The Example of Tournament Rules

The organizers of RIF title competitions can use this example set of tournament rules in order to create the official rules for the tournament they are organizing. This example of Tournament Rules is based on World Championship 2005.

The Rules for World Championship

MAIN RULES
The World Championship tournaments AT, WT, BT and QT are played by RIF rules.

TIME RULES
AT and WT time limits per player: 135 minutes main time + 30 seconds added after each move (starting from the 1st move).
QT time limits per player: 60 minutes main time + 30 seconds added after each move (starting from the 1st move).
BT time limits per player: 90 minutes main time + 30 seconds added after each move (starting from the 1st move).

RECORDING OF THE GAME
The players of AT, WT, BT and QT must record their games on specially designed game protocols. Whoever does not know how to record a game, has to ask referee or other players before the beginning of tournament. The players must record opponent's move before making his own next move. The players must not record any move on protocol which is not on the board yet.
NB! According to this new time rule, the players must continue recording the game on protocol until the end of the game.

RESULT OF THE GAME
The game is won by a player when...

  • there is 5 in a row on board while having still thinking time left on clock. The player has to declare his victory by saying "five" or pointing his finger at his winning line. If the player does not notice his winning five, the game continues. The referee and observers must not notify the players about the situation on board.
  • the opponent resigns the game.
  • the opponent puts a stone into forbidden point and the player notices it and claims victory. If opponent disagrees with that claim, the player has a right to call a referee who will make the judgment about the forbidden move. If the move is declared as forbidden, the opponent loses the game. If not, then the game continues. If the player does not claim victory right after the opponent had made a forbidden move and plays his next move instead, then the game continues and later claims about that forbidden move are invalid.
  • the opponent's time runs out.

The game ends with draw when...
  • the player offers a draw by saying "draw?" or "I offer a draw", and the opponent accepts it by shaking hands and stopping the clock. If the opponents plays his next move instead, the draw offer is rejected by that. The player has the right to offer a draw only after his move (while opponent's clock is running).
  • the board is completely full of stones and nobody claims victory.
  • there are two consecutive passes in a row (player 1 passes and player 2 passes).

THE USE OF CLOCK

  • The player must press the clock button with the same hand that puts the stone on the board.
  • If at any time the clock button is pressed by mistake, the referee has to be called immediately! The opponent's clock should not be pressed to fix the mistake because it would cause adding 30 seconds to both players.
  • If the player's action causes shifting of stones or other damage on board during his thinking time, the player has to recover the position on board before pressing the clock button. If it happens during opponent's thinking time, the opponent has a right to call a referee to evaluate the damage and take actions if needed.
  • The clock can be stopped by pressing the [||] button on the clock's control panel. Other clock operations are done by a referee.

FAIR PLAY AND ORDER

  • The player must not talk with other players and observers during the game. Very important talks can be made only in English and in front of referee.
  • The players who have not finished their game, can leave room only when accompanied by a referee.
  • Any kind of renju game related assistance is forbidden during a game!
  • Serious or multiple violations of above listed fair play rules can result with disqualification of the player.
  • The observers must be silent at all times while being in any of the tournament rooms during the round.
  • Smoking is not allowed anywhere in tournament building.
  • Alcohol is forbidden during the tournament. Obviously drunk players will not be allowed to play nor observe games.
  • The players must not bring food to the game tables! A special snacks table in the corner of tournament room can be used instead.

TIE BREAKING RULES
The tie breaking rules apply for AT, WT, BT and QT.

  1. Number of points
  2. Buchholz coefficient
  3. Berger coefficient
  4. Personal match between the players
  5. Number of wins
  6. If all criterias are the same, the players share the places, except when precise determination of places is required - in that case an extra match with 20 minutes per player is played (in case of 2 involved players). If the extra matches are to be played between 3 or more involved players with same tie break criterias, the referee will decide the time limit. If the tie was not broken, threre will be additional matches played until the tie is broken. The referee decides the time limit for those matches.

THE REFEREES
The main referee of World Championship is ...... . The tournament director may appoint additional referees, too. The referee uses RIF rules and current World Championship rules to make decisions. Any situation which is not explained in these rules can be decided by referee according to his best judgement. All the referee's decisions are final.

THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR
The tournament director is ...... .