1. Category
1.1 Open
1.1.1 Open to Malaysians only;
1.1.2 Previous editions National Champions (NM);
1.1.3 Top 10 players (men and women) in latest National Rating List;
1.1.4 SUKIPT Champion [Boys] for the Year;
1.1.5 National Junior Champion [U-20 Boys] for the Year;
1.1.6 MSSM Individual Champion [U-18 Boys] for the Year;
1.1.7 Each State can send 2 persons who fulfil minimum rating regulations as Official State Players;
1.1.8 Each State can send more people who fulfil minimum rating regulations as Extra State Participants;
1.1.9 Each State can send 4 persons who didn’t need to fulfil minimum rating regulations as Wild Card Players. The Wild Card Players shall be treated as Extra State Participants;
1.1.10 Individual who fulfil minimum rating regulations.
1.2 Women
1.2.1 Open to all Malaysian females only;
1.2.2 Previous editions National Champions (NWM);
1.2.3 Top 10 women players in latest National Rating List;
1.2.4 SUKIPT Champion [Girls] for the Year;
1.2.5 National Junior Champion [U-20 Girls] for the Year;
1.2.6 MSSM Individual Champion [U-18] for the Year;
1.2.7 Each State can send 2 persons who fulfil minimum rating regulations as Official State Players;
1.2.8 Each State can send more people who fulfil minimum rating regulations as Extra State Participants;
1.2.9 Each State can send 4 persons who didn’t need to fulfil minimum rating regulations as Wild Card Players. The Wild Card Players shall be treated as Extra State Participants;
1.2.10 Individual who fulfil minimum rating regulations.
2. Rating Regulations
2.1 Open Category
2.1.1 A minimum rating level of either National Rating 1650 (based on Jan rating list releases by Malaysian Chess Federation) OR FIDE elo 1800 (based on February rating list releases by FIDE)
2.2 Women Category
2.2.1 A minimum rating level of either National Rating 1400 (based on Jan rating list releases by Malaysian Chess Federation) OR FIDE elo 1550 (based on February rating list releases by FIDE)
3. Rules
3.1 FIDE Laws of Chess for Standard Chess applies.
4. Important dates
4.1 Closing date for registration of the event with FIDE must be at least 45 days (6½ weeks) before the start date of the event.
4.2 The release of the event prospectus must be at least 35 days (5 weeks) before the start date of the event.
4.3 The invitation letter to all state associations must arrive at least 28 days (4 weeks) before the start date of the event.
4.4 Closing date for registration of participants must be at least 14 days (2 weeks) before the start date of the event.
4.5 Tournament file must be submitted to Malaysian Chess Federation Rating Officer no later than 7 days (1 week) from end of the event.
5. Schedule
5.1 Minimum 9 rounds of play for the championship to become a FIDE-rated event.
5.2 Minimum 7 days of tournament (inclusive Arrival and Departure date).
5.3 No more than 12 hours of play in one day.
5.4 In between round, the Organiser must allocate at least 2 hours of break.
5.5 The Organiser must publish the result of last round within 30 minutes from the end of last game in the final round.
5.6 There must be at least 2 hours of break between end of final round and closing ceremony to allow participants and state officials to perform result verification purpose.
5.6.1 Organiser is allowed to build a Blitz tournament without offering any title, however, organizer is encouraged to provide cash prizes / medals to top finishers of this Blitz tournament;
5.6.2 Organiser cannot use the wording “National” in naming this Blitz tournament.
6. Pairing
6.1 Swiss Manager shall be used as the pairing program.
6.2 The pairing for the event is based on Swiss system.
6.3 The first round pairing shall be done after the conclusion of Players’ Meeting
6.3.1 Players’ Meeting shall be called at least 4 hours before the start of Round 1. Tournament Director reserves the right to change the timeline.
6.4 The pairing for new round must be published at least 1 hour before the start of next round.
6.5 All pairings must be done using Swiss Manager. No other pairing software is allowed.
6.6 In the last round, where possible, players from the same State and who have more than 50% score shall not be paired together.
7. Time Control
7.1 Standard Chess
7.1.1 The time control shall be 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment form move 1.
7.2 Standard Chess with Norm possibility
7.2.1 The time control shall be 90 minutes for first 40 moves, and 30 minutes thereafter plus 30 seconds increment form move 1.
