Regulations for the 2009-2010 Women's FIDE Grand Prix.
1. Introduction.
1.1. Following the approval of the Presidential Board in Athens 2008, Global Chess BV and FIDE have worked on the Regulations for the Women's World Championship Cycle for 2009/2010. Global Chess will be responsible for locating one or several title sponsors for the six tournaments and for the Challenge match at the end of the Series. The host city may seek alternative sponsorship from business industries not in conflict with the main business activity carried out by the title sponsor.
Together with FIDE, Global Chess will work and assist in the search and selection process of the host cities. The offer of each respective host city will be evaluated in terms of location, accessibility, and quality of conditions.
1.2. Governing Body: the World Chess Federation (FIDE). For the purpose of creating the regulations, communicating with the players and negotiating with the organisers, the President has nominated a committee, hereby called the World Chess Championship Committee (WCCC) who will co-operate with Global Chess BV.
1.3. FIDE, or its appointed commercial agency, retains all commercial and media rights of the Grand-Prix, including internet rights.
1.4. The body responsible for any changes to these Regulations is the FIDE Presidential Board.
2. Format of the Women's Grand Prix 2009-2010.
The Grand Prix will be a series of six tournaments held over two years (2009-2010) in leading world cities. The bidding process for the final selection of cities will commence in June 2008 and be finalized by Dresden Congress, November 2008.
The timing of evaluating and contracting host city offers will be very important particularly at the start of the series. Offers to host and contract three tournaments over the next six years (i.e. three cycles - for 2009/10, 2011/2 and 2013/4) will be given preference.
18 top world players will be selected to compete in these tournaments. Each player agrees and will contract to participate in exactly 4 of these tournaments. Players must rank their preference of tournaments once the final list of host cities is announced and the dates are allocated to each host city.
FIDE reserves the right to assign players to tournaments according to the organizational needs and the players for each tournament will be announced before the cycle begins.
Each tournament will have 12 players playing over a schedule of seventeen days. The months allocated for the organisation of the Grand Prix tournaments are March, June and September of each respective year. These months have been selected to ensure there is no conflict with any other major event.
In view of an objective of harmonisation of the FIDE chess calendar, the months for the Grand Prix for 2009/2010 are fixed as above, and the World Cup will be scheduled to meet the timing of the Grand Prix series.
The winner of the Grand Prix series at the end of 2010 will play the Women World Champion in the third quarter of 2011 in a ten game match for the Women's World Championship title. Should the overall winner of the Grand Prix also be the World Champion at the end of the Grand Prix series in 2010, then the Challenger rights will go to the second placed overall in the Grand Prix.
3. Qualifiers for the Grand Prix 2009-2010
The players who qualify for selection to play in the Grand Prix will be chosen on the following prioritized basis :
3.1. QUALIFICATION. The FIDE World Championship in 2008 will be used to determine four qualifiers for the 2009/10 Grand Prix Series. These will be the final four players who have qualified to the semi final stages of the World Championship.
3.2. RATING. Based on an average calculation to two decimal places, of the October 2008 rating list and the October 2007 rating list in the year prior to start of the cycle, six qualifiers will be selected. If players have the same average rating, the number of games played between January 2008 and September 2008 (rating period) will be used to determine ranking.
To ensure active participation in the future, a minimum of twenty five (25) games is being recommended in the four rating lists including and prior to the October rating list in the year of qualification i.e. 2008, 2010 or 2012. If any player does not accept to play in the Grand Prix series, then the selection process using the average rating plus number of games played in the rating period will be adopted, until the number of qualifiers required for the Grand Prix is completed.
3.3. PRESIDENT NOMINEES. The FIDE President may nominate two players and they must be rated among the top 40 players in the world as per the October 2008 rating list. Nominated players must not be from the same country although they may come from countries where players have already qualified under prior criteria.
3.4. HOST CITY NOMINEES. One player may be nominated by each host city and must be rated not less than 2300 in the last rating list prior to the final nomination or selection of players. If the host city does not have a player rated at least 2300 then the highest rated player from the Federation of the host city will be invited to play, subject to her rating not being lower than 2250.
The WCCC will coordinate with Global Chess and with all the host cities, in the allocation of players, should there be a conflict in the number of players in their ranking of preference of host cites. FIDE is not obliged, but will do its utmost to respect the players' preferences, and will balance the player allocation to a host city according to predetermined criteria such as average tournament rating, piece colour, continental representation, etc.
4. Tournament Format.
4.1. In each tournament the 12 players shall play a round robin tournament of 11 rounds. The drawing of colours shall be done in rating order.
The drawing of numbers/colours in the opening ceremony will be split into "whites" and "blacks", based on the announced colours prior to the series start, in order to balnce as much as possible the number of total whites/blacks that a player receives during the whole Grand-Prix.
