English Chess Federation
Bye Law No. 2 The Game Fee Bye Laws

Made by the Council of English Chess Federation on 16thJuly 2005 and amended on 22nd October 2005, 24th June 2006 and 21st October 2006 in pursuance of Article 82 of the Articles of Association of English Chess Federation.

WHEREAS the Articles of Association of English Chess Federation in Article 1.1 define the “Game Fee Bye Laws” as “ the Bye Laws which regulate the administration of graded games, the liability for and collection of Game Fee (including discounts for prompt payment), the waiver of Game Fee and the assignment of Game Fee payments by clubs and other non-member organisations to Full Members for the purpose of the calculation of multiple votes pursuant to Article 30.” and define “Game Fee” as “ the Game Fee established respectively for results:

(a) of Standard graded games at 44 pence;

(b) of Rapidplay graded games at 22 pence;

(c) of Standard graded games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions) at 15 pence

(d) of Rapidplay graded games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions) at 8 pence:

(e) of Standard graded games played between junior players under the age of 18 in solely junior events at 22 pence;

(f) of Rapidplay graded games played between junior players under the age of 18 in solely junior events at 11 pence:

(g) of Standard graded games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions played between junior players under the age of 18 in solely junior events) at 8 pence:

(h) of Rapidplay graded games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions played between junior players under the age of 18 in solely junior events) at 4 pence:

or such other rates established respectively pursuant to Article 18 where each graded game will comprise two results and Game Fee shall be payable for each result (all of which terms are defined in the Game Fee Bye Laws).”

AND WHEREAS Article5(3) and 5(4) give power to the Board to admit Chess Leagues and Chess Congresses to membership of the English Chess Federation.

AND WHEREAS Article 8(1) provides that “The Membership Fee to be paid by each Constituent Unit, County Association, Chess League, Chess Congress and Other Organisation shall be based upon the greater of

(a) the Game Fees payable or deemed to be payable (where the liability for Game Fee has been waived) in respect of the number of graded results from events organised by that body in accordance with the Game Fee Bye Laws or

(b) a minimum Membership Fee of £50 per annum or at such rate determined from time to time by the Finance Council.”

AND WHEREAS Article 8(2) provides that “Membership Fees shall be payable in accordance with the Game Fee Bye Laws or as specified by the Finance Council where there are no relevant graded results and in the latter case shall be payable on 30th November in each year unless otherwise agreed by the Director of Finance.”

AND WHEREAS Article 9 provides that “For the year 2006/07 and each subsequent year the Finance Council shall determine annually the Game Fee for Standard graded games, for Rapidplay graded games, for games between junior players under the age of 18 in solely junior events and also for games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions).”

AND WHEREAS Article 18 provides that a Finance Council shall be held in April of each year at which certain business shall be transacted and that business includes in Article 18(2) “Determination of the Game Fee(s) for the year commencing 1 September next, or such other date as Finance Council may determine and the provisions of Articles 26 and 30 shall apply to the vote for the same.”

AND WHEREAS Article 26 provides that “At any General Meeting a resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless a poll is (before or on the declaration of the result of the show of hands) demanded: (1) by the chairman; or (2) by twenty members entitled to vote present in person or by proxy.”

AND WHEREAS Article 30 provides that “The Poll pursuant to Article 26 shall be determined as follows:
(1) In respect of Full Members in the divisions of members within Articles 5.1 to 5.5 whose Membership Fee is calculated in accordance with the Game Fee Bye Laws by the casting of multiple votes as follows:
for payment or deemed payment for 1-1,000 Standard graded results: 1 vote

for payment or deemed payment for 1,001-2,000 Standard graded results: 2 votes

for payment or deemed payment for 2,001-3,000 Standard graded results: 3 votes

for payment or deemed payment for 3,001-4,000 Standard graded results: 4 votes

and so forth in multiples of 1,000 Standard graded results.

Multiple voting entitlements for Rapidplay graded results, for graded results submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions) and for graded results of games played between juniors players under the age of 18 in solely junior events will be calculated on the basis that a monetary payment or deemed payment (where liability for Game Fee has been waived) will give rise to a voting entitlement pro rata to that for a payment in respect of Standard graded results.”

AND WHEREAS Article 31 provides that “The calculation of votes under Article 30(1) for each Full Member shall be based upon the relevant payments received (including Game Fee payments assigned by clubs or other non-member organisations) and deemed payments (where liability for Game Fee has been waived) in respect of that Full Member in the reference period of 12 months prior to the closing of the Agenda for the Council Meeting in question (which may be extended to 15 months where the dates of annual events have been varied but not so as to produce a calculation greater than the annual equivalent). A relevant payment shall be monies received, before the deduction of any discount, and shall not include payments for events pre-dating the reference period, nor payments which are apparent duplicates of events held on a cyclical basis.”

AND WHEREAS Article 32 provides that

(1) If a poll is demanded to determine the Game Fee pursuant to Article 18 persons voting shall cast their votes for the Game Fee for Standard graded games which they favour. The Game Fee of that vote which is the median vote of all votes cast shall be the duly determined Game Fee for Standard graded games. The chairman of the meeting shall exercise a casting vote if the median lies between two Game Fee figures.

