British Go Championship Procedures

This Book describes many of the detailed procedures involved in running the British Championship, starting from the Candidates' Tournament, including the Challengers' League and the Title Match.

Candidates' Tournament - Schedule 2011

SELWYN COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

CHADWICK ROOM

Saturday 30th April	Registration	09:15 – 10:00
	Round 1	10:00 – 13:15
	Round 2	14:15 – 17:30
Sunday 1st May	Round 3	10:00 – 13:15
	Round 4	14:15 – 17:30
Monday 2nd May	Round 5	10:00 – 13:15
	Round 6	14:15 – 17:30
	Close	18:00

Candidates' Tournament - Rules

STYLE:	The Candidates' is a 6 round Swiss tournament conforming to BGA championship rules 2010. The rules of play are AGA-style as specified by the BGA.
KOMI:	Komi is 7½ points awarded during counting at the end of the game.
TIME LIMITS:	Ninety Minutes per player.
OVERTIME:	The Canadian overtime system is used, with 20 stones in 5 minutes. Once you have played all the required stones, reset the clock. You lose on time if the flag falls before you have played all your stones.
KIBBITZ:	Spectators are not allowed to comment on any aspect of the game between two players, including timing. If any apparent infringements are observed, please inform the referee who will then take any appropriate action.
DISPUTES:	In case of any dispute that you can't resolve under the rules, consult the referee.
QUALIFIERS:	The top seven players qualify for the Challengers' League.
RULES OF PLAY:	Games are played under BGA tournament rules (AGA-style) as specified in: rulesofplay.pdf [1]

Candidates' Tournament - Overtime

When your main time flag falls you are in overtime, and you carry out the following procedure for Canadian Overtime:

Ask your opponent to stop the clock and to reset yours to 5 minutes to 6 o'clock.
Without delay, count the 20 overtime stones from your bowl.
Cover your bowl with the lid. (Prisoners should be transferred to another lid).
Then restart the clock.
Play all the overtime stones before the flag falls.
If you pass, hand an overtime stone to your opponent, then press the clock.
If you use all your overtime stones, immediately repeat the procedure from point number 1.

If your flag falls while you still have overtime stones to play, you lose.
If your flag falls while pressing the clock to complete a move or a pass, you lose.
If a player points out that his/her opponent’s flag has fallen during overtime, then the player has won even if both flags have fallen.

Spectators must not comment on any aspect of the procedure, but should call the referee if they notice anything amiss.

You may not stop the clock to capture stones, even in overtime.

The referee may intervene if the overtime procedure is not properly observed.

Challengers' League - Schedule

27th May – 30th May 2011

International Students House, 229 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5PN

MOBILE PHONE:

Tournament Director:

Referee:

Friday 27	Registration	09:45 – 10:00
	Round 1	10:00 – 14:00
	Round 2	14:30 – 18:30
Saturday 28	Round 3	10:00 - 14:00
	Round 4	14:30 – 18:30
Sunday 29	Round 5	10:00 - 14:00
	Round 6	14:30 – 18:30
Monday 30	Round 7	10:00 - 14:00
	Round 8	14:30 – 17:30

Round 8 is only needed if there is a play-off.

Challengers' League - Rules

STYLE:	All play all for 7 rounds using Round Robin pairing. Seating for round 1 decided at random. Colours are pre-assigned for rounds 1 to 7. Choose Black by nigiri for play-off if required.
TIME LIMITS:	MAIN TIME 105 minutes for rounds 1 to 7 90 minutes for play-off (if required) OVERTIME 15 moves in 5 minutes for rounds 1 to 7 20 moves in 5 minutes for play-off (if required)
KOMI:	Komi is 7½ awarded during counting
RULES OF PLAY:	Games are played under BGA tournament rules (AGA-style) as specified in: rulesofplay.pdf [1]

Challengers' League - Overtime

When your main time flag falls you are in overtime, and you carry out the following procedure for Canadian Overtime:

Ask your opponent to stop the clock and to reset yours to 5 minutes to 6 o'clock.
Without delay, count the 15 overtime stones from your bowl.
Cover your bowl with the lid. (Prisoners should be transferred to another lid).
Then restart the clock.
Play all the overtime stones before the flag falls.
If you pass, hand an overtime stone to your opponent, then press the clock.
If you use all your overtime stones, immediately repeat the procedure from point number 1.

If your flag falls while you still have overtime stones to play, you lose.
If your flag falls while pressing the clock to complete a move or a pass, you lose.
If a player points out that his/her opponent’s flag has fallen during overtime, then the player has won even if both flags have fallen.

