DGCC Ladder System

  1. Each ladder will run for 5 months in a row, at 2 club meetings per month. Hence there will be 2 ladders per year.

  2. Players sign-in for a ladder game that evening by 7:15 p.m. Games start no later than 7:30 p.m.

  3. The 1st highest person on the ladder players the next highest available player, etc. Except no player plays any of his most recent 3 players.

  4. Standings are by total game points won (win = 1, draw = 1/2, loss = 0), followed by number of games played, and cumulative score. For pairing and seeding purposes only, rating is used as a 4th "sort field'. All stats (including color assignments) start from scratch at the start of a new ladder.

  5. Who plays what color pieces are picked by lot by the TD for the first time two players play each other. For subsequent games by the same two players, colors are alternated.

  6. If a player new to the club joins mid-way through a ladder, he may be paired higher than according to the above, as the TD sees fit, based on the players's playing strength. This provides for more competitive games.

  7. If a digital clock is being used (preferred), the time control is G/85 plus 5 second delay. Otherwise, G/90 (sudden-death). If a player is under age 18 and needs to, a time control of G/55 plus 5 second delay for digital clocks, or G/60 (sudden-death) otherwise, may be used (for both players of course.)

  8. If DGCC's team has an away CICL match, then the better result of the CICL match or the ladder game is counted. This takes into account people who can only dedicate one night per week to chess and have to skip a Wednesday to play on another day. One's home CICL match result is used for that week's ladder result, assuming that evening is a ladder night. If there is no ladder play that week, then the CICL results do not count in the ladder. (Nor do CICL games from playoffs Saturday count.)

  9. After the ladder is finished, the top 4 players on the ladder play each other in a 3 round, round-robin tournament to determine the winner of the "King's Cup". The next 4 (assuming there are at least four more) play for the "Rook's Cup". And (assuming there are at least four more) the next 4 play for the "Bishop's Cup". Remaining players play in a 3 round swiss-system tournament for the "Pawn's Cup". Neither game points nor color assignments carry forward from the ladder to the Cup tournaments.

  10. Normal tournament rules are used for both the ladder and the Cup tournaments. E.g. touch-move, moves are to be recorded (until your clock is below 5 minutes), etc.