(2) The provisions of this Article shall also apply to resolutions deciding the Game Fee for Rapidplay graded games; for graded games submitted by clubs and for graded games played between junior players under the age of 18 years in solely junior events

(3) Unless the Finance Council specifically resolves otherwise, the Game Fee for Rapidplay graded games shall be one half of that for Standard graded games (in case of fractions of a penny rounded to the next higher whole penny).

(4) Unless the Finance Council specifically resolves otherwise, the rate of Game Fee for games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions) shall be one third of that for Standard graded games and for Rapidplay graded games as the case might be (in case of fractions of a penny rounded to the next higher whole penny).

(5) Unless the Finance Council specifically resolves otherwise, the rate of Game Fee for games played between junior players under the age of 18 years in solely junior events shall be one half of that for Standard graded games or for Rapidplay graded games or games submitted by clubs (for internal club competitions) as the case might be (in case of fractions of a penny rounded to the next higher whole penny but only one such rounding shall be carried out in the whole calculation).

AND WHEREAS Article 82 gives power to the Council to make Bye Laws including in respect of the Game Fee Bye Laws.

1. Definitions.

1.1 In these Bye Laws the expressions defined in the Articles shall have the meanings therein ascribed to them and:

“the designated officer means the officer appointed by the Board to administer the Game Fee Bye Laws

“the Federation” means English Chess Federation.

“Rapidplay grading results” means results from games where either all the moves must be made in a total fixed time from 15 to 60 minutes or the time allotted + 60 times any increment is from 15 to 60 minutes.

“Standard grading results” means results from games where each player has more time than the maximum defined above for Rapidplay.

2. Scope of the Game Fee Bye Laws

The Game Fee Bye Laws shall regulate:

2.1 the criteria for the admission to membership of Chess Leagues and Chess Congresses, and

2.2 the administrative procedures relating to Game Fee.

3. Membership of Chess Leagues and Chess Congresses

3.1 The Board may delegate the power to admit Chess Leagues and Chess Congresses located in England and in British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies to membership of the Federation to the designated officer, provided always that no vote at Council shall be thereby acquired until the Board has ratified such membership.

3.2 In approving such membership the Board and the designated officer shall satisfy themselves that the applicants are autonomous organisations or events and are not component parts of a larger chess body. Applications from a series of chess congresses organised by the same body shall be treated as an application from one Chess Congress.

4. Membership Fees

4.1 Eligibility for Standard play and Rapidplay grading shall be determined from time to time by the Director responsible for Grading, who shall have due regard to the FIDE Laws of Chess then current.

4.2 A game of chess played will comprise two results for grading purposes and Game Fee shall be payable for each result. Payment shall be refunded on request in respect of grading results paid for but not played, e.g. involving a default.

4.3 Each organisation paying a Membership Fee shall register any graded events which it proposes to organise and shall at the same time furnish the designated officer with an estimate of the expected number of grading results. Chess Leagues and Chess Congresses shall do so at the time of first applying for membership and annually thereafter no later than 30th November. Constituent Units, County Associations and Other Organisations shall do so not later than 30th November, and annually thereafter. Each organisation shall also provide the designated officer with an estimate at any such time as he may require, and shall when requested explain the basis for calculation of the estimate.

4.4 Membership Fees shall be payable as follows:

4.4.1 for Chess Leagues, by 15 December for winter leagues and by 30 June for summer leagues;

4.4.2 for Chess Congresses, within 30 days of the conclusion of the Congress or relevant part thereof;

4.4.3 for Constituent Units, County Associations and Other Organisations: by 15 December for winter leagues; by 30 June for summer leagues; within 30 days of the conclusion of any other event; and

4.4.4 for clubs within 30 days of the conclusion of their events.

4.4.5 These dates may by prior arrangement be varied in specific cases by the designated officer who shall keep a record of all such variations.

4.5 A club or other non-member organisation liable for Game Fee may elect to assign the payment it makes or deemed payment for which it is liable to any Full Member organisation of the Federation and for the purposes of this Bye Law such assigned payments shall be treated as if they had been made by such Full Member organisation. In the absence of an explicit election there will be no such assignment.

4.6 The payment of Game Fee is hereby waived for Basic Members and Basic Junior Members.

4.7 The Board shall have power to waive or vary the payment of Game Fee in respect of specified categories of chess competition and/or specified categories of person and if it does so shall so advise the designated officer.
[N.B. at 1st June 2005, Game Fee has been waived for: events organised, solely for the benefit of their own members by the Braille Chess Association and the English Deaf Chess Association and for results of all categories of Direct Members, except Corporate Vice Presidents, playing in registered congress events.]

4.8 The Board shall have the power to offer discounts for prompt payment of Game Fees.

5. The Federation’s Obligations

The Federation will use all its best endeavours to grade the results of games submitted under the Game Fee Bye Laws by Full Member organisations of the Federation and in respect of any club or other non-member organisation where a liability to pay Game Fee has been entered into provided the results for the same are submitted by deadlines stipulated from time to time by the Director responsible for Grading.

No liability is accepted by the Federation for errors or omissions in the Grading Lists published from time to time but corrections will be published in accordance with criteria determined from time to time by the Director responsible for Grading.