The aim of the Ladder tournament is to enable new members to the Fareham Chess Club to meet with existing members in competitive chess. It serves to give all members the opportunity of acquiring ECF standard play ratings. ECF Bronze membership or higher is required to play in the Ladder tournament.    

Initial positions on the Ladder are determined in order of grade = standard rating (or alternative rapid rating if no standard play rating is available) with the lowest rated at the top of the Ladder.

You may challenge anyone who is one, two, three, or four places above you on the Ladder (active players). 

All games to be played on the clock – set at 60 minutes plus 10 second increment.

If you are challenged to a Ladder game at the club before 8pm, and you are not already in a game – you must play – declining to play is treated as a loss for the purposes of the Ladder (but will not be rated).  

Once a challenge is accepted, neither the challenger nor the player being challenged may make or accept another challenge.

The choice of colours is made with one of the players choosing a black or white pawn from a closed hand.

•          If the lower-ranked player wins, the lower-ranked player takes the higher-ranked player’s position on the Ladder, and the higher-ranked player moves down one place.

•          If the higher-ranked player wins, there is no change in the players’ rankings.

•          If the game ends in a draw, the lower-ranked player takes the position just below the higher-ranked player. 

After a game has been played, the players rankings will be updated on the FCC website.

Only one Ladder game can be played in an evening.

After a Ladder game is played, both players must play a Ladder game against another player before they can play each other again.

You can email or text an eligible opponent in advance to arrange a game, but it will not count as a loss if your opponent is unable or does not wish to play for any reason.

Games will be submitted for rating purposes. The moves must be recorded until the last 5 minutes.

The top three players on a date TBA, having played a minimum of 6-games during the season will have a play-off to decide the overall winner. The players lying in second and third place will play each other (the 2nd placed player has white) and the winner of this game will play the player in first place (with the 1st placed player having the white pieces). In the event of a draw in either of the play-off games Armageddon rules will apply. Time limit 10:7 minutes with Black having the draw advantage.