4.2. If a player withdraws after completing 50% or more of the games, the rest of her games are lost by default. In case a player completes less than 50%, all her results are annulled.
4.3. Time control: for each player 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move from move one.
4.4. During the game a player may only talk to an arbiter or communicate with a steward. Appropriate sporting behaviour is expected from all participants and FIDE rules of conduct are to be strictly followed at all times.
Players will not be allowed to offer draws directly to their opponents. Any draw claim will be permitted only through the Chief Arbiter in the following cases:
a triple-repetition of the position (article 9.2 of the Laws of Chess),
a perpetual check,
in theoretically drawn position and
the 50 moves rules (article 9.3 of the Laws of Chess).
The Chief Arbiter may consult with the Technical Adviser before accepting any claim by players for a draw. The Chief Arbiter is the only authority who can acknowledge the final result of the game in these cases.
4.5. The Technical Adviser must have the title of GM (or WGM if a woman), rated not less than 2400, who has held the title for at least five years and is an active player as defined by the rating system.
4.6. Tie breaks for each tournament:
All prizes and GP ranking points are shared equally, in cases of any tied position/s. No tie break system will be utilised for the individual GP tournaments. The process of determining the overall winner of the series, in the case of a tie, is defined in Article 7.2
5. Tournament Schedule.
5.1. Schedule of each tournament:
1st day: Arrivals & Opening Ceremony
2nd day: Round 1
3rd day: Round 2
4th day: Round 3
5th day: Round 4
6th day: Free Day
7th day: Round 5
8th day: Round 6
9th day: Round 7
10th day: Free Day
11th day: Round 8
12th day: Round 9
13th day: Round 10
14th day: Round 11 & Closing Ceremony
15th day: Departure
5.2. Upon reasonable request of the organisers, or the WCCC after consultation with Global Chess, the FIDE President may vary the schedule.
6. Confirmation of Participation.
6.1. When FIDE has confirmed the name of organiser, venue and dates, the participants will be able to download the copy of the Player's Undertaking (which contains the player's obligations) from the FIDE web site and shall send their signed Undertaking to FIDE within one week. This is the player's responsibility. All participants have to sign and send the Player's Undertaking to the FIDE Secretariat, by the deadline, which will be announced by FIDE, on the FIDE website, after the official announcement of the Grand Prix series.
6.2. Players that fail to provide a satisfactory reason for withdrawal from the Grand Prix during or even before the series, after they have signed the player's undertaking, may be excluded from the next World Championship cycle, apart from any other action that FIDE may reserve the right to take.
6.3. In the case of any withdrawal prior to two weeks before the commencement of the series, FIDE will replace the player who has withdrawn with the next highest rated player in the rating list as calculated in Article 3.3. This player will accept the withdrawn player's GP tournament schedule in its entirety.
6.4. If a player withdraws from the GP for any reason whatsoever, less than two weeks prior to the commencement of the GP series or even during the series, then FIDE reserves the right to select one or more players, as may be required, to compete 'hors concours' in the withdrawn player's GP tournament schedule. The replacement players selected will be from the top 40 players and will only compete for the prize money within the specific tournament. They will not earn ranking points and their results will be used for any potential tie-break as specified under Article 7.2.2. The players selected will be varied from tournament to tournament and no replacement player will participate in more than one event.
7. Prize Money & Grand Prix Points.
7.1. The recommended prize money which will be offered by host city organisers for each tournament is 50,000 Euros and is split 40,000 Euros as direct prize money for the tournament and 10,000 Euros towards an accumulated prize fund for the players at the end of the series:
In the case of any tie in any tournament, the Grand Prix ranking points and prize money will be split equally. The overall winner of the Grand Prix will be the one who will score the most number of cumulative points. The cumulative score will be calculated from the best three results for each player. The winner of the Grand prix agrees to play a match against the World Champion as per FIDE regulations by not later than September 2011.
7.2. Tie Break for Overall Winner:
With the objective of determining a clear, single winner to play in the Challenger Match and in the case that two or more players have equal cumulative points at the top, the following criteria (in descending order) will be utilized to decide the overall G.P. winner:
4th result not already taken in the top three results;
No. of actual game result points scored in the four tournaments;
No. of 1st places [in case of a tie - points given accordingly];
No. of 2nd places [in case of a tie - points given accordingly];
No. of wins;
Drawing of lots
7.3. Accumulated Prize Fund.
9 prizes will be awarded from the minimum accumulated prize fund of €60,000 (Euros) as follows :
Overall Place Accumulated Prize (Euros)
1st 15,000
2nd 10,000
3rd 8,000
4th 7,000
5th 6,000
6th 5,000
7th 4,000
8th 3,000
9th 2,000
€60,000 (total)
In the case of any joint overall ranking, the respective accumulated prizes will also be split equally.
