Bylaws

Revised: September 9, 2023

The purpose of these Bylaws shall be to define specific policies governing the operation of the West Virginia Chess Association (WVCA) and the tournaments sponsored by the WVCA.

  1. The meetings of the Board of Directors of the WVCA shall be open to all members of the club. These attending members shall have the right to taking the floor but can not vote.
  2. The fee for a Regular membership to the WVCA is $20 for one year. The cost of a Life membership is $140. The family membership costs $40. The junior membership costs $10.
  3. Annual State Chess Championship conditions of contest:
    1. The tournament shall be named the “Thomas Bergquist Memorial”. It is permissible to use familiar language such as adding “WV State Chess Championship” in tournament announcements and using “WVCA Champion” on any trophies or plaques awarded to the winners.
    2. The annual State Championship shall be contested between August 1 and October 31.
    3. The tournament shall be a Swiss system event with at least 5 rounds. There will be one section, open to all players.
    4. The time control for the annual State Championship shall be at least 75 minutes per player.
    5. Any deviation to be above shall be submitted to the Board of Directors for approval.
    6. The TD has the discretion to designate how to break ties.
    7. The organizers of the State Championship are allowed to specify the entry fees.
    8. Any WVCA member is eligible to win a class trophy, regardless of residency.
    9. The local organization that is chosen to host the State Championship shall submit all details to WVCA officers four months prior to the latest time the announcements must be in to the USCF. A written contract with the site must be in existence. If this is not done, the President shall have the responsibility and financial authority to select an alternative site and sponsor the tournament.
    10. WVCA membership is required for in-state residents competing in the State Championship. Membership must be obtained before or at the start of the event. The State Championship title will not be awarded to anyone who did not obtain membership before or at the start of the event.
  4. The WVCA shall conduct a G/30 Action Championship to be held between March 1 and July 1. The tournament shall be a Swiss system event with at least 6 rounds. There will be one section, open to all players. The bid for the Action tournament is to be separate from that of the State Championship. Bids should be presented at the annual business meeting held before the State Championship. The same residency and WVCA membership requirements outlined in 3j for the State Championship apply to the Action Championship.
  5. The WVCA Scholastic Coordinator will organize a Junior Championship every year to be held between September 10 and November 30. The format is at the discretion of the tournament organizer. The same residency and WVCA membership requirements outlined in 3j for the State Championship apply to the Junior Championship. The Junior Championship is open to WVCA Junior Members only.
  6. The WVCA Scholastic Coordinator will organize a Scholastic Championship every year. The date, location, and format are at the discretion of the tournament organizer. The same residency outlined in 3h for the State Championship apply to the Scholastic Championship. WVCA membership is not required for participation in the Scholastic Championship. The WV Scholastic Coordinator will nominate representatives to national scholastic events based on the results of the Scholastic Championship. The Scholastic Coordinator may nominate alternates as necessary.
  7. The WVCA Senior Coordinator will organize a Senior Championship every year. The date, location, and format are at the discretion of the tournament organizer. The same residency and WVCA membership requirements outlined in 3j for the State Championship apply to the Senior Championship.
  8. The WVCA may also conduct a G/10 Quick Chess Championship during the State Championship.
  9. The WVCA may also conduct a G/5 Blitz Chess Championship during the State Championship.
  10. The Bidding Process for the right to host the State Championship and Action Championship will be held annually at the WVCA Business Meeting. The proposed format should be announced as part of the bid. No bids are required for the Junior Championship and Senior Championship.
  11. Bids to host the Action Championship and the State Championship will be accepted separately. If there are multiple bids for an event, then the membership present will vote on the hosting site with a simple majority needed. In case of a tie, the current Moderator will break the tie. If possible, a backup site should also be obtained in case the winning bid cannot fulfill their award. If no bids are received, the Board of Directors will be tasked with finding an appropriate site for the Tournament.
  12. The WVCA shall hold a Grand Prix Championship that will be based on performance over a year of events. The Grand Prix guidelines are as follows:

WVCA Grand Prix Rules

The Grand Prix is a yearly competition to reward overall performance rather than performance in an individual event. Grand Prix Points shall be calculated for each tournament and standings posted on the WVCA web site after each Grand Prix tournament is complete. Only members of WVCA can earn Grand Prix points.

