What types of penalties have you, as a TD or organizer, invoked when you find an ineligible player on a team? I am not asking about USCF penalties, but about your own local/state penalties.
One situation is students who play for a school they do not attend at a tournament where the rules clearly state this is not allowed.
Another situation is a player who is doesn’t tell you he has a rating, you don’t catch it due to common names or name variations, and then he plays in a lower section than he should have been eligible for.
In choosing a penalty, do you consider whether the offense was out of ignorance, bad advice, or outright dishonesty? Does your state association have written guidelines for penalties, or does someone decide on a case-by-case basis?
Who is penalized–the player only, the team as a whole, all the individual players on the team, since they probably knew and didn’t report the infraction? How do you approach finding out who knew what when?
Just looking for ideas for a possible future policy in my own area. Thanks for any constructive suggestions or ideas.
At SuperNationals III, there were a number of cases of players who were found to be in the wrong section. I think in all cases they moved the player mid-event, changing the games played in the wrong section to unplayed games for prize purposes. (The games themselves were moved into an ‘extra games’ section so that they were still rated.)
I am interested in what penalties are assessed for players and teams, if they complete the tournament before the infraction is found, and/or if the error seems to be intentional and dishonest.
Does anyone ever do more than removing them from the team or section, and adjusting the scores of their opponents? That seems enough for accidental errors that are caught during the tournament, but what about more serious infractions?
If someone Intentionally and dishonestly does NOT give you their rating, you can (as an organizer) kick them out of the tournament, fine them, ban them from future events. You could then send a complaint to the ethics committee if you think the offense serious enough.
In an extreme situation, the party may also have committed mail fraud (if the entry was mailed in) and/or wire fraud (if the entry was paid for via check or credit card).
The odds of getting the feds interested in prosecuting such a case are minimal, though.
