Rules of the European Go Championship

11/06/2016 – V13 – after first implementation at Liberec & new system for 4th round

European individual Championship System -ECS (2016 onwards)

1. Selection of players:

24 top European players (passport of EGF member country required) will participate in the event. They can be either amateur or professional players.

The players qualify for participation in order of their best achieved EGF-ratings within last twelve months (June 16th of a previous year - June 15th of a current year), as given in the EGF rating database by June 15th, before the EGC.

Only players with a tournament-result in the last twelve months (16th of June of a previous year - 15th of June of a current year) documented in the EGD will be taken into account.

From 2016 onwards:

a) Top 8 of previous European Championship (EC) b) One wildcard for the organizing EGC country, minimal EGF rating 2350 c) One wildcard for the EGF to be decided by end of June, minimal EGF rating 2350 d) 14 players from EGD (top rating June 16th , previous year – June 15th , current year, at least one tournament in the EGD within the same period.

Unused wildcards increase the number of players from the EGD

2. Registration procedure:

Players who want to play the European Championship have to preregister for the EC latest till June 15th before EC as part of their registration for the EGC.

22 EC participants will be selected from the preregistered players and based on the results of previous EGC in the second half of June.

The decision how to use the 2 wildcards will also be taken by the end of June.

End of June, EGF will publish the names of the 24 players qualified for the EC in an appropriate way.

All 24 players have to confirm on Friday or Saturday (1st day of the EGC) at the venue of the congress that they still want to play the EC. If not, next players on the list of eligible preregistered participants will replace them.

3. Organisation:

Championship modus:
  • 4 preliminary rounds with Mac Mahon system.
  • All 24 players start with the same Mac Mahon score. This start, Mac Mahon score, is the same
  • like the top-bar Mac Mahon score of the EGC main-tournament.
  • 3 rounds play-offs for the top 8 players after round 4, all games of the seven rounds are played under the same rules as in the EGC main Tournament with time limit 2.5 hours basic time + 1 minute Byo Yomi (3 times)
  • In each preliminary round, the players are ordered according to :
  • 1) number of wins, 2) entry EGF rating as of July 15th before the European Championship , 3) lottery
  • The players with two lost games in the preliminary rounds leave immediately the European Championship and may continue playing in the main EGC tournament.
  • After the 3rd round, the players with 3 wins get a bye and they qualifies directly for the play-offs and they will play one round in the main EGC tournament instead. One of the 3 players with 2 wins in the first two rounds will also get a bye following a draw and qualifies for the play-offs
  • All the 4 players getting a bye for round 4 are allowed to play in the main tournament instead.
  • After round 4, the Top 8 players continue the European Championship as a knockout tournament:1-8, 2-7, … etc they will paired according to the chart here below included.
  • There is no need to define 5th to 8th positions. Hence, the players may play the weekend tournament if they wish so. Only semifinals, the games for 3rd place and the final, are played over the weekend.
  • All games excluding those played in the semifinals and finals count for the EGC main Tournamen as well.
Pairings:
  • Pairing of players in the preliminary rounds 2,3 and 4 with the same number of wins is done according to their ordering, folded system (the top player with the bottom player etc).
  • for the 4th round, only 8 players as 4 other players get a bye after round 3
Championship Schedule:
  • 5 rounds played during the main EGC tournament on the first week
  • 2 extra rounds played on Saturday and Sunday (2nd week end) – semi-finals and finals.

Chart and template for the European Championship organization team:

Link to chart

Older editions: 2015, 2012, 2010