POLYCHAMPS III
ETHZ vs EPFL
III-Brain Clash
EPFL wins the first OTB edition!
5th of November 2022
Report and results
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The tournament
This year, the Polychamps took place in a different format than previous years. The familiar online Lichess tournament still took place, but at the same time, a chess match between the strongest players of both universities was played in person.
Full report
Replay the games on lichess
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Organisers
This tournament was organised jointly between SKETHZ (ETHZ) and La Dame Blanche (EPFL). It is kindly supported by ASK Reti Zürich.
Rules OTB tournament
How are the players selected?
Both EPFL and ETH organize a qualifier tournament at their universities for the selection of the players. The best players, including at least 2 women, will qualify for the tournament.
What is the time control?
The time control for the games is 60 minutes. For each move played, an additional 30 seconds will be added to the clock.
Will the tournament be FIDE rated?
Yes, the games will be attended by an arbiter and the games will officially count for the FIDE rating of the participating players.
Rules online tournament
If you're a beginner, don't be intimidated by all of those rules. Once you joined the tournament, everything should work out automatically when it's game time. Just enjoy the game! Nonetheless, here are some details about the tournament:
How does the tournament work?
At the beginning of the tournament, players are paired based on their rating. The time control is 3 minutes for each player, with an increment of 2 seconds per move. As soon as you finish a game, return to the tournament lobby: you will then be paired with a player close to your ranking. This ensures minimum wait time, however you may not face all other players in the tournament. Play fast and return to the lobby to play more games and win more points.
How are scores calculated?
A win has a base score of 2 points, a draw 1 point, and a loss is worth no points. If you win two games consecutively you will start a double point streak, represented by a flame icon. The following games will continue to be worth double points until you fail to win a game. That is, a win will be worth 4 points, a draw 2 points, and a loss will still not award any points. For example, two wins followed by a draw will be worth 6 points: 2 + 2 + (2 x 1)
What is Arena Berserk?
When a player clicks the Berserk button at the beginning of the game, they lose half of their clock time, but the win is worth one extra tournament point. Going Berserk in time controls with an increment also cancels the increment (1+2 is an exception, it gives 1+0). Berserk is not available for games with zero initial time (0+1, 0+2). Berserk only grants an extra point if you play at least 7 moves in the game.
Other important rules
There is a countdown for your first move. Failing to make a move within this time will forfeit the game to your opponent. Drawing the game within the first 10 moves will earn neither player any points. Draw streaks: When a player has consecutive draws in an arena, only the first draw will result in a point, or draws lasting more than 30 moves. The draw streak can only be broken by a win, not a loss or a draw.
When does it end?
The tournament has a countdown clock of an hour and a half. When it reaches zero, the tournament rankings are frozen, and the winner is announced. Games in progress must be finished, however they don't count for the tournament.
How is the winner decided?
The best 20 players of each team add up their points for a team total. The team that has the most points wins the Polychamps. Furthermore, an individual ranking is provided. The player(s) with the most points at the end of the tournament's time limit will be announced winner(s). If two or more players have the same number of points, the tournament performance is the tie break.