Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Online Chess Match Championships!

Quick facts about the tournament:

• Server: FICS (freechess.org)
• Time Control: 60 minutes for each player and game, with a 30 second increment for each move (or longer, on mutual agreement by both players).
• Tie-breaks: 2 additional games with the same time control. Repeat, if needed.
  
• The top-most listed player is playing White in game 1.

The tournament is loosely based on the FIDE World Championship Cycle, and uses a cup format (lose a match and you are eliminated.) Players are seeded according to their FICS rating at the start of the tournament. This ensures, for example, that the top 2 players can't meet until the final. The match length increases as the tournament progresses with the final being a 12-game match. The players play alternatively as White and Black. Should a match end with a tie after all regular games have been played, 2 additional games are played to decide the winner. If after these two games, the score is still tied, another two games are played until a winner is decided. If a player does not show up within 15 minutes after the scheduled time, the opponent can claim a game win.




Important dates:
May 25 2009: Deadline for sign-up.
June 1 2009: Round 1 starts.

Contact tournament organizer Jonas Martinsson (Jonasil on FICS) for more details.