8. Medals
8.1 Individual Medals
8.1.1 The Champion shall be presented with Challenge trophy as listed below:-
8.1.1.1 Piala Tun Hussein Onn (Open Category)
8.1.1.2 Piala Tan Sri Sabbaruddin Chik (Women Category)
8.1.2 Shall be awarded to the top three positions (Colour – Gold, Silver, Bronze) in each category. In case of any tie in total score, the following tie-break shall be applied:-
8.1.2.1 Direct Encounter (Berger table with a complete results must be attained for this tie-break to be valid);
8.1.2.2 Buchholz score;
8.1.2.3 Sonneborn-Berger score;
8.1.2.4 Progressive score aka FIDE tie-break;
8.1.2.5 Progressive score cut Rd1, Rd2, and so on aka FIDE (fine) tie-break;
8.1.2.6 Number of Wins with the Black pieces.
8.1.3 Organiser is encouraged to create more medals for other top finishers in each category.
8.2 Team Medals
8.2.1 Shall will be awarded to the top 3 teams (Colour – Gold, Silver, Bronze) based on the total score of the top four (4) participants of a State. States with less than 4 participants will not be eligible for a team award. In case of any tie in total accumulated score, the following tie-break shall be applied:-
8.2.1.1 The accumulated standing number of each player final ranking number (top 4 participants) in the event;
8.2.1.2 The accumulated Buchholz tie-break scores of each player (top 4 participants) in the event;
8.2.1.3 The accumulated Sonneborn-Berger tie-break scores of each player (top 4 participants) in the event.
8.2.2 Organiser is encouraged to create more medals for other top placing teams in each category.
9. Cash Awards (Individual Medals only)
9.1 Organiser must award cash prizes to at least top 3 finishers in each category.
9.1.1 Open Category
9.1.1.1 Gold RM 1,000 (minimum amount);
9.1.1.2 Silver RM 600 (minimum amount);
9.1.1.3 Bronze RM 400 (minimum amount).
9.1.2 Women Category
9.1.2.1 Gold RM 1,000 (minimum amount);
9.1.2.2 Silver RM 600 (minimum amount);
9.1.2.3 Bronze RM 400 (minimum amount).
9.2 Organiser is encouraged to create more prizes for other top finishers in each category.
10. Championship Title and Play-off for Malaysian Masters Qualification
10.1 Participant who finishes at first place in Individual Final Ranking (after tie-break count, if applicable) shall be declared as Champion in each category.
10.1.1 Open Category
10.1.1.1 The Champion is awarded the title of National Master (NM) for life
10.1.2 Women Category
10.1.2.1 The Champion is awarded the title of National Women Master (NWM) for life
10.2 In case of tie on scores for Malaysian Masters Qualifiers placing in Individual Final Ranking, a play-off to be held in Kuala Lumpur shall be conducted at least 1 week after the Closing Ceremony of the Malaysian Chess Championship.
10.3 The format of the play-off is based on Round Robin System and the duration ranges between 2 and 6 days depending on the number of participants involve in the play-off.
10.4 Participant seeding number in play-off is based on Individual Final Ranking (after tie-break count). The same seeding number to be used in play-off shall be applied for each rate of play to be conducted in the play-off.
10.5 The time control to be used as follows:
10.5.1 Tie between 2 participants (Max. 2 Days / 7 Rounds)
10.5.1.1 Play 2 classical games (in reverse colour) using 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.1.2 If no conclusive result from 10.5.1.1, play 2 rapid games (in reverse colour) using 25 minutes with 10 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.1.3 If no conclusive result from 10.5.1.2, play 2 blitz games (in reverse colour) using 5 minutes to the finish;
10.5.1.4 If no conclusive result from 10.5.1.3, play one sudden-death blitz game [White is given 6 minutes, while Black is given 5 minutes]. In a case of draw result, Black shall be declared as match winner.
