Playing in your first chess tournament, or need a refresher before you play? This is the comprehensive guide to playing in your first chess tournament at the Windsor Chess Club and in Canada in general. Most tournaments in Canada will follow these guidelines but check the tournament page for tournament-specific rules. Generally, tournaments will follow the most up to date International Chess Federation (FIDE) Laws of Chess. Most tournaments hosted by WCC will be Chess Federation of Canada (CFC) rated and follow their Handbook.
Please remember that these guidelines are to prepare unrated and players requiring a refresher before tournaments. It should not be taken as the tournament’s official rules, simply as guidelines. Please reach out to the organizers before the tournament to confirm the rules of the respective tournament.
Have fun and practice good sprotsmanship!
CFC ID
CFC Membership, please follow the CFC ID link https://cfc.justgo.com
CMA ID
It’s free and WCC can apply for the player. Send emails to windsorchessclub2025@gmail.com
The following information are required:
Name, grade, school name, gender, home address, post code, date of birth, phone number, email address
CHESS TERMS
Time Controls: Most CFC-rated classical tournaments will follow a time control of 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment – any game played with 60 minutes per side (including increment based on 60 moves) is considered classical. Players have 90 minutes at the start of the game, with 30 seconds added following each move. There may be slight adjustments to this time control based on tournaments. CFC active-rated tournaments will also follow different time controls.
G90+30 G60+30 classical games Regular rating
G25+5 Rapid games Quick rating
G3+2 Blitz games Quick rating for CFC/ Blitz rating for Fide
If you have a question, please stop the clock, raise your hand, and call the arbiter. When you finish your game, make sure your result is marked.
Touch Move: Most tournaments will have touch moves in force. Any touch of a piece requires you to move that piece unless you cannot move that piece (for instance, in check). You must say “I adjust” or “J’adoubé” (in French) to adjust your pieces during your turn. Players are not allowed to adjust during their opponent’s time.
Notation: Chess notation is required for all moves(for example G90+30, G60+30), even if low on time, when there is a 30-second increment per move. All WCC classical rated tournaments will required notation of all moves. If G25+5, low on time, less than 5 minutes remaining, notation is no longer required.
K=King
Q=Queen
R=Rook
B=Bishop
N=Knight
X= Captures
O-O = Kingside Castle
O-O-O = Queenside Castle
+ = Check # = Checkmate
Note that "P" is not used - a move without a letter, such as "e4" is understood to be a pawn move!
Paper scoresheets (to record moves) will be provided by organizers. Carbon-copy papers may be used to allow organizers/arbiters the ability to keep a record of games. Tournaments will indicate if this rule is not in effect. Generally, CFC-Active rated events do not require notation. Players who do not keep a completed scoresheet will forfeit their right to make claims that depend upon doing so, as specified by FIDE rules.
Ratings: Tournaments will either be rated or unrated. Rated tournaments will result in an “Elo rating.” Unrated tournaments do not require a CFC membership, while CFC-rated tournaments do, unless tournaments are junior-only/junior section only. Some tournaments will also be FIDE rated. FIDE-rated events do not require membership for participants. CFC-Active ratings are often used for quicker-timed tournaments.
Tournament Format: Most new-to-chess participants will play in a Swiss format in individual chess tournaments. A swiss format means that you are not eliminated after your first match. If you lose your first match, you will most likely be paired with someone else who also loses their first match. You will be paired based on your cumulative score after each round. There are very few chess tournaments worldwide that use a knockout format. The other format commonly seen in smaller, restricted, or team-based tournaments is the Round Robin format. This format means that everyone plays each other once, and most likely, your pairings will be known beforehand.
Chess Variants: Most tournaments will be played in the standard chess set-up. Tournaments will state if it uses a variant, such as Fischer Random (Chess 960), Bughouse, or Duck Chess.
Byes: Sometimes a conflicting event happens during a tournament. Instead of not playing entirely, you can request a “bye”. Byes should be requested before the tournament. This allows you to still compete in the tournament and still get points. You won’t be paired for that round but will be paired in subsequent rounds. At WCC, 1/2 point byes are only given if requested by Round 1 and not in the final 2 rounds. If requested mid-tournament, they will be 0-point.
GENERAL CHESS ETIQUETTE
Eating: Food is not allowed in the playing board.
Washrooms: When it is your opponent’s turn, you should not tell your opponent that you are leaving to use the washroom or fill your water bottle. This is considered a distraction and is not needed. You also do not need to tell the arbiter that you are leaving to use the washroom. It is expected that participants stay within the tournament halls, which will be defined by the tournament organizers before the tournament. You are not allowed to leave your own board when it is your turn.
Phone use: Any electronic device that could be used to transmit or receive information related to chess or to calculate potential moves, such as smartphones, tablets, computers and smartwatches, are not allowed in the tournament playing area (the tournament director and TD’s support staff are excluded). Further, no such devices can be in the immediate possession of a player, regardless of the player’s location, during a game in progress. Violating this rule by a player will result in the player’s immediate forfeit of a game in progress.
Disputes: When there are disputes about a game, pause the clock and get the arbiter’s attention/call the arbiter. There is not much that can be done when the match is over.
Illegal Moves: When a player makes an illegal move, it will be penalized with a 2 minute addition to the opponent’s clock. The second illegal move is a forfeit (loss). This rule follows the FIDE handbook. The junior section may gave extra allowrance.
Withdrawals: When unable to finish a tournament, you must tell the arbiter or organizers. A “forfeit” is awarded for no-shows, and may prevent you from playing in future tournaments. Participants should also consider “byes”, which allow players to skip rounds and return.
Communicating with others: During the game, participants are not allowed to communicate with others regarding their game, regardless of whether in-person or online. This is considered cheating. Speaking to anyone other than a TD/Arbiter about any of the games in progress, including your own, may result in a penalty.
Leaving the board: Players can only leave their board during their opponent’s turn. Players should not tell their opponent or the arbiter before doing so.
Spectators: Generally, major chess events will not allowed spectators. Once your game done, you are treated as spectators and should not come back to disturb other games. Only Volunteers are allowed at the playing hall during the game.
The game is over when both players agree to a result.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I request a bye?
There is a field for noting byes in the registration form. If you have already registered but did not include a bye request, please email us at windsorchessclub2025@gmail.com with your full name, CFC ID, Section, and the round(s) you would like to request a bye for.
- How do I avail the unrated player or titled player discount?
Please email us at windsorchessclub2025@gmail.com with your full name and CFC ID.
- I only have a quick/provisional rating. Am I considered unrated?
Players with any sort of rating, whether active, quick, or only provisional, for pairings purposes, ratings are picked at arbiters’ discretion.
- My rating has changed since I registered. What section will I be playing in?
Sections will be assigned based on the latest rating update prior to the tournament. If your rating is over the threshold for the section you registered in, we will automatically move you up.
- Playing Up
Please indicate in section of the registration form that you would like to play up. Players must be within 100 points of the section’s minimum rating in order to play up.
Play-up fee is $20 and must be paid in cash in-person before paring.
- Withdrawals and Refunds
Please email us at windsorchessclub2025@gmail.com AND cc cindy.ren,zheng@gmail.com to let us know that you will be withdrawing. Full refunds are available up to 48 hours before tournament start time, a $10 processing fee will be applied for any cancellation. After 48 hours, refund goes to credit for the next tournament.
Last minute withdrawals, bye requests, inquiries, please email windsorchessclub2025@gmail.com, and contact Cindy +12269753806.
- Foreign Ratings: All participants must disclose all foreign ratings at time of registration or via email.
- Other Questions
For any other questions, please email us at windsorchessclub2025@gmail.com