship.

2. The qualifying points that will be awarded are the following: 18, 13.5, 12, 10.5, 9, 7.5, 6, 4.5, 3, and 1.5.

3. There will be a minimum number of 5 rounds scheduled.

4. The tournament will guarantee at least $500 in prizes in the open section.

5. The chief director for the event must higher than a club-level TD.

6. The recommended time control is Game in 90 minutes with a 30-second increment. Other time controls are permitted, but each player must have a minimum of 120 minutes for all of his or her moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.

7. The Iowa Open is the only Super Grand Prix Qualifier.

8. The Iowa Open is to be held during or close to Labor Day weekend.

9. The Iowa Open will be advertised as a Super Grand Prix Qualifier in the En Passant and on the IASCA website.

 

Grand Prix Qualifier Requirements

1. A fee of $1 per player in the open section will be paid to the IASCA to fund the Iowa Closed Championship.

2. The qualifying points that will be awarded are the following: 12, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

3. There will be a minimum number of 5 rounds scheduled.

4. The tournament will guarantee at least $250 in prizes in the open section.

5. The chief director for the event must higher than a club-level TD.

6. The recommended time control is Game in 90 minutes with a 30-second increment. Other time controls are permitted, but each player must have a minimum of 120 minutes for all of his or her moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.

7. Any USCF affiliate may hold a maximum of two Grand Prix Qualifiers per cycle.

8. The tournament will be advertised as a Grand Prix Qualifier in the En Passant and on the IASCA website.

 

Qualifier Requirements

1. A fee of $1 per player in the open section will be paid to the IASCA to fund the Iowa Closed Championship.

2. The qualifying points that will be awarded are the following: 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

3. There will be a minimum number of 5 rounds scheduled.

4. The recommended time control is Game in 90 minutes with a 30-second increment. Other time controls are permitted, but each player must have a minimum of 90 minutes for all of his or her moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.

5. Any USCF affiliate may hold a maximum of two Qualifiers per cycle.

6. The tournament will be advertised as a Qualifier in the En Passant and on the IASCA website.

 

Mini-Qualifier Requirements

1. A fee of $1 per player in the open section will be paid to the IASCA to fund the Iowa Closed Championship.

2. The qualifying points that will be awarded are the following: 6, 4, 3, 2, and 1.

3. There will be a minimum number of 4 rounds scheduled.

4. The recommended time control is Game in 60 minutes with a 5-second delay. Other time controls are permitted, but each player must have a minimum of 60 minutes, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.

5. Any USCF affiliate may hold a maximum of three Mini-Qualifiers per cycle.

6. The tournament will be advertised as a Mini-Qualifier in the En Passant and on the IASCA website.