10.5.2 Tie between 3 or 4 participants (Max. 3 Days /12 Rounds)
10.5.2.1 Play single round robin classical game using 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.2.2 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.2.1, play single round robin rapid game using 25 minutes with 10 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.2.3 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.2.2, play single round robin blitz game using 5 minutes to the finish;
10.5.2.4 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.2.3, play one sudden-death blitz game [White is given 6 minutes, while Black is given 5 minutes]. In a case of draw result, Black shall be declared as match winner. This process of sudden-death blitz game is repeated until a sole match winner is found.
10.5.3 Tie between 5 or 6 participants (Max. 4 Days / 20 Rounds)
10.5.3.1 Play single round robin classical game using 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.3.2 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.3.1, play single round robin rapid game using 25 minutes with 10 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.3.3 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.3.2, play single round robin blitz game using 5 minutes to the finish;
10.5.3.4 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.3.3, play one sudden-death blitz game [White is given 6 minutes, while Black is given 5 minutes]. In a case of draw result, Black shall be declared as match winner. This process of sudden-death blitz game is repeated until a sole match winner is found.
10.5.4 Tie between 7 or 8 participants (Max. 6 Days / 28 Rounds)
10.5.4.1 Play single round robin classical game using 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.4.2 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.4.1, play single round robin rapid game using 25 minutes with 10 seconds increment from move 1;
10.5.4.3 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.4.2, play single round robin blitz game using 5 minutes to the finish;
10.5.4.4 If no conclusive result / tie for highest scores from 10.5.4.3, play one sudden-death blitz game [White is given 6 minutes, while Black is given 5 minutes]. In a case of draw result, Black shall be declared as match winner. This process of sudden-death blitz game is repeated until a sole match winner is found.
11. Malaysian Masters Qualification and National Squad
11.1 Top three (3) finishers from Open Category will qualify themselves into Malaysian Masters (Open) for the Year
11.1.1 These qualifiers will be included automatically into the National Men Squad for the Year until next Championship Cycle (provided they play in the Malaysian Master for the year).
11.2 Top three (3) finishers from Women Category will qualify themselves into Malaysian Masters (Women) for the Year
11.2.1 These qualifiers will be included automatically into the National Women Squad for the Year until next Championship Cycle (provided they play in the Malaysian Master for the year).
12. Invitation Letter
12.1 Organiser must send invitation letter to respective State Association Secretary / President at least 28 days (4 weeks) before the closing date for registration of the event.
13. Board & Lodging
13.1 The Playing Venue is Dewan University College Sabah Foundation, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
13.2 The Official Hotel is Imperial Boutec Hotel / Yaho Hotel.
13.2.1 The rate per person including breakfast/day as follows:–
13.2.1.1 RM _______ (single occupancy);
13.2.1.2 RM _______ (twin-sharing);
13.2.1.3 RM _______ (triple-sharing).
13.3 All payment for Official Hotel accommodation fees shall be billed by the Organiser to State Associations.
13.4 State Associations are allowed to find alternative hotels on their own, however, the Organiser shall not be responsible for any difficulty arises from the self- arrangement.
14. Registration Fee
14.1 All registration fees for State Participant shall be billed by the Organiser to State Associations.
14.2 The registration fees structure as follows:-
14.2.1 Previous editions National Champion is RM 50/= (no limit/state);
14.2.2 Current Year SUKIPT Champion is RM 50/= (no limit/state);
14.2.3 Current Year NJM / MSSM U-18 Champion is RM 50/= (no limit/state);
14.2.4 Top 10 in latest National Rating List is RM 50/= (each person);
14.2.5 Official State Participant is RM 50/= (maximum 2 Participants /state/category);
14.2.6 Extra State Participant is RM 150/= (no limit/state as long as able to fulfil rating regulation stated in the tournament guideline);
14.2.7 Wild Card Participant (as Extra State Participant) is RM 150/= (maximum 4 Participants/state/category);
14.2.8 Individual Player via Direct Submission is RM 250/= (must fulfil rating regulation stated in the tournament guideline).
14.3 State Participants cannot make payment on registration fee directly to the Organiser.
15. Registration of Participants and Penalty of No Show
15.1 Participants cannot make direct registration with the Organiser / Malaysian Chess Federation.
15.2 Registration of Participants can be done only via respective State Association the participants represent.
15.3 Payment for Official Hotel and Registration Fee must be made upon Registration.
15.4 Payment shall be made payable to _Persatuan Catur Negeri Sabah_.
15.5 The deadline for registration and payment is _1st March 2016. Late Registration shall be subjected to a penalty fee of RM 100 per person by Malaysian Chess Federation.