Spectators must not comment on any aspect of the procedure, but should call the referee if they notice anything amiss.

You may not stop the clock to capture stones, even in overtime.

The referee may intervene if the overtime procedure is not properly observed.

Challengers' League - Draw and Results

		A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H	WINS
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H

Round	Board	Players B v W
1	1	H v A
	2	G v B
	3	C v F
	4	E v D
2	1	G v A
	2	B v E
	3	D v C
	4	F v H
3	1	F v A
	2	C v B
	3	H v D
	4	E v G
4	1	A v E
	2	B v H
	3	G v C
	4	D v F
5	1	D v A
	2	F v B
	3	C v E
	4	H v G
6	1	A v C
	2	B v D
	3	E v H
	4	G v F
7	1	B v A
	2	H v C
	3	D v G
	4	F v E

Title Match - Referee Guidelines

The Rules for the British Championship [2] require there to be a Referee who is appointed by the Championships Organiser. This document summarises the Referees Duties.

The Championship Organiser will have:

arranged a suitable venue
ensured that the participants attend
arranged for a good quality set and clock to be available
ensure that a demonstration board is available in a nearby but separate location, if appropriate

The referees duties are to:

attend the Match
agree a match timetable (including lunch) with the participants)
keep a paper record of the game (this is required, irrespective of whether or not the game is transmitted electronically)
adjudicate on any disputes, and interpret the Rules. This is considered to be unlikely,. In over 20 years there has never been a dispute. The referee is expected to rule immediately on disputes over the conduct of the match (e.g. late arrival, disruptive behaviour, etc). In the event of a dispute on the rules of Go (see for example BGJ 136), it is accepted that the Referee will (perforce) be weaker than either of the players and he/she may need to consult others before making a decision. The Referee has unlimited powers to undertake such consultations, but may not delegate his/her powers.
Ensure security; as there may be considerable discussion about the game (possibly of a professional level) it is important to ensure that their comments cannot, even inadvertently, get to the participants. Participants mobile telephones or PDAs should be temporarily held by the Referee.
Handle the sealed move. This will require a paper diagram of the position, with the sealed move marked by the relevant player. The diagram should be sealed in an envelope and kept by the Referee.
Provide tea/coffee/water
Take the players to lunch (paid for by the BGA)
Report the Result.

In addition, there is significant demand for the match to be broadcast on the Internet. The choice of server is up to the computer operator. To broadcast the match the following are required:

a dedicated computer (probably laptop). Please note that it is not feasible to use the BGA Draw computer if it is in use at tournament
Internet connection
The required software will need to be installed and tested on the computer before the game starts
A skilled operator needs to be present at the match to input the moves. This can be the same person as the Referee. The operator needs to understand KGS, to be able to undo mistakes, to sort out minor hardware/software problems and to provide factual comments (e.g. how much time the participants have used). The operator is not to provide opinions or ask questions (e.g. does G6 kill?).
Seek professional or very strong amateur level comments. The BGA may provide a budget for this.

Reasonable out of pocket expenses (including lunch) for the Referee will be paid by the BGA.

Title Match - Rules

STYLE:	Best of three games. Black is decided by Nigiri at round 1; thereafter colours alternate.
NIGIRI:	The senior aged player takes some stones out of the white bowl. The junior player tries to guess the parity. If correct, junior takes black, otherwise senior takes black. If players have exactly the same age, then the stronger player is senior, as decided by the ranking in the Challengers' League.
TIME LIMITS:	MAIN TIME 180 minutes OVERTIME 10 moves in 10 minutes.
KOMI:	Komi is 7½ awarded during counting
DAME:	It is advised to play all dame on the clock in order to avoid any end of game ambiguity
ADJOURNMENT:	Either player can adjourn for lunch at the scheduled time. A sealed move is marked on the recording sheet provided along with the times of each player and the number of captives. The sheet is kept by the referee till resumption.
RULES OF PLAY:	Games are played under BGA tournament rules (AGA-style) as specified in: rulesofplay.pdf [1]

Title Match - Overtime

If your main time flag falls:

Count 10 stones from the bowl and make them visible to your opponent.
Close the bowl.
Referee resets the clock to 10 minutes.
Play all 10 stones before the flag falls.
When all your stones are finished, repeat the above steps.
When passing, give a stone to your opponent, then press the clock!

You must play the last of the 10 stones and press the clock before the flag falls. If the flag falls when you are in overtime, you lose.