Frequently asked questions for tournaments

Q: Why are players required to record all the chess moves of each game?

A: Chess notation - recording of chess moves - are required in all World Chess Federation (FIDE) tournaments. There are good reasons for this requirement. It will help settle questions and disagreements during the game. (We would like to run our tournaments by following FIDE standard if possible.) Moreover, the record can also help you improve your chess level by allowing you to analyze your games after the tournament.

Q: In the time control, why is there an increment of 30 seconds per move?

A: After a player has made a move and press the chess clock, 30 seconds are automatically added to the player's time control. This increment of 30 seconds per move is to allow the player sufficient time to make and record each chess move.

Q: How long will each game last?

A: At the beginning of each game, each player is given 30 minutes. After each move, 30 seconds will be added. If a game lasts 40 moves, then the maximum time each player has is 30 minutes + 30 seconds x 40 = 50 minutes. Therefore, the whole game may take 100 minutes (50 minutes for each player). If the game is finished after 60 moves, then the maximum time taken will be 120 minutes. (That's why we can only play a maximum of four to five rounds per day in this tournament.)

Q: Why don't we shorten the time control so that we can save time and finish the tournament in one day instead of two?

A: For chess beginners, usually they don't need much time for each game. But for experienced players, they may find the time control for this tournament to be insufficient. The most common time control used in standard chess tournaments is 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment per move, with a maximum of two games per day. We would like to entertain more young players by shortening the time control and finishing the tournament in one day; and at the same time we would also like to raise the standard and cater for the needs of the more experienced players by having a longer time control and make the tournament lasts a few days more. We hope the time control used in this tournament is a reasonable compromise - not taking too much time for beginners yet allowing sufficient time for the experienced players to tackle each game.

Q: I would like my kid to participate in this tournament, but I can only come for a day, not two. Is this possible?

A: Yes, players can still join the tournament even if they have to miss some of the games. Make sure you communicate to us clearly which games (or the exact time period) you have to miss so that we will not include the players in the pairing list of the affected rounds. (If a player does not inform us beforehand that he/she has to miss a certain round, the player may be disqualified from the tournament - as a penalty for making his/her opponent sitting idly for a game.) Of course, if you miss many games, it will affect your chances of obtaining a good final score and earning prize in the tournament.

Q: Why do we have players from different age groups playing games together in the tournaments?

A: In big tournaments, we usually have players of each age group playing the games among themselves only. Each age group becomes an independent tournament by itself. But if the number of players in each age group is small, then different age groups may be combined together. Sometimes the organizer may combine different age groups together so that young players can have the chance to play against older and stronger players - an experience that many young players like to have. As our number of players in each age group is not likely to be very large, we usually combine different age groups together.

Q: Will combining different age groups together affect the chances of the players earning prizes, say, when some younger players may be "unfairly" paired against stronger players from an older age group?

A: Provided we have sufficient number of rounds played, such "unfairness" should not be a problem. For example, if you are by chance paired against a strong player in round one and you lose, then in round two you are likely to be paired with a weaker player (who also lost in round one). After a few rounds, players should more or less settle and play mainly against players of his/her level.