15.6 Participants who are absent at the Technical Meeting shall be excluded from the Championships. A penalty of RM 100 will be imposed by Malaysian Chess Federation on any participant who registered but does not turn up.
15.7 Participants who pull-out / absent halfway from the event without valid reason shall be issued a show-cause letter by Malaysian Chess Federation Ethics Committee. A penalty of RM 100 will be imposed by Malaysian Chess Federation to State Association on any participant who pull-out / absent halfway from the event.
15.8 All penalty fees shall be billed by the SCA to State Associations.
16. Bus/Train/Air Ticket and Travel Insurance
16.1 State Associations make their own Bus/Train/Air Ticket and travel insurance arrangement for their participants.
17. Cancellation
17.1 Organiser reserves the right to retain up to RM 200 or whole sum of participant registration fee (whichever is lower) depending on when the cancellation is made.
18. Arbiters and Roles
18.1 All arbiters of the Championship shall be licensed otherwise the event will not be rated by FIDE.
18.2 Organiser must appoint FIDE-licensed Arbiter to become the Chief Arbiter of the Championship.
18.3 Organiser is allowed to appoint either FIDE Arbiter (FA) or National Arbiter (NA) as Deputy Chief Arbiter for the Championship. All Deputy Chief Arbiters are entitled to one FIDE / International Arbiter Norm (whichever is lower), subject to the recommendation of Malaysian Chess Federation.
18.3.1 Organiser is allowed to appoint 1st Deputy Chief Arbiter if the Championship has 20 or less participants;
18.3.2 Organiser is allowed to appoint 2nd Deputy Chief Arbiter if the Championship has 21 to 70 participants;
18.3.3 Organiser is allowed to appoint 3rd Deputy Chief Arbiter if the Championship has 71 to 120 participants;
18.3.4 Organiser is allowed to appoint 4th Deputy Chief Arbiter if the Championship has 121 and above participants.
18.4 Organiser is allowed to appoint any number of Assistant Arbiter to facilitate the running of the Championship.
18.4.1 Assistant Arbiter shall be entitled to one National Arbiter Norm, subject to the recommendation of Chief Arbiter;
18.4.2 Assistant Arbiter shall not be entitled to FIDE / International Arbiter Norm.
18.5 The Chief Arbiter of the Championship has to provide the tournament report form (TRF, IT3) and tournament report form file (Swiss Manager file) within 7 days after the end of the tournament to the Rating Officer of Malaysia.
18.6 The Chief Arbiter of the Championship has to provide reports that include a database of at least those games played by players who achieved title results.
19. FIDE Rating Regulations
19.1 Rate of Play
19.1.1 For a game to be rated, each player must have the following minimum periods in which to complete all the moves, assuming the game lasts 60 moves.
19.1.1.1 Where at least one of the players in the tournament has a rating 2200 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 120 minutes [Selected];
19.1.1.2 Where at least one of the players in the tournament has a rating 1600 or higher, each player must have a minimum of 90 minutes;
19.1.1.3 Where all the players in the tournament are rated below 1600, each player must have a minimum of 60 minutes.
19.2 Laws to be followed
19.2.1 Play must take place according to the FIDE Laws of Chess.
19.3 Unplayed Games
19.3.1 Whether these occur because of forfeiture or any other reason, they are not counted. Any game where both players have made at least one move will be rated.
19.4 Composition of the Tournament
19.4.1 If an unrated player scores zero in his first tournament, his score and that of his opponents against him are disregarded. Otherwise, if an unrated player has played rated games, then this result is included in computing his overall rating.
19.4.2 In a Swiss Tournament
19.4.2.1 For an unrated player’s first performance to count, he must score at least 1/2 point;
19.4.2.2 For FIDE-rated players, only games against FIDE-rated opponents are counted.
19.5 Official FIDE Rating List
19.5.1 Organiser to use the most current FIDE rating list available from www.fide.com
19.5.2 Organiser to use player’s rating that is listed inside Standard Rating Column only.