[Chessclub] IMPORTANT: Chess Club Round-Robin League

[Kenneth Liu]

Dear Chess Club members,

Unlike the previous email(s), this is something that maybe of interest to 
you.

In an attempt to create a more competitive environment in our club and to 
have more fun, the Chess Club Executive Board members (Brian, Gregory, 
Paul, Kevin, Kaui and I) have decided to start a round-robin league in our 
club.  We believe that the creation of a league will give members 
something to play for and look forward to.  The structure of the league is 
yet to be determined, depending on the number of members interested.  The 
top players in the league will have the honor of having their profiles 
posted on our Chess Club website.

I have proposed the following format for our league, although this is 
still under revision by the Chess Club Executive Board:
1)  Members will be placed into several divisions, with each division 
having 6-8 players each.  The placement is dependent upon the player's 
level of play, experience in real Chess tournaments and game results from 
our past two meetings.  Thus, there will be a top division comprising of 
6-8 of the club's top players, several divisions with intermediate players 
and a bottom division with beginners.  This has the advantage of players 
at the same level playing against each other, so the matches won't be that 
lop-sided.
2)  Each player will play the other players in the same division twice in 
a round robin format.  A player is awarded one point for each win, 1/2 
point for each draw/stalemate and 0 points for each loss.
3)  The final standings in the round robin league will be determined by 
the total number of points earned.
4)  Based on the total number of points earned at the end of the round 
robin, the top two players in each division are promoted to a more 
advanced division, while the bottom two players are relegated to a less 
advanced division.
5)  Tie breakers are as follows: total number of points earned, 
head-to-head record.  If players involved are still tied, a five-minute 
speed chess shall be played amongst them to break the tie.
6)  The top 5 players in the league shall have their profiles posted on 
our website (unless they wish to remain anonymous).
7)  The league will start anew, with the new combinations of players in 
each division (promotion and relegation procedure described above).

Some people prefer the competition ladder system and that is still up for 
discussion.  However, we would like to get this round-robin tournament 
started so we will have a better idea of our own rankings in the club. 
Also, we are not sure whether to use clocks  or not.  The problem is that 
our club is still in search of funding that is necessary to successfully 
run the club.

If there is enough interest, we will start the round-robin league next 
Wednesday.  If interested, please reply to kgl2 at u.washington.edu with your 
full name, preferred playing time (ex. Monday 7-9pm), unavailable playing 
times (ex. Wednesdays 8-9pm), estimate of chess experience (1=very 
experienced, 2=quite experienced, 3=experienced, 4=not too experienced, 
5=beginner).  Please be honest in your estimate.  Although there is not an 
official deadline, please plan on replying by the end of Sunday night.  I 
will try to get a schedule ready by Monday.

Thank you very much.  Please note that you are always welcomed to come to 
our chess club meetings even if you don't want to participate in the 
league.

Sincerely,
Kenneth Liu
Chess Club Secretary

kgl2 at u.washington.edu