ARTICLE
I. NAME
The name of
this organization shall be the Oregon High School Chess Team Association (the “Association” or OHSCTA.)
ARTICLE
II. PURPOSES
The purpose
of the Association shall be:
A)
To provide an annual State Chess Team Tournament at which State Champions will be determined from among the
participating
high school chess teams.
B)
To encourage new chess leagues to form and existing chess leagues to continue.
ARTICLE
III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Members
of the OHSCTA shall be the chess teams of Oregon high schools affiliated with a chess league and/or district recognized by
the Executive Director and other schools recognized by the Executive Director.
ARTICLE
IV. OFFICERS AND DUTIES
Section 1. The
Board of Officers shall consist of the Executive Director, the Executive Director-elect, the Treasurer, and the Secretary.
The Treasurer and Secretary shall be appointed by the Executive Director, but may be subject to recall by the membership under
ARTICLE X below. For legal purposes, the Board of Directors shall consist of the Executive Director, the Treasurer,
and the Secretary, but if one or more of those offices are vacant, the vacancies shall be filled first by the Executive Director-elect,
and then by League Directors, based on their seniority in the Association.
Section 2. The
Executive Director and Executive Director-elect shall be the duly authorized advisors of member chess teams.
Section 3. The
Executive Director-elect shall be elected to a one-year term in even numbered years, and upon completion of the term, shall
serve as Executive Director for two years.
Section 4. The
duties of the Executive Director shall be as follows:
a. To collect
and distribute information to league directors (minutes, announcements, etc.)
b. To maintain
a list of Association members.
c. To initiate
the annual State Tournament by announcing the site, time, etc. to the Tournament Organizer and the league directors.
d. To conduct
any voting which does not occur at a meeting by e-mail and report the results.
e. To call
and preside over the annual meeting at the State Tournament and any other special meetings deemed necessary.
f. To appoint
committees and sub-committees appropriate to the business of the Association.
g. To appoint
a Tournament Organizer.
h. To act
as spokesperson for the Association in matters concerning school officials, the media, and other chess organizations.
i. To interpret
the meaning of this Constitution between tournaments.
j. To maintain
the financial records of the Association and to make a financial report at the annual meeting.
k. To set
the annual registration fee for the State Tournament in cooperation with the Tournament Organizer.
l. To appoint
a successor for the remainder of the term should the Executive Director be unable to complete the term of office, and the
Executive Director-elect position be vacant. Otherwise the Executive Director-elect shall assume the role of Executive
Director.
m. To advise
the Executive-Director elect in regard to the duties, organization, and information necessary to the job of Executive Director.
This training will occur in the second year of the current Executive Director’s term.
n. To pay
all financial obligations of the tournament with available Association funds.
o. To appoint
a Treasurer and a Secretary and to direct them as to their duties and responsibilities, which the Executive Director shall
define.
Section 5. Each
league shall designate a director who shall have the following responsibilities to the OHSCTA:
a. To maintain
an annual list of member schools in the league and forward a copy to the Executive Director by November 30th of each year.
The list should include the name of each participating school, and the name of the faculty advisor/coach of each team, along
with their contact information.
b. To report
league standings to the Executive Director no later than one week prior to the State Tournament date.
c. To forward
all information from the Tournament Organizer to the schools in the league.
Section 6. The
Tournament Organizer shall be selected by the Executive Director during the State Tournament and the duties of the organizer
are as follows:
a. To arrange
for the tournament date and site and notify the Executive Director no later than October 31st.
b. To arrange
for a Tournament Director.
c. To set
registration fees for the tournament in cooperation with the Executive Director.
d. To send
notices of the tournament by December 1 to all League Directors and the NW Chess magazine announcing the place, date, time
of tournament rounds, the Tournament Director, registration fees, and time of any meetings to be held during the tournament.
e. To shop
for trophies as directed by this constitution and the Executive Director.
f. By January
31st, to send names of motels/hotels, eating places, and directions to the tournament site to all parties on the Executive
Director's mailing list and post this list on the Association's website
g. Prior
to the tournament, to arrange for name plates of teams participating and for materials to construct the tournament scoreboard.
h. To set
up a registration desk to accept all fees and names of all players by board position.
i. To introduce
the Tournament Director and make announcements before the tournament begins, and as needed between tournament rounds.
j. To award
trophies at the conclusion of the tournament.
k. To invite
media representatives to the tournament and forward tournament results to them.
l. To prepare
recommendations for the following year's tournament and forward them to the Executive Director.
ARTICLE
V. MEETINGS
Section 1. The
Association shall meet annually during the State Tournament.