  1. Grand Prix tournament requirements:
    1. A tourney must be open to all entrants.
    2. Must be at least four rounds.
    3. Time control must be G/60 or slower except for the WVCA Action Championship.
    4. The details of a Grand Prix event must be submitted to the board of directors for approval and inclusion in the Grand Prix cycle. The event must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the event date. The State Championship, Action Championship, and Mid-Ohio Valley Open/Parkersburg Homecoming are excluded from the approval process.
    5. Must be contested in West Virginia. A WV chess club may hold a Grand Prix tournament in a city bordering WV, such as Belpre, OH or Bluefield, VA.
    6. A Grand Prix event should be advertised as such on the WVCA website and other announcements.
  2. The Grand Prix cycle ends with the WVCA State Championship
  3. Prizes will be awarded as follows:
    1. 1st place shall be awarded $40 per Grand Prix event. 2nd place shall be awarded $20 per Grand Prix event. 3rd place shall be awarded $10 per Grand Prix event.
    2. Prizes shall be awarded after the completion of the WVCA State Championship. The Grand Prix coordinator shall attempt to have the calculations completed during the WVCA State Championship to present the awards at the end of the championship tournament.
  4. Grand Prix point calculation:
      1. Players shall be awarded Grand Prix points based on their scores in a tournament. A player will receive 10 times the win percentage they achieved in the event, excluding non-forced byes. For example: a player that scores 6.5 out of 7 will earn 10 * 6.5/7 = 9.3 points.
        1. A voluntary bye shall be counted as a loss for point calculation. The bonus point calculations below do not consider byes or other unplayed games. For example: a player that wins 3 games and takes a half-point bye for the last round will earn 10 * 3/4 = 7.5 points.
        2. Grand Prix points will be awarded at a reduced rate for a reserve section of a tournament. If the reserve section is Under 1800 or above (U2000, U2200, etc.), the rate shall be 75% of the open section. If the reserve section is between Under 1400 and Under 1799, the rate shall be 50% of the open section. For reserve sections below Under 1400, the rate shall be 25% of the open section. For example: a player that finishes with 3/4 in the Under 1600 section will be awarded 10 * 3/4 * .50 = 3.75 points.
      2. Players will receive one point for participating in an event.
      3. Bonus points shall be awarded as follows1:
    State Championship Action Championship
    1st 20 1st 14
    2nd 14 2nd 10
    3rd 8 3rd 6
    Class2 4 Class 3
    Open section > 15 players3 Open section <= 15 players
    1st 10 1st 6
    2nd 6 2nd 4
    3rd 4 3rd 2
    Class 2 Class 1
    Reserve section > 15 players4 Reserve section <= 15 players
    1st 4 1st 2
    Class 2 Class 1

    1 Non-WVCA members are to be used in the calculation of place and class prizes. They will not be included on the standings list, but their places in an event shall be used in the calculation. For example: If a non-member wins first place and a member places second, the member will only be awarded the second place bonus points.

    2 Class Prizes are to be awarded to those rated Under 1200, Under 1400, Under 1600, Under 1800, and Under 2000. The prizes are awarded in the same manner as cash prizes. For example: if two players rated 1700 finish with a higher score than a player rated 1900, they will split the bonus points for the Under 2000 and Under 1800 class prizes. A player is awarded the higher point total if he/she qualifies for multiple prizes. The USCF rule book shall be consulted on any other circumstances not explained above.

    3 The total number of players in a tournament is used to determine the classification of a split-section tournament. For example: if 7 players are in the Open section and 9 in the Reserve section, the tournament qualifies for the higher Grand Prix points based on having more than 15 total players.

    4 In a split-section tournament, class prizes will only be awarded in the lowest section possible for that class. Furthermore, no class prizes will be awarded for the highest class of a reserve section. For example: In a tournament with an Open section and an Under 1600 section, class prizes for Under 1400 and Under 1200 will only be awarded to those in the reserve section. Under 1400 or 1200 players in the Open section are considered to be “playing up” and must compete for the Under 1800 and Under 2000 class prizes (or place prizes). There will also be no Under 1600 class prizes as this is the highest rating group of the section.

Example Calculations based on this system:

2006 WV Action Championship – 8 players, 1 section

Name Rating Score Bonus 10*W Part. Total
Benjamin Good 2007 6.5/7 14 (1st) 9.3 1 24.3
Donald Griffith 2065 5.5/7 10 (2nd) 7.9 1 18.9
Jim Fields 1578 5.0/7 6 (3rd) 7.1 1 14.1
Mike Turner 1747 4.5/7 3 (U1800) 5.7 1 9.7
Daniel Parrish 1407 3.0/7 3 (U1600) 4.3 1 8.3
Al Valentine 1332 2.5/7 3 (U1400) 3.6 1 7.6
Brian Hammons Unr. 1.0/7 3 (U1200) 1.4 1 5.4
Caleb Houben Unr. 0.0/7 0 0 1 1.0

2006 Morgantown Open – 17 players, 2 sections

Open Section

Name Rating Score Bonus 10*W Part. Total
Thomas Magar* 2201 3.5/4 10 (1st) 8.8 1 19.8
David Hines 1966 3.0/4 6 (2nd) 7.5 1 14.5
Jens Madsen 2107 2.5/4 4 (3rd) 6.3 1 11.3
Shih-Houng Young 1870 2.0/4 .7 (U2000/3) 3.1 1 4.8
Mike Baker 1612 2.0/4 .7 (U2000/3) 3.1 1 4.8
Danny Balter* 1576 2.0/4 .7 (U2000/3) 3.1 1 4.8
Mike Felton 1762 1.0/4 0 2.5 1 3.5
Jeff Hohn 1821 0.0/4 0 0 1 1.0

Reserve Section (U1800) – 75% Bonus Rate

Name Rating Score Bonus 7.5*W Part. Total
Josh Mankey* 1577 4.0/4 4 (1st) 7.5 1 12.5
Musat Crihalmeanu Unr. 2.5/4 2 (U1600) 4.7 1 7.7
Terry Wassell 1376 2.5/4 2 (U1400) 4.7 1 7.7
Xiaowen Wu 960 2.5/4 2 (U1200) 4.7 1 7.7
Paul Yearling** 1529 2.0/4 0 2.8 1 3.8
Martin Harper 1457 2.0/4 0 3.8 1 4.8
Yipeng Sun 1237 2.0/4 0 3.8 1 4.8
Tudor Crihalmeanu 1069 1.0/4 0 1.9 1 2.9
Theodore Webb Unr. 1.0/4 0 1.9 1 2.9

* Not WVCA member    ** Paul Yearling had a 1/2 point bye, score is 1.5/4 for GP calculation

Revised: September 9, 2023