These take effect Jan. 1, 2022. Interesting. For one thing, it looks like the first time control of a multi-control game may now be any number of moves as long as that is at least 30.
Ratings: fide.com/docs/regulations/F … 202022.pdf
Titles: fide.com/docs/regulations/F … 202022.pdf
Rapid and Blitz: fide.com/docs/regulations/F … 202022.pdf
If this is true, then there are several changes from what I remember:
Tournaments must be registered three days before the start. It used to be 7 days before the start and 30 days for a norm possible event. I didn’t see any mention of something different for norm events.
The minimum ratings for time controls has been raised. For 120 minutes it is now 2400 instead of 2200. For 90 minutes it is now 1800 instead of 1600. This opens up some possibilities.
And as you mentioned, the first time control is not limited to only 40 moves.
I recently ran the Oregon Class Championships, uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202111071802.0. I would love to be able to have the Master/Expert section be FIDE rated in future years. It’s played with a time control of G/90;d10 so everyone in the section would need to have a FIDE rating under 2400. It’s very unlikely that the tournament would get any players with a FIDE rating of 2400 or higher but theoretically it’s a possibility. Would it be possible (and a good idea) in the pre-tournament publicity to say that the the section will be FIDE rated if possible?
Are you prepared to meet all the other conditions required for FIDE rating that section?
Having a ‘no players rated 2400+ FIDE’ requirement, should you choose to go that route, probably violates US Chess Grand Prix rules.
Yes.
The tournament isn’t a US Chess Grand Prix event anyway.
I doubt it. Tournaments have to be registered in advance. Maybe if you cut off entries ten days early.
Alex Relyea
Perhaps you could separate the Master/Expert section into the Master section and the Expert (under 2200) section, and FIDE-rate only the Master section. Then you could run the Master section at a slower time control, and reduce it from 5 rounds to 4.
The problem, then, will be how to fill up both sections. All you would need is 6 players in each, but that might still be tough. You might have to be prepared for a big money hit in the top section. Do you know of any donors in your area? Or perhaps you could be one? 
I suppose you could also establish a waiting list for players wanting to play up into the Master section. If, on the day of the tournament (or maybe one day before), there are fewer than 6 players, you could let in the highest-rated 6-n player(s) from the waiting list to fill it up to 6.
Also, if you have only 4 rounds in one of the sections, that section should be played in a separate playing room, so that players setting up their pieces in the 5-round sections won’t bother the games already in progress in the 4-round section.
Just a few (perhaps impractical) ideas.
The Illinois Class (this year’s version just completed recently) has always had a combined Master/Expert section, due to low turnout one year when separate Master and Expert sections were tried.
Bill Smythe
For that matter, 
you could keep it as just one combined section (Master-Expert), but make it just 4 rounds (that section only) so you could slow down the time control enough to satisfy FIDE. 4 rounds should be enough for the likely turnout for a Master-Expert section, and you could play that section in a separate room to avoid the disruption often caused by having 5-round sections and 4-round sections (or 3-day schedules and 2-day-schedules) in the same room at the same time.
Bill Smythe
Couldn’t the tournament be registered in advance anyway and then if it isn’t able to be FIDE rated, it just wouldn’t be FIDE rated.
I don’t know if FIDE has any penalties for registered events that are cancelled without proper reason. (Low turnout is probably not a proper reason.)
You’d have to ask Chris Bird (fide@uschess.org). I’d be pretty upset if I were planning to travel to Portland because I saw this event on the calendar only to find out that you’re not rating it because a guy rated 2410 showed up during onsite registration. Just a thought, but I’d think FIDE rating or not would qualify as a major variation, so should be included in all pre-event publicity. If you decide to change that one way or the other, I’d expect to find yourself subject to a complaint at TDCC.
Alex Relyea
I don’t know if being FIDE rated has ever been classified as a major variant requiring notice, but certainly using FIDE rules and FIDE pairings would classify as major variants.
I think you have to bite the bullet and decide whether or not you’re going to FIDE rate it up front and then deal with the consequences, whether that’s changing the time limits to accommodate 2400+ players or restricting the event to under 2400 FIDE players. If the event is fairly early in the month, players who are on the cusp of breaking 2400 FIDE might not have a lot of time to decide to enter.
Yes, definitely make this decision well in advance and stick to what you announce. Definitely announce, in all pre-event publicity, that the Master-Expert section will be FIDE rated. Definitely slow down the time control to satisfy FIDE, so you won’t have to worry about players rated 2400+. And definitely make this section just 4 rounds, so all the games can be squeezed in legally.
And, unless you are a FIDE-certified arbiter, you will probably need to hire somebody who is, to direct this section. And get plenty of advice in advance from such a person, so you don’t inadvertently violate some FIDE regulation or other in the way you plan or publicize the event.
Bill Smythe
Does anyone else think that the FIDE ratings regs are just really wacky? That a single 2400+ can render a tournament unrateable? (Particularly considering that FIDE ratings are no longer fixed for a six month period like they were originally). I grew up in Minnesota where Curt Brasket (while not 2400+ was at least high 2300’s) would play in pretty much all serious tournaments, which typically would be (like Micah’s) a 5 round 2 day operation. That a single very active high-rated player would make it impossible to FIDE rate tournaments doesn’t seem to make sense.
I agree. They should either just make G/90 ratable or not ratable, period.
It may be wacko, but it still could be true.
Back when Sevan Muradian was running weekend events at his club in suburban Chicago, he would advertise G/60 inc/30 for a 1-day 4-round event, and state that the event would be FIDE-rated provided that no Masters participated.
Apparently, at that time FIDE had a 12-hour limit per day for non-Masters, and something shorter (perhaps 10 hours) if any Masters participated.
So the wacko is not new.
Bill Smythe
We never said the wacko is new.
Are you sure the reason Sevan’s tournaments couldn’t be FIDE rated if any masters (2200+ FIDE) participated was due to a difference in the total amount of playing time allowed per day for masters and non-masters? I don’t recall there being a difference. The difference I do recall was that for players rated 2200+ FIDE, each player in each game had to have a total playing time of 120 minutes based on a game that lasted 60 moves.
Which would make G/60 inc/30 illegal if any masters played. For 4 rounds in a day, this already would make for a 12-hour day. I’m not absolutely sure if FIDE forbade more than 12 hours per day, or if Sevan just wouldn’t have wanted to do it. That’s 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., assuming the pairings are made instantly each round. Probably 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. more realistically.
In any case, if you slow it down to G/90 inc/30 with 4 rounds in 1 day, you’d get something Sevan would never have inflicted on his players. If my arithmetic is correct that would be 10:00 to midnight theoretically, probably 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. in practice.
Or 9:00 a.m. to midnight, or 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., neither of which looks particularly appealing either.
Bill Smythe
They did and they still do, although the one caveat is, as it says in the regulations, “This is calculated based on games that last 60 moves, although games played using increments may last longer.”
Thus FIDE is using the same mm+ss formula U.S. Chess does, in estimating the time it takes to play a game.
Anyway, my suggestion remains the same – FIDE-rate only the Master-Expert section, reduce that section to 4 rounds, slow down the time control in that section to satisfy FIDE, and you’re on your way.
It is common practice, for larger tournaments in the USA, to FIDE-rate only the top section or two.
Bill Smythe