What to do if your opponent fails to arrive

It is impolite to not turn up for a game and very frustrating for your opponent. However often one of the players fails to arrive exactly on time - sometimes crowds around the draw lists cause this.

One player late

• At the start of the round, ensure that both colours have full sets of stones and leave the Ing bowls in the "display the number of stones" position with the lid not under the bowl.
• Set the clock
• Wait until the scheduled starting time of the round.
  • The pairing should have been posted at least 15 minutes before the round, but sometimes it comes late. If a later starting time is written on the pairing, obey it. Otherwise it it reasonable to wait 15 minutes after the posting of the pairing before starting the clock.
• If you are white, then press your clock to start your opponent's.
• If you are black, press white's clock to start your clock. Make a move (thus leaving a neat bowl with one stone missing - its on the board), press your clock to start white's clock.
• Wait until a set time has passed before claiming a win by forfeit.
  • In the main EGF tournament, the rules are that time to wait is one hour on the clock.
  • In other tournaments EGF tournament rules are also the default, but sometimes (check the rules on the wall) the time to wait is half that of the basic time. Thus in a 1:30 game, wait for your opponent's clock to reach 0:45. The organisers should specify this.
• Fill in the result's sheet and have it signed by a referee. Turn the clock off.

Nigiri and late

If a tournament selects colours using nigiri and a player is absent, wait for the later of the start of the round or 15 minutes after the posting of the pairing and then the player present may choose his colour before starting the clocks/playing appropriately.

Both players late

If both players are very late but 'in time', say 45 and 55 minutes late when there is a one hour forfeit time, then the organisers need to have determined what to do. The referee will know, amongst the options are to:

• Require reduced time limit play (essential if the next round might be delayed by this game)
  • by half the lateness each. Thus when player 1 arrives, he sets the clocks for the reduced time limit and starts player 2's clock. When Player 2 arrives, his clock is set according to half the lateness of player one and then the delay to his own late arrival. This late starting game will finish at the same time as games started on time!
  • by the full lateness each. Thus when player 1 arrives, he sets the clocks for the reduced time limit and starts player 2's clock. When Player 2 arrives, his clock is "correctly" set according to his lateness. A side effect is that the late starting game will finish before games started on time!
• Allow full time limit play - only possible if the next round is not compromised by this.
• At Zagreb, the Main Tournament clocks were set by the organisers before the round and Black's clock started by them.

Both players absent

If both players remain absent the organisers need to take one of the following actions:

• score the game as a loss for both players (normal case)
• ignore the game (if there are exceptional circumstances)

In addition the organisers need to

• take a view as to whether the players should be in the draw for the following round. The decision on this depends on (typically) how soon the next round's draw is to take place and if one or both of the players turn up and/or provide some explanation for not turning up.
• increment the McMahon score for each player by 0.5 if the tournament is a McMahon one. This should be done only if the game was ignored due to the exceptional circumstances.

Note: you will need to allow for an appeal against the organisers' decisions in all these events, so be prepared for it and allow it to happen speedily!