Overview

The Boylston Chess Club runs a ladder tournament on Thursday evenings. At the start of the year, club members are placed on the ladder based on their current ratings. Based on results throughout the year players move up and down the ladder, with playoff matches for annual prizes over the summer and during January.

Current standings

Ladder Rules

  1. Rank one (1) is the top position on the ladder. Any club member may join the ladder at any time, however they will be placed below all members who have played at least one match.
  2. Any player on the ladder may challenge a player ranked one to four rungs above.
  3. Once a challenge has been issued, the challenged player may not make a challenge until the accepted challenge has been played.
  4. Players must entertain a challenge from a lower ranked player before making a second challenge up the ladder.
  5. The tournament director will assist with challenges to ensure that everyone has a game, and may at his or her discretion assign players to matches.
  6. If a player is defeated in a challenge, they are entitled to a rematch challenge.
  7. If the lower ranked player wins, the lower ranked player is moved into the position of the higher ranked player, and players between the two are then moved down one position.
  8. If the higher ranked player wins, there are no changes to the ladder positions.
  9. In the event of a draw, a blitz tiebreak will be played.
  10. Ladder games are USCF rated, and standard USCF rules are enforced (the club blitz rules will be used for tie break games).
  11. Games will be submitted for rating monthly.
  12. The default time control for ladder games is G/90 + 10, however if both players agree, they may instead play two games at G/45 + 5.
  13. If a player misses two consecutive weeks they will be moved down one rank on the ladder.
  14. The initial ladder rankings will be based on ratings, ordered inversely (so the highest rated players will start at the bottom of the ladder). Members may join the ladder at any time in January and the first half of February and will be initially placed based on rating (regardless of the standard rule that late joiners start at the bottom).