Section 2. The
agenda for the annual meeting shall include:
a. Annual
report of the Association given by the Executive Director
b. League reports
c. Tournament issues
d. Committee
reports
e. Tournament Organizer’s report
f. Elections
g. Amendments to the Constitution
h. The
date and potential sites for the following year’s tournament
i. Other items of interest to the members
Section 3. The
advisor of any chess team affiliated with a league of the Association, or otherwise recognized by the Executive Director,
is allowed one vote and may participate as a voting member even though his/her team is not entered in the tournament.
Section 4.The
dates of the following year’s tournament will be set during the annual meeting.
ARTICLE
VI. FEES
Section 1. Each
chess team participating in the annual tournament will pay a fee determined by the Executive Director and the tournament organizer
prior to the tournament.
Section 2. Any
school which has not paid its fee prior to the start of the tournament will be disqualified.
Section 3. All
money is to be expended for the purchase of trophies, the Tournament Director’s fee and mileage, phone and mailing costs
of the Association and tournament organizer, and any other expenditures necessary to the tournament or approved by a majority
of the voting members at the tournament.
ARTICLE
VII. TOURNAMENT ELIGIBILITY
Section 1.
a. All
players on a “Varsity” team must attend the high school they represent, participate in an alternative program
sponsored by that high school, or, if home-schooled, must reside in the high school’s attendance area. Players
in this division must be in grades 9-12.
b. Players
on a “Junior Varsity” team must attend the high school they represent, or a middle school that feeds directly
into that high school, or participate in an alternative program sponsored by that high school, or, if home-schooled, must
reside in the high school’s attendance area. Players in this division must be in grades 6-12.
Section 2. Each
team must be properly sanctioned by the high school it represents. Upon registration, or at the very latest, upon arrival
at the tournament, each team’s advisor shall present a letter on the high school’s stationery, signed by the principal
or activities director, listing each player’s name and grade, and stating each player’s status--how s/he is qualified
to represent the school under Article VII, Section 1 above. These letters will be available for inspection by all advisors,
and the Board of Officers must resolve any questions or challenges before the team(s) under scrutiny can continue in the competition.
Players declared ineligible by the Board of Officers as the result of a challenge under this section will forfeit any completed
games. An officer whose team is directly impacted by debate under this section may not vote in the decision about eligibility.
Section
3. No school may enter more than one team in the “Varsity” division. Each high school is limited to one
team in the Junior Varsity division, and each Junior Varsity team must have at least one high-school player. The name
of the team shall be the same as the high school they represent. The Executive Director may set the same requirement for other
divisions as well.
Section 4. Each
school must be represented by an adult advisor, sanctioned by the school the team represents. A team’s advisor
is responsible for the conduct of each member of the team at all times during the tournament.
Section 5. Each
team will consist of not more than five (5) players and board positions must be established on ability to play with board
#1 representing the best player.
a. Each
team will provide a list of its team members when registering for the tournament and the players must be listed according
to board positions they will play during the tournament. Any changes in board position during the tournament must be
approved by the Executive Director before a match begins. Failure to get approval could result in a forfeit of the board
or boards involved.
b. The
Tournament Organizer or the Executive Director may demand certification of board alignment. The league directors may
certify the alignment from records kept during league competition.
Section 6. Players
are limited to four years of eligibility to play in the “Varsity” division.
Section 7. In
addition to the “Varsity” and “JV” divisions, the Executive Director may authorize other individual
or team divisions to be held concurrently within the OHSCTA annual tournament, or at other times as s/he deems appropriate
to encourage high school chess.
Section 8. Advisors
attending the tournament have the power to make such judgments as are necessary for conducting the tournament on matters of
eligibility and conduct of players, teams and advisors. A simple majority of the total number of advisors in attendance
shall constitute a quorum with only one vote being allowed for each school represented.
Section 9. Any
team disqualified on the grounds of ineligibility and which has participated in the tournament until ineligibility was noted
will not have its forfeited games counted in either team or tie breaker points.
ARTICLE
VIII. TOURNAMENT COMPETITION
Section 1. The
State Tournament shall be held once each year, on a Friday and the following Saturday, no sooner
than February 20 and no later than March 8. The tournament shall, when feasible, follow the tradition of giving the first
opportunity to host to a school in northern Oregon during odd-numbered years, and outside that area during even-numbered
years.
For our organization's
purposes, "northern Oregon" shall consist of Multnomah, Clackamas, Washington, Yamhill, and Columbia counties.
If no suitable
facility is available in the area designated for a given year by September 25th of the preceding year, the site requirement
shall be waived and any facility that wishes to offer itself as a possibility may notify the Executive Director or his/her
designee of a desire to host. By October 10th, the Board of Officers, consisting of the Executive Director, the Treasurer,
and the Secretary, shall consider the applications and designate a site for the tournament, attempting as closely as possible
to meet the requirements listed in this Constitution.