7.4. FIDE Contributions.
The organiser will pay FIDE an additional sum of 20% (10,000 Euros), over and above, the above total host city prize fund (50,000 Euros).
8. Financial details.
8.1. FIDE or its appointed commercial agency has exclusive financial rights to the event and is free to exploit them commercially. This includes entering into advertisement agreements, either with the Organizers or Sponsors, requiring players to wear clothes with the branding of sponsors if this has been requested from the players before they sign their undertakings.
8.2. The television and Internet Web transmission rights, including video and film rights, shall belong to FIDE or its appointed commercial agency and the income divided on the basis of an agreement between FIDE or its appointed Commercial Agency and the Organizers.
8.3. FIDE or its appointed commercial agency shall have the exclusive rights for live games on Internet.
8.4. All costs related to the anti-doping test procedure, if FIDE decides it is required, including the medical facilities and doctors, will be covered by the local Organising Committee.
8.5. Organisers would need to guarantee the following minimum organizational costs which are:
Travelling expenses for 12 players + 5 officials will be reimbursed at 500 euros per player for people travelling in economy class from the same continent and 1,100 for people travelling in economy class to the tournament from other continents. Budget for 17 tickets i.e. 12,500 Euros.
Full Board and lodging costs for 17 people, at 140 Euros per day, for 15 days / nights (i.e. 2,100 Euros per person) in hotels classified not less than 4 Star, i.e. around 35,700 Euros.
Stipends for the 5 FIDE Principals (Chief Arbiter x 2,000 Euros, Deputy Arbiter x 1,500 Euros, Technical Adviser x 1,500 Euros, Chairman Appeals Committee x 1,500 Euros and Press Officer x 1,000 Euros). Estimated cost of this is 7,500 Euros.
8.6. The organisers must also provide a budget for the provision of adequate facilities for:
Server and design costs for the tournament website and games transmission. All games will be transmitted under a sub domain http://hostcity.fide.com where hostcity will change according to the host city where the tournament will be held;
Tournament hall and organisations rooms in the venue with appropriate lighting and standards expected for world class tournaments;
Press centre and facilities plus media team to cover the event;
Transfer of players to / from venue and to / from Airport;
Drug testing, if required;
The budget organizational cost for this is estimated at around 30,000 Euros and organisers will be expected to submit detailed budgets of proposed expenditure in their bid offers.
8.7. Any additional financial contributions, that any host city may wish to offer, in their bids, over and above, the prize fund, FIDE contribution and organisational costs, will be allocated between the accumulated prize fund, FIDE and Global Chess, respectively, in the ration 50% - 30%-20%.
9. Arrangements for the Playing Hall.
9.1. The WCCC shall ensure the playing hall and its environs meet the requirements of the FIDE Regulations for the Organization of Top Level Tournaments (FIDE Handbook C.01).
9.2. The playing venue shall be decorated with the FIDE flag, IOC flag, the flags of the host nation and the participating players' Federations and the sponsors' brandings.
9.3. After the WCCC agrees with the Organisers on the arrangements in respect of the tournament hall, facilities, accommodation and meals, transportation, telecommunication, ceremonies, no objections from the participants shall be acceptable.
10. Interviews, functions and mode of dressing.
10.1. Interviews with people other than players can be arranged directly.
10.2. The players are expected to cooperate reasonably with the media. General interviews with them can be arranged through the Press Officer.
10.3. The players are required to make themselves available for short interviews immediately after each game. In general, both players shall be available for the daily press conference.
10.4. Players are required to be present at all official functions approved by FIDE President or his representative during the Tournament including official receptions and the opening and closing ceremonies.
10.5. Players are specifically requested to note the requirements of FIDE Regulations C.01 (Article 8.1) in respect of their dignified appearance at all times during the event.
11. Photography and Television.
11.1. Only photographers and camera crews expressly authorized by the Organising Committee may work in the playing venue.
12. Principals.
12.1. The Principals are:
FIDE President and a FIDE Representative;
Chief Arbiter and his Deputy;
Chairman of Appeals Committee
Press Officer; and
FIDE Medical Commission nominee.
Technical Adviser
12.2. The FIDE President and the FIDE representative will be hosted by the organisers for the duration of their stay.
13. Tournament and Playing Conditions.
13.1. Apart from the players and arbiters, no other person shall be allowed in the actual playing area during the games, except with the permission of the Chief Arbiter.
13.2. During the playing session (lasting from 10 minutes before the start of the round until the departure of players), the following additional regulations shall be in force:
13.3. The players are not permitted to bring into the playing venue technical and other equipment extraneous to play, which may in any way disturb or upset the opponent. The Chief Arbiter shall decide what constitutes extraneous equipment liable to offend the opponent.
13.4. The players shall shake hands (or shall greet each other in a normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society) before the start and after the end of each game. If a player fails to meet these requirements and after being asked to do so by the Chief Arbiter, then she will lose the game immediately.
