WILLIAM MASON CHAMPIONSHIP RULES
These rules apply to the 2023/24 William Mason Championship, Candidates and Reserves
1. The EFCC will appoint a tournament organiser who will act as or appoint a tournament director. The tournament organiser is authorised by the EFCC Executive Committee to take whatever decisions are required in relation to the running of the William Mason Championship.
2. The William Mason Championship will be held every year and will be open to all English flagged players or players who are able (in the case of new players) to be registered to play under the England flag in the ICCF. The EFCC reserves the right to decline an entry or entries without stating a reason or entering into any further correspondence.
3. The tournament organiser shall receive entries with the entry fee as decided by the EFCC Executive Committee by the date agreed in consultation with the tournament co-ordinator which will normally be 1st September of each year the tournament is held.
4. There will be tournaments of three levels. These will be designated as:
(a) William Mason Championship Final
(b) William Mason Candidates tournaments
(c) William Mason Reserves tournaments
5. The William Mason Championship final will normally consist of eleven players who will play for the title of William Mason Champion. The tournament organiser may vary this number of players if considered necessary. Each player shall play one game against each other player.
6. There will be up to five William Mason Candidates tournaments each of which will normally consist of six players. The tournament organiser may vary this number of players if considered necessary. Each player will play the other players in the group on a ‘double round’ basis.
7. William Mason Reserves tournaments shall be held for all players who have not been chosen by the tournament organiser to play in the William Mason Championship Final or the William Mason Candidates tournaments. Each William Mason Reserves tournament will normally consist of six players. The tournament organiser may vary this number of players if considered necessary. Each player will play the other players in the group on a ‘double round’ basis.
8. Eligibility for the tournaments is as follows:
(a) William Mason Championship Final (in the following order):
(i) The players who finished in first, second and third place in the preceding William Mason Championship Final (with a positive score);
(ii) The winner of a preceding William Mason Candidates tournament (with a positive score);
(iii) Anyone scoring the same points as the winner of a preceding William Mason Candidates tournament but finishes second or below on tie-break (with a positive score);
(iv) The player who finished in fourth place in the preceding William Mason Championship Final (with a positive score);
(v) Other players who played in the preceding William Mason Championship Final or a William Mason Candidates tournament (with a positive score).
(b) William Mason Candidates tournaments:
(i) The players who finished in first and second place in each of the preceding William Mason Reserves tournaments (with a positive score);
(ii) The remaining players in descending ICCF rating order using the ICCF rating list (valid as at 1st September in the year the event is due to start) shall be used to rank the players in order, and place them into sections appropriate to their ranking subject to the remainder of Rule 6.
(c) William Mason Reserves tournaments:
(i) Those players who finished in the lowest two places in each of the preceding William Mason Candidates tournaments;
(ii) All remaining players yet to be allocated to a tournament.
9. Play in all of the above tournaments will commence on such a date as shall be determined by the tournament organiser in consultation with the tournament co-ordinator who shall also determine the end date which will normally be 31st July of the following year.
10. All ICCF playing and tournament rules for server play will apply. All games will be played on the ICCF webserver.
11. The ICCF standard time control of 10 moves in 35 days with double time counting after 15 days will be used. 45 days of leave per year are available to each player.
12. Ties are broken by ICCF rule 1.3.4.2. If needed, adjudicators will be selected by the ICCF server.
13. For each tournament the following EFCC Master points and EFCC Candidate Master points will be allocated at the end of the tournament:
(a) William Mason Championship Final: first placed player will earn 10 points towards the EFCC Master Title; second placed player will earn 6 points towards the EFCC Master Title; third placed player will earn 2 points towards the EFCC Master Title. Where a player who is already an EFCC Master receives EFCC Master points, those points will count towards the EFCC Senior Master title.
(b) William Mason Candidates tournaments: first placed player will earn 8 points towards the EFCC Candidate Master Title; second placed player will earn 4 points towards the EFCC Candidate Master Title.
(c) William Mason Reserves tournaments: first placed player will earn 4 points towards the EFCC Candidate Master Title. Where players are declared equal after the application of ICCF rule 1.3.4.2, these points will be shared between those players who are declared equal. Any conversion between EFCC Master points and EFCC Candidate Master points will be at the discretion of the EFCC Executive Committee should an application be received by the tournament organiser.
14. Prizes will be allocated at the end of the tournaments as follows:
(a) William Mason Championship Final: first place (William Mason Champion) will receive £300; second place will receive £150; third place will receive £100; fourth place will receive £50.
(b) William Mason Candidates tournaments: first place will receive £30.
(c) William Mason Reserves tournaments: first place will receive £20.
Where players are declared equal after the application of ICCF rule 1.3.4.2, these prizes will be shared between those players who are declared equal.
Prize winners will only qualify for a prize if they have a positive score of at least +1.
15. Any matters concerning the organisation and running of the tournament not covered in these rules and any appeals against the decisions of the tournament organiser will be determined by the EFCC Rules Sub-Committee whose decision shall be final.
16. Any matters concerning the ICCF rules for server play will be decided by the ICCF whose decision shall be final.
The above rules were agreed by the BCCA EC during the EC meeting in April 2023.
