Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

[Sanjiv Kalra]

If someone withdraws from a tournament (not playing the last game), but still wins the tournament. Is he/she still entitled for the prize? Are there any rules or guidelines set by CFC/FIDE regarding this?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

If someone withdraws from a tournament (not playing the last game), but still wins the tournament. Is he/she still entitled for the prize? Are there any rules or guidelines set by CFC/FIDE regarding this?

Define "withdraws". Exactly what did this player do to withdraw?

[Sanjiv Kalra]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

I did get the answer somewhat "1605. Questionable cases: The director is the final authority on the distribution of prizes in complex or questionable cases. Any player who fails to complete his schedule of play without an excuse acceptable to the director relinquishes any prizes to which he would otherwise be entitled" Its a hypothetical question just in case types if they need to withdraw for travel reasons or some other commitment which has been communicated before the start of the tournament.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

Example: this year's World Open. Hikaru Nakamura took half-point byes in the last two rounds (requested in advance - but byes awarded that late in a tournament should be worth zero points), and won the tournament. It's the equivalent of withdrawing two rounds before the end (and getting a free point).

http://www.worldopen.com/

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

Nakamura didn't withdraw. You can call it "equivalent" if you like, but he didn't withdraw.

I did face the OP's original question in a CFC-rated event. A player, 1.5 points ahead of the field after 5 rounds, asked the TD if he could withdraw before final round 6 and still collect the first prize. She said no. So he played.

I don't think this ruling is incumbent on TDs, but it is a precedent.

[Christopher Mallon]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

I had this crop up in one of the first tournaments I directed ... an IM was 1.5 ahead of the field going into round 5 (the final round) and a glance at the standings showed he'd be playing a 1500ish player, so he asked to withdraw and get the prize money with a 0-pt bye.

It sounded reasonable on the spot, and so I agreed. However, after I had thought about it more over the following few days, I decided that I wouldn't do that again. First of all the 1500 player might have liked to play an IM (much like 1st round Canadian Opens!) .. also, it's not exactly the sort of behaviour I would like to encourage.

[Alan Baljeu]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

I think it's unreasonable for anyone, including Nak to get a 0.5 bye on the last round. I mean it's fine to ask, but not playing deprives someone the chance to beat him, and this will upset final standings. Before last round, okay. Last round, a 0-point bye should be okay IF asked for in advance.

[John Brown]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

If you are not playing in the last round then you are withdrawing and no prize fund except when you get a forced TD 1 pt bye. In my opinion. That is what you'd get if you played in any Peel Chess Club Invitational tournament.

T

[Roger Patterson]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

One aspect of making regulations is whether you can enforce it. So, in this case, what are you going to do after refusing to give a zero point bye and the prize money if the player instead opts to stay in the tournament, be paired, and then resign - or perhaps play 1. f3... 2. g4 and be mated, or any more subtler variation of the same? Are you going to refuse to pay if his reason for not playing is that he broke his leg and is calling from the hospital?

Quite reasonably, the player has already accumulated the points to win, so give him the money. He has won. He has not signed a contract to play all his games. The organizer has however, advertised to pay the winner $X.

There is a relevant related FIDE ruling. If you have enough points for a norm in fewer than the stipulated number of rounds (i.e. even if you hypothetically lose the rest of your games), you get the norm, even if you don't play the remaining games. Why should money be any different?

Incidentally, I was once in a situation where I decided I did not want to play a 3rd round game - (I wound up more tired than predicted late on Saturday). I was fine with a zero point bye, that was what I expected but the TD refused to give me a zero point bye. So, I dropped out of the tournament, the TD had an odd number of players for rounds 4 and 5 (TD byes necessary) and all he acheived was a pissed off customer for his tournaments.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

This situation would have been easier handled if Mr. Kalra had just Forfeited the last round and then he would not be considered as a withdrawal and he would have got the prize awarded for his point score

No. It is rude and selfish to deprive another player of a game. I'm sure that solution was not even considered by the Kalras. If any rule encourages that sort of behaviour, it needs change.

In other parts of Canada (and even the world), a player who forfeits a game is often considered to be a withdrawal. The infamous CFC Rule 718 doesn't exactly state that, though the wording is so tight that one might reasonably equate default and withdrawal.

http://www.chess.ca/section_7.htm

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Question about withdrawing from a tournament?

I think it's unreasonable for anyone, including Nak to get a 0.5 bye on the last round. I mean it's fine to ask, but not playing deprives someone the chance to beat him, and this will upset final standings. Before last round, okay. Last round, a 0-point bye should be okay IF asked for in advance.

Those were the rules of the tournament, as published well in advance. It's not uncommon in CCA tournaments. Nakamura requested the last round half-point bye before the tournament even started, as required by those rules.

The byes-in-last-rounds question was discussed in more detail here:

http://www.chesstalk.info/forum/showthread.php?t=1636

before the thread went OT onto USCF politics.