Rules & format

A team consists of five active players. Schools with sufficient depth may enter a second team, which competes as a separate entity in the standings.

Players are placed in board order by strength — the strongest player on Board 1, descending to Board 5. Board order is declared at check-in and locked for the day. Teams may not reorder boards between rounds to game a matchup.

Each round is one complete five-board match against a single opposing school. The number of rounds equals the number of teams in the pod, minus one:

• 8-team pod — 7 rounds, roughly 6 hours
• 6-team pod — 5 rounds, roughly 5 hours
• 5-team pod — 5 rounds (one bye each), roughly 5 hours

These are full-day estimates from door to door — they include check-in, the gap between rounds, a lunch break, and awards. A round runs longer than its time control suggests, because every board must finish before the next round begins.

Each individual game is worth one point for a win and a half point for a draw. A team's board score in a match is the sum of its five boards.

A team wins the match by taking more than half the boards — three or more out of five. Matches award match points:

• Match win — 2 points
• Drawn match (2½ – 2½) — 1 point
• Match loss — 0 points

Pod tables are ordered by total match points, accumulated across both the fall and winter rounds. A team's season is the sum of everything it plays — up to fourteen matches in an eight-team pod.

Ties in the pod table are broken in this order:

1. Match points — the primary standing
2. Board points — total individual boards won across the season
3. Head-to-head — the result between the tied teams

The team topping its pod's cumulative table after both rounds is the pod champion and advances to the statewide final. The eight pod champions play a single round-robin — seven rounds — for the title.

Teams bring five sets and five clocks where possible. Host schools maintain a league backup supply so that no team is unable to play for want of equipment.

Games follow standard US Chess rules of play, which we use because they are the accepted standard — LCCC is an independent league and is not a US Chess affiliate. Disputes at an event are settled by the host advisor together with the regional coordinator; their decision on the day is final.

Players shake hands before and after each game. Electronic devices are off and away during play. Any use of an engine or outside assistance forfeits the game and may forfeit the match.