For organisers and clubs who would like to have their events rated by FIDE and/or NZCF, please read this section in full. For example, reading the reporting section before holding the event can be useful when making decisions about your events. If you have any queries, please email the NZCF Administrator.
FIDE and NZCF Rules and Regulations Apply
Arbiters and organisers, particularly those new to organising/running rated events, should regularly review the NZCF rules and regulations, particularly the Supplementary Bylaws, Tournament Regulations and NZCF Rating Regulations. FIDE links below have the relevant FIDE regulations, particularly the Laws of Chess and FIDE Rating Regulations. NZCF Council can waive individual NZCF requirements although avoids doing so if possible - please email the NZCF Administrator before the event (more notice is better).
NZCF Membership and Accreditation
It is a requirement for all players, arbiters, organisers, and other officials to be members of the NZCF on the last day of the competition unless exempt. There is a membership list/checker tool above that can be used to check if players are members. Non-members can join through a club or by filling in the NZCF individual membership form - cost is $5 for one month or $25 for a year. The main exemption is for overseas players/officials i.e. in NZ for less than 3 months.
It is a requirement that rated events must be organised by member or affiliated clubs, life members or accredited businesses (see below for Business Accreditation information and the application form). As noted above, the individual responsible for the organisation of an event ('the organiser') must be an NZCF member.
FIDE Registration (individuals)
All players, organisers and arbiters/officials in FIDE-rated events must registered with FIDE which means having a FIDE ID number (FIN). This can be checked on the FIDE ratings website. NZCF can register eligible NZL players either individually or as part of rating reporting – their full date of birth and gender will be required. NZL players must reside in New Zealand and have a residence class visa, or be NZ citizens. Players not eligible for registration under NZL must provide FIDE IDs at some point before rating reporting – it is highly recommended this is required by organisers before their entries are accepted.
Arbiter Requirements
The chief arbiter of a FIDE-rated event must be licensed by and hold an arbiter title from FIDE i.e. National Arbiter (NA), FIDE Arbiter (FA) or International Arbiter (IA) (other arbiters are not required to hold arbiter titles - see below for links to check if an individual has an arbiter title and is licensed). Note that this is not the case for NZCF-rated events i.e. the chief arbiter is not required to hold a title from FIDE. As above, all arbiters must be NZCF members unless exempt e.g. overseas arbiters.
Event Fees
FIDE Rating Fees: Payable by the organiser to NZCF for FIDE-rated competitions. Currently the charge per player in both Swiss-system and Round Robin events is $2.50 per player for classical/standard events (not charged for rapid or blitz events as FIDE is currently waiving those).
NZCF Competition Fees: Payable by the organiser to NZCF for NZCF-rated competitions other than internal club events for club members, interclub events, interschools, and round robins where GM, IM, WGM and/or WIM norms are available. Currently the charge per player is $5 for rapid events and $10 for standard events (NZCF does not rate blitz events).
If a player did not actually play any games e.g. received a bye in round 1 and withdrew, no fees are payable for that player – please note this when reporting (see reporting below). Invoices will be sent with payment instructions.
Other fees will also be charged where relevant e.g. NZCF membership fees for non-members, late fees (FIDE charge penalty fees for late rating reports – see reporting below for requirements so all required information is provided on time).
Registering Events for Rating (must register in advance)
FIDE rating regulations require that all events to be FIDE-rated must be registered with FIDE in advance. As part of registering an event for FIDE rating other than internal club events (i.e. club events held on club nights for club members), the event must be listed online on the calendar page of the NZCF website. Please email the event details to NZCF Admin, Richie Christie.
Note that FIDE-rated events must also be NZCF-rated except for lightning/blitz events. NZCF membership requirements still apply to FIDE-rated blitz events.
The following information is essential and should be provided to NZCF's FIDE Rating Officer, Richie Christie at least one month before the event:
- The event name and location
- The start and finish dates. For tournaments lasting more than 30 days, interim results must be reported on a monthly basis, and the dates of each round supplied.
- The number of rounds
- The number of days that have more than one game per day
- The format – round robin or swiss
- The expected number of players
- The time control – standard / rapid / blitz, plus an English description of time for moves and any increments
- The arbiter(s) FIDE Code and name (who must be licensed with FIDE)
- The organisers FIDE code and name
- The pairing software being used (in NZ this is most often Vega)
- The principal tie-break system being used (in NZ this is usually Direct Encounter)
- Any age restrictions – junior/senior
- Any sex/gender restrictions
- The email of someone who can be contacted if required.
- The event will then be registered with FIDE within 7 calendar days of receipt.
Rating Reports Once the Competition has been Completed
Rating reports should be submitted within 48 hours either using this reporting form or otherwise emailed to NZCF Admin, Richie Christie and Rowan Wood. Events spanning more than 1 month require interim FIDE reports each month (only the FIDE rating report, not the NZCF rating report). The following information is required (unless specifically noted as optional) when submitting competitions for NZCF rating:
- Competition Name
- Number of Grades/Sections
- Organiser/Organising Club
- Start and End Dates
- Tournament Director/Chief Arbiter and their Email Address
- Type of Competition (open, club, interclub, women, junior, senior, veteran)
- Competition Format (Usually Swiss or Round Robin)
- Number of Rounds
- Number of Players who played at least one game (can ignore players who entered but didn't actually play any games)
- Time Control as a description e.g. 90 mins + 30 secs/move per player
- The software file (usually Vega file), FIDE rating report file, and NZCF rating report file
- Any comments/notes e.g. non-NZ players, mobile phone forfeits (this is optional)
- Results for the NZCF website (this is optional)
The rating report will be uploaded to the FIDE Rating Server within 5 calendar days of receipt.
FIDE publishes a new rating list on the 1st of each month and closes rating report submissions 3 days prior. So, events finishing near the end of the month may not be able to be rated until the next month.
Organisers are reminded that all non-NZL players must have a FIDE ID and that dates of birth must be provided for every NZL player without a FIDE ID. To be registered with FIDE as NZL, a player must either be New Zealand citizen, or hold a residence class visa and live in New Zealand.
More information is provided in Step 6 of the NZCF Vega guide Getting Started With Vega.
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