CHESSA policy for the selection

of Adult South African National

Chess Teams:
Objectives
This document sets out the procedures to be adopted for selection of the fields for the 2017 South African
Closed Chess Championships, the 2017 South African Ladies Closed Chess Championships, the 2017 South
African Senior Closed Chess Championships as well as the 2017 South African U/23 and U/20 Closed Chess
Championships. Collectively, the tournament where these Closed Championships will be held will be
known as the 2017 South African Closed Chess Congress.
This document also sets out the procedures for selection of South African senior national teams for all
official team events (e.g. FIDE World Chess Olympiad, African Team Championship, Matches against other
national teams, etc.).
The policies below will apply to all selections after 1 January 2016.

Selection of the field for the SA Closed, SA Ladies

Closed, Senior Closed, Under 23 Closed Chess
Championships and Under 20 Championships
1. The 2017 South African Closed Chess Congress shall be held at a time and venue to be agreed
between the Adult Chess Commission and the tournament local organising committee. The event shall
be held in December 2017 or at a suitable date as determined by CHESSA.
2. The 2017 South African Closed Chess Congress shall include the Men’s and Women’s A and B Closed,
U23 Men’s and Women’s Closed and U20 Girls and Boys Closed.
3. The CHESSA Adult Commission shall have responsibility for organising both events and shall appoint a
local organising committee for the tournament who will be responsible for all logistical issues (e.g.
venue, playing conditions, etc.)
4. The SA Closed for Men and Women A sections shall be round-robin tournaments comprising of a total
of 12 players each.
5. The U23 Closed shall be round-robin tournaments comprising of a total of 12 players the event shall
be a mixed event.
6. The Under 20 Girls and Boys Closed shall be round-robin tournaments comprising of a total of 12
players each.
7. The fields for the 2017 SA Closed Congress shall be selected by 1 September 2017.
8. The SA B Closed for Men and Women shall be comprised of two or more 8-player round robin
tournaments. Winners will move into knockout matches to decide the overall winner of the B Closed.
9. The fields shall be selected and announced by 1 September 2017 and shall be provisional until
1 October 2017 allowing time for any challenges to the selections.
10. A selection review panel shall be established which shall be responsible for reviewing and ruling on all
appeals. The panel shall be composed of 5 members. It shall have the chief selector, one vice
president from the CHESSA Executive and the national coach of CHESSA. The 3 other members shall
comprise of individuals who are not on the CHESSA Executive and who were not part of the original
selection committee.
11. All ratings referred to in this document refer to CHESSA rating
The following shall be selected for the 2017 South African
Closed (A Division)
(the same conditions shall apply to men and women),

In order, provided that they meet the activity criteria as detailed below.

# Description
1 The defending champion from the 2015 South African Closed.
1 The winner of the B-section of the 2015 South African Closed provided that this player’s CHESSA
rating has crossed 2050 in the period 2015-2017. (If the player does not meet the rating criteria,
or withdraws, the spot shall be given to the highest rated player on SA rating list not already
chosen).
1 The highest placed South African player at the 2017 South African Open Chess Championships. (If
the top placed player has already earned qualification on the above criteria, the spot shall be
given to the highest placed player on the SA rating list not already chosen.The player rating must
have crossed 2050 in the period 2015-2017)
3 The top 3 players, not already selected, per the Grand-Prix list as at 1 September 2017 (see
details below).
4 The top 4 players, not already selected, with the highest ratings per the CHESSA ratings list as at
1 September 2017.
1 The highest rated player on the SA rating list who has not already been chosen
1 The highest placed player on the Grand Prix list not already chosen

The following shall be selected for the 2017 South African

Senior Closed

Only players that are 50 years or older on 31 December 2017 shall be eligible. The event will be a 10
player round robin.

# Description
5 The top 5 players, not already selected for the 2017 South African Closed (A Division), per the
Grand-Prix list as at 1 September 2017 (see details below).
5 The top 5 players, not already selected, with the highest ratings per the CHESSA ratings list as at
1 September 2017.

The winner of this event shall be the official senior representative of South Africa at any Senior (50+) FIDE
events. The Senior Olympiad team shall be chosen using the same method as the Adult Men’s and Women’s
teams.

The following shall be selected for the 2017 South African U/23
Closed

Only players that shall be 23 years or younger on 31 December 2017 shall be eligible.
# Description
5 The top 5 players, not already selected for the 2017 South African Closed (A Division), per the
Grand-Prix list as at 1 September 2017 (see details below).
5 The top 5 players, not already selected for the 2017 South African Closed (A Division), with the
highest ratings per the CHESSA ratings list as at 1 September 2017.
1 The highest rated player of colour on the CHESSA rating list not already chosen.
1 The highest placed player on the Grand Prix list not already chosen.

