Wednesday 14 May 2014

Zone 4.3 - Windhoek, Namibia - Tournament Regulations

2014 Zone 4.3 Individual Chess Championships 







22 June - 1 July 2014 
Windhoek, Namibia 




Under the auspices of African Chess Confederation, the Namibia Chess Federation has the honour of inviting Zone 4.3 Federations to participate in the 2014 Zonal Championships.


1. 2014 Zone 4.3 Chess Championships (Open and Women’s event) 

1.1 The Namibia Chess Federation has the honour to invite all Chess Federations in Zone 4.3 and affiliated to FIDE, to participate in the 2014 Zone 4.3 Open and Women Championships. The Championships will be held from the 22nd June to the 1st July 2014 in Windhoek, Namibia.

2. Playing Venue 

2.1 The tournament will be held at Hotel Safari which is about 5km from the City’s Central Business District (CBD). It is the same venue which hosted the 2007 African Individual Chess Championships. The playing hall and lodging facilities are all encompassed within Safari Hotel.

2.2 Accommodation facilities will be available from 22nd June (arrival) until 1st July 2014 (departure).

3. Participants 

3.1 Zone 4.3 region is composed of Chess Federations from the following countries:
 Angola 
 Botswana 
 Comoros Islands 
 Democratic Republic of Congo 
 Lesotho 
 Madagascar 
 Malawi 
 Mauritius 
 Mozambique 
 Namibia 
 South Africa 
 Swaziland 
 Zambia 
 Zimbabwe 

3.2 In accordance with FIDE regulations statutes, the Zone 4.3 Individual Championships are open to all players from Federations within Zone 4.3 region which are affiliated to FIDE.

3.3 Federations will be allowed to bring a maximum of Five (5) players in each section. The host federation reserves the right to field Seven (7) players in each section (as per ACC regulations) and also hold a player in reserve that can be used if there is odd number of participants.

3.4 Registration forms for entries are attached herein; Federation officials must fill them in on or before 14th June 2014 and sent them strictly by e-mail to: president@namibiachessfederation.com to confirm entry.

3.5 Subject to the agreement with the organizers, the Continental President may allow additional participants for the tournament.


4. System and rate of play 

4.1 It is intended that the Championships will be played in accordance with FIDE regulations as a 9 Round Swiss System tournament.

4.2 Time control will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one (1).

4.3 The games will be played using DGT clocks; and pairing will be published on www.swiss-results.com

4.4 Swiss Manager will be used for the Championship, and players from the same Federation will not be paired together in the last two (2) Rounds.

4.5 Draw offers are not allowed before Black’s 30th move.

5. Tie-Breaks 

5.1 In case of a tie for the over-all winner or other places, the tie will be broken as follows:
• Player with the highest wins
• Direct encounter
• Buchholz Score

6. Awards 

6.1 Winners in each section will have the right to participate at the Africa Individual Championships but at own cost.

6.2 The winners in each section will also be awarded FIDE titles as follows:
a) Open Section: IM, FM
b) Women Section: WIM, WFM

6.3 In the event of joint winners (players sharing the same points), the players will get titles as indicated below up to maximum of 3 players:
o 1 player in 1st position: IM or WIM Title
o 2 players in 1st position: 1st player IM or WIM title, 2nd player FM or WFM title
o 3 players in 1st position: 1st player IM or WIM, 2nd Player FM or WFM and 3rd Player FM or WFM

6.4 Winners in each Section will be awarded trophies and runners up being position 2 and 3 will receive certificates.

6.5 All players who attain positions one to three (1-3) on each section will receive a medal.

6.6 Cash prizes will be communicated in due course depending on the sponsorship for the event.


7. Tournament Schedule

7.1The tournament schedules is as follows but subject to some changes if need be. However any change to the schedule will be communicated during the technical meeting before the start of 1st round.

DATE:                                     TIME:                                       ACTIVITY: 

22 June 2014                            10h00                                         Arrival
                                                 10h00-00h00                              Accreditation
                                                 19h00-20h00                              Technical Meeting
                                                 20h30-21h30                              Opening Ceremony

23 June 2014                            09h00                                          Round 1
                                                 16h30                                          Round 2
24 June 2014                            16h30                                          Round 3
25 June 2014                            09h00                                          Round 4
                                                 16h30                                          Round 5

26 June 2014                            00h00                                          REST DAY

27 June 2014                            15h00                                          Round 6
28 June 2014                            15h00                                          Round 7
29 June 2014                            15h00                                          Round 8
30 June2014                             13h00                                          Round 9
                                                 20h00                                          Prize giving & Closing Ceremony

1 July2014                                10h00                                          Departure

8. Chief Arbiter & Appeals Committee

8.1 The Chief Arbiter for the 2014 Zone 4.3 Chess Championships will be appointed by the President of ACC, after consultation with the Organizing committee and communicated to all Zone 4.3 Federations.

8.2 The Appeals committee will consist of 3 members and 2 reserves chosen from among the participating Federations. Protests should be submitted in writing to the Chief Arbiter within half an hour (30min) after the round, with US $100 deposit which that can be refundable.

9. Board and Lodging

9.1 The host Federation shall provide free full board and lodging during the tournament on sharing basis for 2 players in each participating Federation; 1 player who will be in the Open section and 1 player in the Women’s section.

9.2 GM’s with rating of over 2500 and WGM’s rated over 2350 on June 2014 FIDE Rating list will also receive free full board and lodging on sharing basis during the tournament.

