F.1. Participation

F.1. Participation

F.1.1 Participation in the European Club Cup is open to:

F.1.1.1 Three teams per ECU Chess Federation in which a national team championship is organised.

F.1.1.2 Two team per ECU Chess Federation in which no national team championship is organised.

F.1.1.3 The previous European Club Cup winner.

F.1.1.4 The organising federation shall registered at least one team in the open and women competition. The organising federation shall be entitled to enter an additional team. If there is an odd number of participating teams the organising federation has the right to enter a second additional team. If this second additional team is paired and plays round 1 it shall remain in the tournament to the conclusion even when a team or teams dropping out or a new team or teams arriving subsequently would result in an odd number of teams still in competition.

F.1.1.5 Each club is allowed only one team in each competition.

F.1.1.6 The clubs which play in a federation in which no national team championship is organised, may only enter a team in which at least 6 players have a FIDE-rating. All players have to be listed in the most current FIDE-rating list of this federation

F.1.1.7The clubs which play in a federation in which no national team championship is organised, and which have not the required number of FIDE-rated players as defined in F.1.1.6, may ask the Tournament Director of the European Chess Union for dispensation. The request shall be accompanied by all relevant information and must be supported by the federation of the club(s) involved.

F.1.1.8 The federations in which a national team championship with at least ten teams in the highest division is organised, are entitled to enter a fourth club provided that at least 20 grandmasters and/or players with a FIDE-rating over 2600 have participated in this championship one year prior to the current European Club Cup.

F.1.1.9 Each federation that is ranked in the first five places of the federation ranking list is entitled to enter one additional team. The federation ranking list is made by the ECU Tournament Director according to F.7.

F.1.1.10 The European Club Cup for Women, is open for all clubs registered by an ECU Chess Federation.

F.1.2 The teams shall be composed of six players all of whom must be members of the club and were entitled to play for the club in the national team championship of the federation, which was organised within one year before the start of the current European Club Cup. However, players who are foreigners to the federation in which the national team championship is organised, must have played at least two games in this championship. Foreigners are defined as those which are either belonging to another federation in the FIDE Rating List valid at the start of the national team championship or have a permanent residence outside the federation in which this national team championship is organised.

F.1.2.1 If a participating club wants to include a national or foreigner player in the open competition who does not fulfil the requirements of article F.1.2 the club has to pay an amount to ECU according the player’s FIDE classical rating (each year, 1st July rating list):

Rating 2600 and more 2500 EURO

Rating 2500 – 2599 1500 EURO
Rating 2400 – 2499 1000 EURO
Rating 2300 – 2399 500 EURO
Rating 2200 – 2299 250 EURO
Rating 2199 and below free

These players have to be announced to the Tournament Director before the deadline for nomination of teams and the extra fee has to be paid to ECU before start of the competition. For the European Club Cup for Women this fee is waived for all the ECU Chess Federations where a National Team women Championship is organised. For clubs which play in an ECU Chess Federation in which no national team championship is organised for foreigner players the club has to pay an amount to ECU of 500 euros per women player over 2300 FIDE rating (each year, 1st June rating list). In the open competition no more than two players, in the women’s competition no more than one female player, may be replaced.

F.1.2.2 Players, who are considered as foreigners according to F.1.2, and who have been playing at least three times for the same club in previous European Club Cup competitions are exempted from the obligation to play at least two games in the championship of the federation for this club.

F.1.2.3 Each team is entitled to have two reserve players who must fulfil the conditions stipulated in F.1.2.

F.1.2.4 The players and the reserve players can represent only one club at the same time. If a player has been playing national team competitions in more than one federation he has to decide before the time of subscription by writing for which team he will
play.

F.1.2.5 For the European Club Cup for Women, the teams shall be composed of four players. Each team is entitled to have one reserve player. All players have to fulfil the conditions stipulated in F.1.2.

F.1.3 The basic players’ list of a participating club (cf. F.2.5) must be sent at the latest one month prior to the start of the competition to the Tournament Director of the European Chess Union. After verification the team lists will be published on the web site of the European Chess Union. The Tournament Director will immediately send a copy of the team lists by fax or email to the organisers. All clubs have to finalize their final players’ lists before the captain’s meeting at the start of the tournament.