Team Blitz Grand Prix
Rules
Guidance
Others
1. The Grand Prix shall be open to all bona fide Civil Service Clubs and to those Municipal and other Clubs who were affiliated to the Civil Service Chess Association as at 31 December 1993.
2. Only past or present bona fide members as defined in League Rule 2 of their clubs shall be eligible to play in the Grand Prix. The words 'bona fide' in this rule are intended to convey that the members shall be serving or have served in the Department or Departments represented by their clubs, and includes those former officers transferred direct to an organization providing services within any Civil Service Department; it also includes those who have been members of an affiliated club continuously for a period of at least two calendar years from the date of notification to the Senior Recorder.
3. The Grand Prix will consist of three Team Blitz events held during the season. The entry fee for each Team Blitz event shall be £5.00 per team. No League or Cup matches will be scheduled to be played in the week of the events.
4. Each event will be played using an all-play-all or Swiss format depending upon the number of entries. The format, and the timing of each round, will be at the sole discretion of the Controller of the event.
5. Each event will be contested by teams of four players. The deadline for team entries and player lists to be notified to the Controller is 48 hours before the start of the event. Late entries will not be accepted. However, amendments to player lists will be accepted up to the start of the event. Teams should play in descending order of playing strength. Each tournament will commence at 6.45pm. Where a club enters more than one team in the Grand Prix, players in those teams do not have to be mutually exclusive throughout the Grand Prix though players may not interchange between teams on the night.
6. Each player will have five minutes for all moves in the game in each round of each event.
7. The winning team of the Grand Prix will hold the Barford Trophy for a period of one year, and will be the team that scores the most combined match points in the three events. In the event of a tie, the sum of board points scored in the three events will decide the winner. If still level the trophy will be shared.
8. The FIDE laws for Blitz chess will apply. Any disputes on the night will be referred to the Controller whose decision is final in all aspects of each event.