Some sites may
find it necessary to charge for the use of their facilities. In that case, all foreseeable costs must be disclosed when
the facility makes its application to host the tournament. The Board of Officers shall examine these disclosures and
determine whether to:
a)
Absorb the cost
b) Charge teams more to help defray expenses, or
c) Decline the site's application
based on the projected costs.
Changes in disclosed
costs will also be discussed by the Board of Officers, which reserves the right to withdraw hosting privileges if necessary.
Although the
site requirement is flexible, the date requirement shall only be waived in the case of extreme emergency. The Board
of Officers, in cooperation with the Tournament Host, shall determine the degree of emergency and shall attempt to establish
new dates for the tournament as close to the original dates and site as is practicable under the circumstances.
Section
2. The Association, in an effort to recognize and accommodate the needs of schools of various sizes, will award a state championship
trophy for each of the six OSAA classifications (that is, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, and 1A.) in both divisions (Varsity and Junior
Varsity).
Additionally,
the team winning their respective tournament will be declared the overall State Champion.
a. Five round
tournaments will be held for each division using swiss pairings.
b. In order to
help determine classification champions, the pairings for the rounds previous to the final round will make every attempt to
force teams with the same school classification to be paired against each other, provided it doesn't mean leaving standard
scoregroup pairing methods; the final round pairings will be done using normal swiss without any pairing restrictions. No
manual pairings will be made.
Section 3. The
Official International Rules of Chess (USCF version) shall be followed at all times unless otherwise stipulated. The
Tournament Director shall be the final arbiter on all matters of interpretation of these rules.
Section 4. The
recording of moves by both players, except in the last five minutes of either player's time, is mandatory unless the Tournament
Director makes an exception.
Section 5. Chess
clocks must be used on all games unless exempted by the Tournament Director.
Section 6. Teams
may compete with fewer than five members, but must fill board one first, then board two, and so on, forfeiting any unoccupied
boards. Boards uncontested by both teams carry no point value when determining the final score of the match.
Section 7. The
winning player of a game is responsible for filling out the scorecard immediately after it the game is completed. Failure
to report could result in the Tournament Director declaring the game a draw. Drawn games shall be reported by both players.
Section 8. One
player from each team shall be designated as team captain. The team captain is spokesperson for the team while a match
is in progress. A team captain may be consulted by a team member on matters of the team’s current score and advice
on drawing a game if the opponent offers one, however this advice shall be based on the overall team situation and not an
analysis of the position of the board in question.
Section 9. An
advisor/coach may not communicate with any player whose game is in progress on matters pertaining to that game or any other
game of the team.
Section 10.
Any team found guilty of deliberately “stacking” its boards during the tournament will forfeit all won games of
the team during that match.
Section 11.
During competition the only conversation permitted between two players will be that which is allowed by the International
Rules of Chess. All violations will be reported to the Tournament Director immediately for consideration.
Section 12.
While any game is in progress during a tournament certain conduct by players as well as spectators is considered unacceptable.
All complaints shall be reported to the Tournament Director for his discretion. If any action should persist after one
warning from the Tournament Director to the offenders, the game or games may be forfeited and in the case of spectators, they
may be removed from the tournament room for the duration of the tournament.
a. Property
Offenses by Players. Any player who is determined to have entered an area marked or described as "closed" without permission
from an official, or who litters or vandalizes the property of the host school may, upon the first offense, be warned by the
Executive Director or his/her representative. The offending player's coach will be notified of the warning. If there is a
second property offense during the tournament by the same player, the player shall be suspended from participating in any
remaining games or matches. If, in the opinion of the Executive Director, the first offense is of a severe nature, s/he may
move immediately to suspension. Any player who is determined to have stolen from other players or coaches, or from the host
facility, or from the Association or its officers, shall be suspended from competition for the remainder of the tournament.
The Association retains the right to press formal criminal charges if, in the consideration of the Executive Director, the
situation merits such action.
Section 13.
All games forfeited because of conduct problems shall not be counted in arriving at tie breaking points.
Section
14. Match points determine placement in a "score group." If there is more than one team in a score group at the end of the
tournament, and if, for the purpose of determining final standings and awards, it is necessary to break the tie(s), the following
tie-breaking systems shall be employed:
1. Head-to-head
match during the tournament.
2. If, after applying
the systems above there is still a tie, the tied teams shall play a "double" blitz match consisting of two rounds of game/5.
The teams will flip for colors and the winner of the flip will have the white pieces in the first game and then Black in the
second.
At the end of
the 2 rounds, the team having won more of the 10 blitz games will be considered the higher finishing team.
3. In the event
that more than 2 teams are tied in a score group after applying the "blitz" tie-breaker, the Tournament Director will have
sole discretion over how to proceed, and his/her decision shall be final and not subject to appeal.