9.3 Additional players, officials and accompanying persons from participating federations will also lodge at Safari Hotel at €85 per person per day (sharing) or €140 per person per day (single room). The cost includes 3 meals (breakfast, buffet lunch and dinner).

9.4 All payments for, related to board and lodging, must be paid before the 14th June 2014, which will be the deadline.

9.5 Players, officials and accompanying persons who arrive before the 22nd June 2014 or depart after 1st July 2014 will be expected to arrange their accommodation or pay for the additional days at €85 per person per day (sharing) or €140 per person per day (single room). The cost includes 3 meals (breakfast, buffet lunch and dinner).

10. FIDE Fees 

10.1 In accordance with FIDE regulations an entry fee of €70 is required for each official player and additional players are required to pay an entry fee of €70.

10.2 Two (2) players from each Federation, both for the Open and Women’s section will be recognized as official players. The other players will be recognized as additional players.

10.3 Federations are expected to pay entry fees for all their players and fees must be paid to the host Federation before 14th June 2014. (Find Banking details of the NCF account in this document)

11. Registration Fees 

11.1 Registration fee for each participating player is €100 and must be paid into the NCF account before the 14th June 2014. Registration of players after this date will be considered late registration and a penalty of €70 will be charged for each player, (Note the fact that organizers reserve the right to decline late registration).

11.2 Registration fee for officials and accompanying persons will be €100.

11.3 No refunds will be made for any player, official or accompanying person who does not make it to the Tournament after paying registration or FIDE fees.

11.4 All registered players, officials and accompanying persons are entitled to:
* Free Transfer (to & from) Hosea Kutako International Airport or Bus terminal on arrival & departure.
* Shuttle to the city centre, depending on the Shuttle schedule.
* For players, portable water, coffee and tea during time of play
* Free Bulletins after each round for players and coach.
* Free Wi-Fi Connection (internet).

12. Accreditation 

12.1 Each participant is expected to forward a passport-size (head-and-shoulders) photo for the purpose of accreditation.

12.2 Participants will receive accreditation cards upon arrival.

13. NCF Banking Details 

13.1 Herewith the banking details of the NCF

Bank: Standard Bank
Account Name: Namibia Chess Federation
Account Number: 241767156
Account Type: Cheque

13.2 For all payments do send proof of payment, with reference of Zone 4.3, your Federation name and names of players, officials and accompanying persons being registered strictly via email to president@namibiachessfederation.com AND treasurer@namibiachessfederation.com


14. Travel Arrangements 

14.1 All traveling arrangements and cost to and from Namibia are to be taken care of
by respective Federations or respective players participating in the tournament.

14.2 Organizers will meet participants and accompanying persons at Hosea Kutako International Airport or at any Bus terminal/point of arrival within the city, provided that full itinerary for each participant and their accompanying persons are communicated to the organizer in advance, not later than 14th June 2014.

14.3 Players, officials and accompanying persons will be taken to their respective lodging places after 10h00 on day of arrival.

15. Visas 

15.1 The following countries are required to have a VISA prior entry into Namibia: Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Mauritius and Comores.

15.2 For delegations coming from countries requiring entry visas into Namibia, these can be obtained from Namibian Embassies or Consulate Offices in your country. We will avail an official invitation to delegations that needs a copy for VISA processing, (note that after submitting VISA applications, processing may take up 3 weeks before approval, therefore all VISA’s must be submitted before 1 June 2014).

15.3 VISA application must be accompanied by US $90 as processing fees.

15.4 Should there be any problems in obtaining entry visas; the intending traveler should urgently contact the host Federation for assistance either by phone or e-mail.

15.5 It is advisable that you carry the invitation letter and visa documents when traveling into Namibia.

16. Local Currency 

16.1 The local currency is the Namibia Dollar (NAD; N$); the current Exchange Rate is N$ 14.50 is equal to € 1.00 and N$ 10.50 is equal to $ 1.00.The Namibia dollar is pegged at par to the South African Rand (ZAR), which is also legal tender.

16.2 Participants are advised to change any foreign exchange through the banks or foreign exchange offices, which operate in most malls or shopping centers. Banks open every day except on Sundays. Delegates and visitors are advised to change their money into the local currency (Namibia Dollar) or the South African Rand as these two are the only legal tender in Namibia.

16.3 Visa and MasterCard are accepted in most shops and service areas with ATM’s.

16.4 Money Transfer services such as Western Union are available locally.

17. Weather

17.1 The tournament will be held during winter. Temperatures can drop below zero degrees Celsius at night, but the days are much warmer; averaging 25 degrees Celsius.

18. Deadline

18.1 Entry forms must be filled by the respective Federation and returned to the host address not later than 14th June 2014. This date is the registration and payment deadline.

18.2 Late registration attracts €70. The host Federation will thereafter reserve the rights to accept or reject any player.

18.3 Players who arrive unannounced or later than 14th June 2014 will cover all their costs.

19. Organizers Contacts 

Namibia Chess Federation 

19.1 President: Otto Z. Nakapunda
                       +264-(0)81-211 64 63
                        president@namibiachessfederation.com
19.2 Development Officer: Charles Eichab
                        +264-(0)81-623 81 60
                        do@namibiachessfederation.com
19.3 PRO: McLean Handjaba
                        +264-(0)81-400 64 67
                        pro@namibiachessfederation.com