I attended a chess tournament a while back and due to a dispute between the TD and a player, the results have not been posted these many weeks later. Do I have any recourse as a player to protest what by all appearances is the invalidation of a tournament that I participated in?
Without necessarily getting into specifics, what was the nature of the dispute?
One recourse is to file a complaint with TDCC, which I believe requires a $25 deposit (which is refunded if the complaint is not deemed frivolous or without merit.)
It started as something trivial, but the two involved have ‘big egos’ and in the end the TD kicked the player out of the tournament. Well, the player happened to be the one who got us the venue and we ultimately were asked to leave the venue meaning the final round was cancelled. The whole thing is rediculously immature all around (which I’ve found to be the case at even the highest levels of chess unfortunately), and I just want credit for the 2 games that I won. My rating is dismal and every little bit helps.
sigh I don’t have $25 that I can risk. Not at this time of year.
Even without filing a formal complaint, it won’t hurt to let TDCC and the office know about it (with sufficient detail), sometimes they can ‘encourage’ the TD to finish the paperwork.
Before you decide to take any action please realize that the TDCC, like most USCF committees, is not equipped to be an investigative body or a cop. YOU will need to provide all information: TLA? Flyer? Name and ID and contact info of TD/organizer? Name and contact info for the party that kicked the event out of the site? Contact info for the site management (statements?)? Etc., Etc., …
The outline of this issue sounds like it could be a Rules/TDCC/Ethics committee complaint. Please realize all complaints to any committee take a lot of time to deal with. Justice is not swift in either the real or USCF world.
I think I’m just gonna continue to sit on my hands until after the first. If it hasn’t been rated by then, then I guess I’ll look into it some more. (the tourny was in early november btw)
At the very least the TD is guilty of not handing in the event (what there is of it, according to your account) on time.
I would be very upset if I made a special trip to a distant town and had this situation occur.
A trivial dispute does not warrant an ejection from a tournament, unless the situation escalated.
The circumstances of the location might have been dependent on the ejected player, so the specifics of the situation are needed.
I would hope the TD could post here and explain, as I hope the ejected player would also.
haha…the last thing the chess world needs is these two posting on forums. The state federation already addressed it. USCF just hasn’t done anything with the ratings yet. I’ll give them until after the holidays before I start makin’ a stink. I just want my pts. 
I have a hunch that, in this case, any of these committees (TDCC, rules, ethics) would accept this complaint without the filing fee, since it’s obvious the complaint is not frivolous (even though it may not be obvious what the final result may be).
Bill Smythe
The last think you want is the TD and the Player posting on the forum about this event. This discussion would quickly degenerate into acrimonious personal attack.
Basically it started (but only started by) an interpretation of Rule 40 (Standard Chess Set). The Player was Black and paired against the TD. The Player was told his set was non-Standard (It is a little off-beat but beautiful set). The Player initially cooperated with the TD and starting using the TD set but apparently dropped the TD pieces (An event which was immediately reviewed by the TD). A discussion is happening through out. The Player demanded to see the rule that his set is non-standard (pretty sure the king is over 4.5 inch <—my viewpoint), from the Rulebook. No rulebook was available (but in the TD’s wife car). Cell phone calls to TD’s wife. And then I dunno what happened, but a few seconds later the player comes and announces his expulsion (and some what blissfully). And announces that he wants his EF back.
Okay that was only the beginning, even for that day. The TD tried to expel the player from the tournament hall by several methods. All of which were unsuccessful. All of which raised the stakes. Some of those events I saw a little of and what I saw seemed more surreal then a Dali paining. RAOGDEN is right, again, about being more about the Ego of the Player and TD. That is something the player admitted, to me, just after the initial conflict and before the attempted expulsions. Both could have easily pulled back by either the player leaving the tournament hall or the TD ignoring the player.
And that day (one day tournament) was not the end of it. The conflict did indeed continued even to just recently with the State Federation being asked to review it. I think the State CF is done with the issue.