13.5. Organizers shall provide in sufficiency, free of charge, coffee, tea and soft drinks for the players and principals. It is advisable that the same offer shall apply for the press members.
13.6. The Organisers shall provide score sheets according to the specifications provided by the WCCC. At the end of each game the players' original score sheets shall be given to the Arbiter, who shall hand them over to FIDE in due course. Refusal of either player to sign the score sheets shall be penalized according to Article 13.4 of the Laws of Chess. After the players have signed the score sheets, the Arbiter shall countersign to confirm the results.
13.7. All players are required to attend a Players' meeting at a date and time to be decided by the Chief Arbiter. If he/she deems it necessary, the Chief Arbiter may call other Players' Meetings. The drawing of lots will take place during the first Players' meeting or in the Opening Ceremony.
13.8. Appointment of Principals. The FIDE President after consultation with the WCCC shall appoint the FIDE Representative, the Chief Arbiter, the Deputy Chief Arbiter, the Press Officer, the Chairman of the Appeals Committee and the Technical Adviser.
13.9. During play either the Chief Arbiter or the Deputy Chief Arbiter must be present in the playing area.
13.10. The Chief Arbiter may, in consultation with the WCCC, the players and after the approval of the FIDE President, issue additional written regulations to lay down the exact playing hours and take care of other details not covered by these regulations.
13.11. Immediately after the end of the event, the Chief Arbiter shall draw up a report in the English language and send it without delay to the FIDE Secretariat. The report shall be supplemented by adding two copies of the bulletins of the event. The report shall contain the result of each individual game as well as the final standings of the event. In addition, the report shall contain a general description of the course of the event.
14. Appeals Committee.
14.1. The Chairman of the Appeals Committee will be a member of the FIDE Presidential Board and he/she will be appointed by the FIDE President. For the other 2 spots, two players andtwo reserves will be chosen during the Players' meeting. The three members of the Appeals Committee and the two reserves must be from 5 different federations.
14.2. No member of the Appeals Committee shall sit in judgement in a dispute involving a player or party from her Federation except where the dispute is between two players or two parties from her Federation.
14.3. All protests must be submitted in writing to the Appeals Committee not more than two hours after the relevant playing session, or the particular infringement complained against. The Tournament Director shall call a meeting of the Appeals Committee as soon as possible.
14.4. The Committee may decide on the following matters:
an appeal against a decision by an arbiter,
a protest against a player's behaviour
a complaint alleging false interpretation of the regulations,
a request for the interpretation of specific regulations,
a protest or complaint against any participant, or
all other matters which the Committee considers important.
14.5. If possible, the Committee shall reach a decision not more than two hours after the submission of a protest. The appeals process shall include written representations and a written decision. The Committee shall endeavour to find binding solutions that are within the true spirit of the FIDE motto, Gens Una Sumus.
14.6. Each protest must be accompanied by a deposit fee of €500 (five hundred Euros) or a written statement that this fee can be deducted from the prize fund if the protest is rejected. If the protest is accepted, the fee shall be returned. If the protest is rejected, then in this case, FIDE reserves the right to withhold the deposit fee.
14.7. The decision of the Appeals Committee arising from any dispute in respect of these regulations shall be final.
15. Opening Ceremony for each tournament.
A short Opening Ceremony shall take place and all participants are required to take part.
16. Closing Ceremony of each tournament.
The Closing Ceremony shall take place according to schedule. The Organizer shall provide three trophies to the first three placed players.
In each tournament, if two or more players tie for first place, the tie to decide the awarding of the trophies will be broken (in descending order) by:
Direct encounter
Sonneborn Berger
Score Koya System
The FIDE Anthem, the anthem of the winner's country and the anthem of the host country shall be played.
17. Payment of Prize Money and Stipends.
17.1. The prize fund and stipends shall be paid by direct bank transfer in Euros from FIDE's bankers UBS,Lausanne.
17.2. FIDE shall not be responsible if any national tax has to be deducted from the prize money or for any tax obligation of the participants in their respective countries.
17.3. At any time in the course of the application of these regulations, any grounds that are not covered or any unforeseen event shall be referred to the President of FIDE for final decision.
18. Penalties
18.1. Should a player be in breach of conduct of any of these regulations she may be subject to a maximum penalty of €1,000 for any instance of breach.
18.2. Should a player be in repeated breach of any of these regulations, FIDE reserves the right to expel the player from the tournament and subject the player to a maximum fine of €2,000. In this case, the expelled player will not have any right to any prize money, irrespective of his standing at the time of expulsion.
18.3. Should a player withdraw from a tournament or the GP series without proper justification to the WCCC, then a penalty of €5,000 will be imposed on the player and the player may be excluded from the next World Championship cycle.