The winner of the South African U/23 Closed will be declared the U/23 champion of South Africa and will
earn automatic qualification to the next South African A Closed (provided they cross 2050 prior to date of
selection for the 2019 South Africa A Closed.)
In the event that a South African U/23 team is chosen to play in any regional or international team
competitions, this team shall be chosen in the same manner as detailed for the Adult Men’s and Women’s
teams.

The following shall be selected for the 2017 South African U/20
Closed

Only players that shall be 20 years or younger on 31 December 2017 shall be eligible. The event will
be played as a 12 player round-robin for boys and a 12 player round-robin for girls.
# Description
4 The reigning champions from the 2017 South African Closed in the age groups u/12, u/14, u/16
and u/18. If, for whatever reason, the reigning champion cannot participate, the spot shall fall to
the next highest placed player from the respective age group championships events of 2017.
4 The top 4 U/20 players, not already selected, per the U/20 Grand-Prix list as at 1 September 2017
(see details below).
4 The top 4 U/20 players, not already selected, with the highest ratings per the CHESSA ratings list
as at 1 September 2017.
The winner of the Boys U/20 and Girls U/20 Closed shall be selected as the official representatives of
South African at the World Junior Chess Championships and the Africa Junior Chess Championships. If
further players are chosen to represent South Africa at these tournaments, they shall be ordered as
follows:
1. Champion of the U/20 Closed
2. Highest placed player on the Grand Prix that played in the U/20 Closed
3. The finishing list of the U/20 Closed shall be used to select any further players in the order they
finished.

The following shall be selected for the 2017 SA Closed B

Each province is required to run a provincial championship and may choose 1 player per region to
represent their province at the South African B Closed.
The provincial championships must be completed before 1 September 2017 so that the names of the
qualifiers can be submitted and published by 1 September 2017.

Activity Criteria
A player shall be considered to be active and eligible for selection for all events constituting the
2017 South African Closed Chess Congress and for subsequent selection to represent South Africa at a
senior level at international events provided that:
1. He or she is a South African citizen or resident and is registered with FIDE as a member of the
South Africa Chess Federation.
2. He or she has played a minimum of 50 rated games in the 24-month period between
1 September 2015 and 1 September 2017.
All rated games played under the auspices of CHESSA in South Africa and all games rated by FIDE in
respect of international tournaments shall be counted for the purpose of determining activity as set out
above.
It is a player’s responsibility to ensure that tournaments where they have participated are accurately
reflected by the CHESSA Ratings Bureau for activity purposes.
NB: The following shall NOT be counted as qualifying rated games:
• Games played in chess events that have not been rated by either FIDE or CHESSA.
• All ‘blitz’ and ‘rapid’ chess games where the games are played at a time control of less than 60
minutes per player.
• Players participating in international events must ensure that their games have been sent to the
ratings bureau within 21 days of the completion of the event.

Functioning of the Grand-Prix system

Dates
The CHESSA ratings officer will maintain and publish the “Grand-Prix” list which will be updated on a
monthly basis. Results from all qualifying tournaments played between 1 September 2015 and 31st
August 2017 will be included for the purposes of the current selection cycle.

Use for selection purposes:

• The Grand-Prix standings as at 1 September 2017 will be used to select the field for the 2017 South
African Closed Chess Congress.
• The Grand-Prix standings as at 31 December 2017 will qualify the top placed male and the top placed
female as at this date as automatic selections for the 2018 World Chess Olympiad, provided that they
accept their invitation and participate fully in the 2017 South African Closed (A-Section).

Calculation of standings
Grand-Prix standings will be based on each player’s best five tournament performance ratings in the
period between 1 September 2015 and 30 August 2017.
The selection cycle for Closed selections will hence cover a 24-month period from 1 September 2015 until
31st August 2017. The cycle for the automatic place will in turn cover a period of 28 months from
1 September 2015 until 31 December 2017.

Qualification of events
For a player’s performance to qualify for inclusion in the Grand-Prix:
1. The event must have been hosted within the borders of South Africa;
2. The player must have played a minimum of six rated games in the event (defaults not counting);
and
3. The average rating of the player’s opponents must have exceeded 1800 for men and 1600 for
Ladies.
4. The event must be registered on the CHESSA website 7 days prior to its taking place.

Performances in the following events will automatically qualify for the Grand-Prix, regardless of the
average rating of the players’ opponents as long as the player has played 6 completed games in the event:
1. South African Open Chess Championships;
2. South African Ladies Open Chess Championships;
3. South African Closed Chess Championships;
4. South African Ladies Closed Chess Championships;
5. South African National Club Chess Championships;
6. South African Inter-Union Chess Championships;
7. Any event rated by FIDE; and
 8. The A-section of all regional inter-club chess leagues.