I haven’t asked either player or the TD any more question, after my initial inquiries to the player that day. I have chased down, with other parties, a lead or two but those mice escaped me. And have sent email to both that gave my acc’t and one insight that I had (which has been ignored but that is quite alright with me). And like Raogden I like both of them.
One item that an important background fact the tournament was in a School with the Player being coach of some school children that were playing.
RAOGDEN should continue with the TD to get the event rated, since that is important to him. I don’t care myself (even though I think I got some points).
TexasRob if I can help more I will try. But I think I might have provided the information you requested, although I am neither the Player or the TD. (Hey that was a distant possibility despite my review given above)
It seems the TD made the first mistake – playing in his own tournament without being willing to bend over backwards for his opponent.
Looks as though the TD made the second mistake, as well – complaining when the Player accidentally dropped pieces from a set the TD insisted on using.
As for the third and subsequent mistakes, well, who knows.
I congratulate both you and Raogden for feeling that way. I’m not so sure I could bring myself to that.
Bill Smythe
It seems to me that the TD made two mistakes. First, playing in a tournament that he was also directing. This one can be rectified by having an assistant TD available to rule on his games. Second, having a tournament without the rule book present. I keep mine in my computer bag so I don’t forget it by accident. There’s a good chance in any tournament that I direct that something will come up that either I don’t know the exact wording on, or that I can’t convince one of the players that I do. In any event, having the rule book makes things a lot easier for me.
I’m not sure what the state chapter affiliate has to do with anything. Unless they were the affiliate organizing the tournament, then I don’t understand what their grounds for review of the situation are. In any event, I don’t see any reason not to rate the event, despite the problems.
Based on this and other threads, things must be very different in Alabama from any other state where I have been involved.
Alex Relyea
Not necessarily Alabama could have been New Hampshire.
No it was Alabama. Light joke.
Thanks Bill and Alex. I really would like to send Bill’s reply to the TD but RAOGDEN doesn’t want the TD to know just yet. Why I haven’t a clue
Yes Alex Alabama Players seems to have machismo without the guitar music.
Michael,
Wasn’t it you who posted some months ago about problems with the Alabama Chess Federation? I noticed that you were both from Alabama, and assumed that you didn’t both go out of state. It seems to me that there was another problem with an Alabama player/TD manipulating his rating by subverting the match rules. We noticed it when I was in Oklahoma because all of a sudden this player who no one had ever heard of started showing up on the OK top players list. If anyone is interested, I can give further information, and you can look at the OK player’s MSA. I think you’ll come to the same conclusion I did. Unfortunately, I can’t figure out who, if anyone, was directly harmed by this fraud, so I don’t know who has standing to file a complaint.
Alex Relyea
The Alabama Chess Federation (ACF) does assume some jurisdiction by virtue of their rules regarding sanctioned tournaments. If the tournament in question was sanctioned by the ACF the TD must submit the tournament to the USCF within five days of the event’s ending date. See the following link:
alabamachess.com/governance/ACF_ … Events.pdf
This should give you something other than appealing to the USCF although I agree with others’ comments that this seems to be a pretty clear violation of tournament reporting rules.
See, this is exactly what I mean about things being a little weird in Alabama. What does the ACF plan to do if some organizer/director fails to comply with these rules?
Alex Relyea
I don’t think that was me who posted a few months ago about the ACF.
But I was concerned about a week ago (and the local club). But that has past, for now. Well except for concern about the local club.
I think I know who are speaking of with sudden rating jump. That was come up before in private conversation. He is okay in fact compared to many.
yeah I remember asking a question about the State Organization tournament policy now.
I thought you meant something else.
Its not so much that I don’t want the TD to know about this post. I just don’t want to stir the pot on his end any more than it has already been stirred. My post here was just me being curious what recourse is available to a player in an invalidated tourney. I didn’t (don’t) intend for it to be about who was right or wrong in the dispute. That has already been settled as far as I know. The only thing up in the air is whether or not the tourney will be rated.