Section 15.
The seeding system for the tournaments will be based on Northwest Scholastic Rating System or other available ratings.
The Executive Director will supply the Tournament Directors with full instructions as to the procedures to determine the appropriate
seeds. These instructions will also be made available to all interested parties at least two weeks before the tournament date.
Section 16.
Time controls for each division and classification will be determined by the Executive Director once it is clear how many
teams are participating in that division. The Executive Director shall establish time controls which, in his/her opinion,
give each player and team the best possible opportunity to conduct the games with the greatest degree of skill, but which
also meet the needs of the Association and its members and hosts. Unless, in the opinion of the Executive Director,
extraordinary circumstances arise, time controls, once established, should remain the same throughout all rounds of
competition.
ARTICLE
IX. ELECTRONIC DEVICES
Section 1. As
a general matter of policy, NO electronic devices are to be used during games. All cell phones, handhelds, CD players,
MP-3 players, and the like are to be turned off.
Section 2. If
a player's cell phone rings during their game, that player's advisor/coach will assume custody of the phone until the player
is finished with their game, and the Tournament Director will note the violation.
Section 3. If,
during the remainder of the tournament, there is another violation, the player will forfeit the game being played when the
violation occurs, and will be suspended from the rest of the tournament.
Section 4. If a player is discovered to be giving or receiving advice regarding a game, involving
the use of a cell phone, pocket computer or other electronic device, the player will forfeit the game played, and that
player and any other player(s) involved will be suspended from the rest of the tournament.
Section 5. If, before the match begins, a player expresses to the Tournament Director that there is
a reason s/he believes it is necessary to have a cell phone turned on, and the player is willing to leave the phone in his/her
advisor's possession (on “vibrate”) in anticipation of the call, and if all agree that this is appropriate given
the circumstances, the player will be permitted to receive a call during the match without penalty. While taking the call,
the player must leave the playing area, accompanied by the official in charge of the match (to be certain the call has nothing
to do with the game) and the player's clock will continue to run while s/he is dealing with the call. This exception
should be employed in only the most serious of circumstances.
ARTICLE
X RECALL OF OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers of the Association serve at the pleasure of the members.
If at any time, a member wishes to begin the process to recall an officer, s/he may do so by stating this at the annual meeting
or by posting it on the general OHSCTA e-mail site, along with any additional information the member believes supports his/her
challenge. Such recall challenges shall be made only during the school year (September through May, excluding holiday
and vacation periods). Appropriate reasons for recalling officers include, but are not limited to, mishandling or misappropriation
of funds, dishonesty, favoritism, or prejudice related to the exercise of the office, failure or refusal to execute the responsibilities
of the office as stated in this Constitution, or other similarly serious charges.
Section 2. Persons making
such challenges should do so only after consulting with the officer(s) in question, if possible, and with other members, if
appropriate, being certain that the things they allege are, to the best of their knowledge, true, and that other remedies
to solve the problem have been exhausted. A description of these efforts to communicate and address the problem, and
their results, should be part of the initial posting containing the recall proposal.
Section 3. The officer so
challenged has two weeks from the issuance of the challenge to respond to it by stating his/her side of the issue, or by agreeing
to relinquish the office.
Section
4. After the two weeks of the challenge have expired, if the officer so challenged has not agreed to relinquish the office,
members, including the officer in question, have one week to vote publicly on the OHSCTA e-mail site. If at least half
of the active advisors vote, and if at least two-thirds of the votes cast are in favor of the recall, the officer is recalled.
Section 5.An officer so challenged but not recalled shall not be subject to another challenge related to the
same charge and the same incident as the one that prompted the original challenge.
Section 6. No
member who unsuccessfully challenged an officer may initiate another challenge to recall that officer for a period of at least
six months, unless it is on a charge of reprisal resulting from the previous attempt at recall.
Section 7. No
officer whether successfully recalled or not, shall impose any penalty, official or not, nor effect any other
type of reprisal, on anyone who initiates or supports a recall effort against him or her.
Section 8. Officers
recalled from office retain their rights as members of the Association provided they comply with the needs of the organization,
such as forwarding all materials related to their office on a timely basis to the person who succeeds them in that office.
ARTICLE
XI. AWARDS
Trophies will
be awarded at the conclusion of the tournament to the champions of the six classifications in each of the "Varsity" and "Junior
Varsity" divisions. Other trophies may be awarded at the discretion of the Executive Director. These trophies
shall be retained permanently by the winners.
ARTICLE
XII. AMENDMENTS
This constitution
can be amended at any State Tournament meeting or special meeting called by the Executive Director, or by mail or e-mail ballot,
providing all members have an opportunity to vote, and at least twelve (12) member schools are present or respond, and the
vote is a two-thirds majority of those attending or responding.