Advertising of Grand-Prix Events

The CHESSA ratings officer will publish details of all events that are expected to provide a field strong
enough to qualify for the Grand-Prix system. Once advertised as a Grand-Prix event, the respective event
organiser must ensure that the field meets the minimum rating threshold as specified above in order for
the event to qualify as a Grand-Prix Event.

Rating of games played in international (FIDE) events

Any games played by a South African citizen in an international tournament rated by the World Chess
Federation (FIDE) will be included in the calculation of a player’s CHESSA rating. The CHESSA ratings
officer will endeavour to identify all international tournaments where South African citizens have
participated.
Any player that has participated in an international tournament (other than as part of an official South
African team) is required to notify the CHESSA ratings officer of their participation so that the ratings
officer can ensure that the relevant international results are duly incorporated within the CHESSA rating
system.

Selection of South African National Teams

The national teams shall be announced on or before 15 January 2018 (all national selections are
provisional for one month). The selection review committee shall be entitled to review the selections for
a period of 1 Month and shall rule on any appeals with regards to the provisional selections.

Activity criteria for selection for South Africa national teams

In order to be eligible for selection, a player must have played a minimum of 70 rated games in the period
between 1 September 2015 and 31 December 2017.

Selection of teams for the 2018 World Chess Olympiad

The teams for the 2018 World Chess Olympiad shall be selected, in order, as follows (Provided each
selected player has complied with the activity requirements and participated fully in the SA Closed (A
Section):
1. The top two (2) participants at the 2017 SA Closed (A Section).
2. The highest rated player as per the CHESSA Rating List of 1 January 2018. If the player has already
qualified via criteria 1 above, then the place shall fall to the next highest placed player in the
2017 SA rating list .
3. The winner of the Grand Prix 2017 as at 30 December 2017. If the player has already qualified via
the above criteria (1 and 2), then the place shall fall to the next highest placed player in the 2017
SA grand prix list as at 31 December 2017.
4. The highest rated player as per the CHESSA Rating List of 1 January 2018 not already chosen. It is
not mandatory that this player is a participant of the closed.

Selection of players for other International Events

Players shall then be ranked in the following order of importance for selection purposes for all other
international team and individual competitions where official South African adult representatives are to
be selected:
1. The 2017 SA Closed (A Section) Champion;
2. The highest rated player as of the FIDE rating list of 1 January 2018 (as criteria 1 above);
3. The winner of the 2017 Grand Prix;
4. The next highest placed player from the SA Closed (A Section) as per criteria 3 above;
5. The highest rated player as per the FIDE Rating List of 1 January 2018 not already chosen; and
6. Players shall then be ranked according to their final placings from the 2017 SA Closed (A Section).
1. The above criteria shall be applicable at the following international events:
1. African Individual Championships;
2. Zone 4.3 Individual Championships;
3. Zone 4.3 Team Championships;
4. All African Championships;
5. Commonwealth Championships;
6. World Team Championships; and
7. Any other international event where CHESSA is invited to send a player to represent the
country (as may arise from time to time).

General terms and conditions

• All players must be in good standing with CHESSA in order to be eligible for selection;
• The board order and team captains for all national teams shall be determined by the Selection
Committee, as a separate exercise, after conducting a consultation process with the members of
the selected team;
• The CHESSA President shall ratify all selections decisions prior to the formal announcement of all
national teams;
• The CHESSA President is not empowered to override decisions of the Selection Committee but may
refer issues or questions back to this body prior to ratifying decisions made by the committee;
• The selection review committee is empowered to change selections during the 1-month
provisional period if they find that the Selection Committee has made an error during the
selection process.

Other matters
These matters are not directly related to selection but have a direct and indirect effect on the selection
of players. They should be addressed separately by the CHESSA Executive in due course:
• There should be a protocol document drawn up for the SA Closed. Norms and standards should be
established by the Events committee;
• There should be incentives like GM coaching that CHESSA pays for;
• The prize fund for all events forming part of the SA Closed Chess Congress should be
commensurate with the level of prestige ascribed to participating in the tournaments;
• The SA Closed Chess Congress should be big and prestigious;
• An introduction penalty clauses should be considered for players who accept invitations but
subsequently decide to withdraw from any events forming part of SA Closed Chess Congress
without a valid reason;
• Players should be approached well before the announcement of the field to check on their
availability;
• The criteria for the SA Closed B Sections must be clearly published as well;
• Participants in the SA Closed B sections should be selection at a regional level and not at a
provincial level;
• A National team manger shall be appointed by CHESSA executive. The national team manger shall
be responsible for ensuring players are informed of the events they have qualified for, and keeping
up to date of their availability. The national team manager along with CHESSA executive is also
responsible for the appointment of other national managers for all international events with junior
and senior.