Rulings - Problems

Five types of problems disrupt the orderly enjoyment of the league, and require your action:

1. Communication – Check to see who said what, and when, and how often to the opponent. Evaluate the compliance with scheduling procedures and deadlines (see Statutes and Player Handbook).
   1. If only one player talked by the First Contact Deadline (Thursday,22:00 FICS ) , the non-talking player now has partial blame assigned to him. That player must now accept one of the offended player's previously offered times, rather than suggest times of his own. Should he decline to do so, and the offended player does not modify his offers, a set game win is awarded to the offended player.
   2. If a player still has not made contact prior to the Contact-or-Forfeit Deadline (Friday,22:00 FICS) full blame is established, and a forfeit should be awarded.
   3. If the offending player makes his first post after the Contact-or-Forfeit Deadline, s/he is simply too late. We went to great lengths in the Players' Handbook to explain the commitment and responsibilities needed to play in the league, and insisted that each player declare that s/he read them, so this player should not receive much sympathy. Your job is to protect the offended player.
   4. If both players were late in opening the dialog, but then started negotiating in earnest, let them talk it out.
   5. Contact Deadlines vs. Guidelines. There may be some confusion over which contact expectations carry consequences:
      • The two official deadlines (First Contact Deadline, and Contact-or-Forfeit Deadline) carry penalties, as described above, for those players who don't meet them.
      • However, the specifics of the two posts expected prior to the First Contact Deadline, while helpful and expected actions, are guidelines rather than enforceable deadlines.
2. Unable to agree on a time to play - If the players began talking, promptly upon the posting of pairings, but could not agree on a time to play, you will have to look over the individual situation carefully. Evaluate whether each player made valiant efforts to play the game by compromising. If you do see such good faith efforts, rule a set game draw. But if you find that one player insisted on a very narrow window in which to play, or insisted on an adjournment that the other player could not accommodate, you should probably rule this a set game in favor of the player with more availability to play during the week of the round. Remember, we have the commitment section in the Players' Handbook, and we have an offended party to look out for.
3. No-Show - The grace period for late arrivals to a scheduled game is 15 minutes. More than 15 minutes late is a forfeit loss against the absent player, and rescheduling the game can only happen if his oponent agrees. He is free to request a forfeit win and it will be granted. The missing player may plead extenuating circumstances as a reason to rule it a set game instead of a forfeit. But the game is still a loss.
4. Problems in the Game - You will have to familiarize yourself with Section of the Rules, “Conduct of the Game.” There are details pertaining to game parameters, and procedures outlined for frequent disconnections, and for games lost due to server shutdown. Please read it.
5. Behavior - Player conduct issues, such as making insulting remarks or accusations of cheating, are enforced under the Statutes. Common sense is your guide in applying these rules, and you can consult with the Chief TD.
6. Requests to Reschedule - Once a game time has been offered and accepted, it is considered binding on both players. However, up to the end of the 15-minute grace period, a player may ask his opponent to reschedule the game. The opponent may either agree to the request or not, and should not be expected to give a reason. Sometimes, you'll see a player try to reschedule after no-showing (i.e. after the grace period). This is only allowed if his oponent agrees to reschedulle, no matter the extenuating circumstance. If the circumstances merit, you can rule a set game instead of forfeit. We want players to be able to count on a planned game time