BFCC Club Championship Rules
- The team championship of the BFCC shall be known as the BFCC Club Championship.
- The BFCC Executive Committee shall appoint a Tournament Director to organise and run the tournament.
- Each member organisation of the BFCC may enter one team comprising 10 players and up to two reserves who shall be each a full member of the said organisation and resident in the British Isles (except the Irish Republic). No individual shall compete in the team of more than one organisation in the same Championship.
- The closing date for entries shall be 1st October. All games shall start on 15th November or as soon thereafter as the pairing notice is received.
- Pairings shall be made under the Hutton system so that each team plays against a composite team made up of one player from each of the others. Team members play two games against only one opponent, one game with the white pieces and the other with the black.
- Games shall be played in accordance with the ICCF Playing Rules (for team tournament games normally played by post) in being at the commencement date except as may be otherwise provided in these rules. There shall be no requirement to use the registration or recorded delivery services. Each Team Captain shall settle all matters of difference that may arise under the rules in connection with the players in his team with the Team Captain of the other team involved. If they are unable to arrive at a settlement, the matter in dispute shall be referred to the Tournament Director.
- Moves shall be sent in the algebraic or a mutually agreed notation. Scoresheets or scorecards may be used only if both players agree; they must understand that this method of transmission does not provide positive proof of the moves played or the dates of transmission or receipt.
- Impossible, illegal or illegible moves shall be referred back to the sender for correction and ambiguous moves for clarification. Additional reflection time shall count for the guilty player as if for separate moves but no other penalty shall normally apply.
- The permitted time of reflection is 20 days for the first 10 moves and each succeeding 10 moves.
- Players claiming that the time limit has been exceeded need only send to the Tournament Director through the Team Captain in the first instance, the card or scoresheet on which the opponent has indicated an accumulated time in excess of the permitted number of days.
- If a first claim for exceeding the time limit is upheld, then the player who has exceeded the time limit shall be deemed to have lost the game.
- A player may take up to 14 days' leave during the game.
- The transmission of moves and all correspondence with the team captains and Tournament Director shall be by first class post.
- In the event of the withdrawal or death of a team member during the first three months of play, his place may be taken by one of the reserve players who shall continue the game(s) from the position and time(s) reached. Such substitution shall be made within 14 days of the Team Captain being informed that his player has stopped answering or has withdrawn. If necessary, a copy of the game score(s) and time(s) used shall be supplied by the opponent. If a game score cannot be supplied, then the game(s) shall be scored as a loss to both teams. When the reserves are in play, or after three months of play, any subsequent case of withdrawal shall result in the loss of the game(s). If a player dies after this period, the Tournament Secretary shall decide whether the game(s) shall be adjudicated or continued by an additional substitute player. Reserves need not be announced in advance though it is strongly recommended that they are. No additional time will be allowed for a substitution when the reserve is not known in advance.
- The team scoring the most points shall be the BFCC Club Champions. Ties shall be resolved by discounting the result of the lowest board in each team involved until a result is reached.
- The position of each game left unfinished on 31st August, the result of which cannot be agreed by the respective Team Captains (or their deputies), shall be adjudicated. Claims for adjudication together with the adjudication fee shall be submitted to the Tournament Director within two weeks of the date set for close of play. The adjudication fee of the player whose claim is upheld shall be returned. Should an appeal against the adjudicator's decision be upheld, the claimant's appeal fee and adjudication fee shall be refunded. The complete results including any claim for adjudication must be received by the Tournament Director on or before 14th September.
- Any matters concerning the organisation and running of the tournament not covered in these rules or the Playing Rules shall be decided at the discretion of the Tournament Director.
- Competitors may appeal against decisions of the Tournament Director to the BFCC Secretary whose address shall be shown on the pairing notice. Such appeal shall be posted within seven days of receiving the decision in question. The appeal shall be referred to the appropriate committee of the BFCC whose decision shall be final.
