ACF SELECTION PROCEDURES BY-LAW [adopted 20 October 2003; as amended to 24 February 2006] The following selection procedures shall apply to the selection of all players and officials who are to represent Australia in international events. In this by-law, unless the context otherwise requires, "Selection Co-ordinator" means the Selection Co-ordinator for the relevant event; "the Council" means the ACF Council; and "the Selection Panel" means the Selection Panel established by clause 1.1. 1. Selection Panel 1.1 A Selection Panel is hereby established from which selectors for a specific event are to be appointed. 1.2 The Selection Panel is to consist of as many members as the Council decides are necessary to provide an adequate number of selectors to be available for specific events. 1.3 The Council may appoint selectors to, or remove selectors from, the panel from time to time as the need requires. 1.4 The Selection Panel shall be appointed primarily on the basis of expertise, without any attempt at State representation. 1.5 Members of the Selection Panel should preferably be strong players with a good knowledge of the relative playing strengths of Australian players. However, specialists in junior chess, women's chess and girls' chess may also be considered as panel members. 2. Selection Co-ordinators 2.1 The Council may appoint one or more persons to be Selection Co-ordinators. 2.2 A Selection Co-ordinator is an office-bearer of the ACF. 2.3 Different Selection Co-Ordinators may be appointed for senior events and junior events. 3. Selectors for Specific Events 3.1 Selectors for an event shall be appointed from the panel by the Council or by the Selection Co-ordinator. 3.2 The number of selectors appointed for a specific event will normally be five. 3.3 In appointing selectors for any specific event the following criteria should be applied: 3.3.1 Lack of bias or personal interest; 3.3.2 Ability to evaluate and compare the playing strengths of all candidates for selection; 3.4 Persons who are to be applicants for selection for an event are not to be selectors for that event. 3.5 The names of the selectors shall be made public by whichever of the Council or the Selection Co-ordinator appointed them. 4. Selection Criteria 4.1 Subject to clause 4.2, the selection criterion for each event shall be to rank the players in order of playing strength with the strongest player ranked no.1, the second strongest no.2, and so on. 4.2 The Council may agree to - 4.2.1 add one or more criteria, or; 4.2.2 adopt a different criterion or criteria. 4.3.1 In the case of the Olympiad teams, an applicant shall not be eligible for selection unless the applicant has played at least 20 ACF or FIDE rated games in the period of 12 months immediately preceding the date on which applications for selection close. 4.3.2 For the purposes of paragraph 4.3.1 – 4.3.2.1 a game that is rated by the ACF and by FIDE shall be counted once only; and 4.3.2.2 a rapid play game shall not be counted. 4.3.3 Paragraph 4.3.1 takes effect from and including the selection process for the Olympiad 2008. 5. Applications for Selection 5.1 Applications to participate in an event are to be called for by the Selection Co- ordinator for the event by publication in the ACF Bulletin and such other chess columns and periodicals in Australia as is practicable. 5.2 The invitation shall - 5.2.1 be published as far in advance as is reasonable; 5.2.2 state a closing date for applications and the address to which they are to be sent; and 5.2.3 inform prospective applicants that they may obtain a copy of the Selection Procedures By-law upon request to the Selection Co-ordinator or by accessing the ACF web site. 5.3 Applications must be sent to the Selection Co-ordinator and must be in writing and signed by the applicant or by email. 5.4 Applications must include the following information: 5.4.1 Full Name 5.4.2 Address 5.4.3 Email address 5.4.4 Fax 5.4.5 Phone number 5.4.6 Nationality 5.4.7 Date of Birth 5.4.8 FIDE Rating 5.4.9 ACF Rating 5.4.10 FIDE Titles held 5.4.11 Current ACF Titles held 5.4.12 Passport number (if held), date of issue and expiry date (for overseas events only) 5.4.13 Where the event for which selection is sought is comprised of categories, whether defined by age or other criterion, the category or categories for which selection is sought. 5.5. Where an application does not contain all of the information required by clause 5.4, the applicant shall, within 7 days of receipt of the application, be advised and requested by the Selection Co-ordinator to provide the missing information within 7 days so that the application may be considered valid. If the applicant does not receive such a request, the application shall be deemed to be valid even if it is subsequently shown that some information was not provided. 5.6 Applicants shall be allowed to provide a list or summary of their game or tournament results over the previous 2 years for submission to the selectors. 5.7 Applicants shall be allowed to provide up to 400 words of comments in support of their application for submission to the selectors. 5.8. Applications must be received before the advertised deadline. If an applicant is able to satisfy the Selection Co-ordinator that circumstances beyond his or her control prevented the application being received before the deadline, then the application will also be considered. 5.9. All applicants must be Australian citizens or be able to satisfy the same residential requirements as apply for the Australian Championship. 5A Application and Selection for Certain Junior Events 5A.1 This clause applies to applications for selection for FIDE junior events such as the World Youth Championships that permit more than one person to be endorsed by their national federation to enter that event (“a FIDE junior event”). 5A.2 A person will not be endorsed by the ACF to enter a FIDE junior event unless that person has applied for selection under this By-law. 5A.3 Before voting under clause 7 on applications for selection for a FIDE junior event the selectors are to determine, in respect of each applicant for selection, if that applicant is strong enough to play in the event. 5A.4 Each selector is to make that determination within a time fixed by the Selection Co- ordinator when the information is provided to the selectors under clause 6. 5A.5 The Selection Co-ordinator is immediately to inform an applicant, who is determined by a majority of the selectors not to be strong enough to play in the event, of that determination. 5A.6 A determination under clause 5A.3 and 5A.4 is not subject to appeal under clause 9. 5A.7 The remaining applicants for selection are to be ranked in accordance with clause 7. 5A.8 The applicant ranked first is to be endorsed by the ACF as its official selection entitled to receive free accommodation and other benefits provided by the host federation under the FIDE rules applying to the event. 5A.9 Each other ranked applicant is entitled to endorsement by the ACF as an official selection to enter the event at his or her own expense. 6. Selection 6.1 The Selection Co-Ordinator shall forward the following information to the selectors: 6.1.1 The selection criteria. 6.1.2 A copy of all applications. 6.1.3 A list of all ACF- rated games played by each applicant during the previous 12 months as recorded in the ACF rating system and the results of those games. 6.1.4 Any relevant additional results received of games not included in clause 6.1.3. 6.1.5 Any results or comments from the applicants provided under clause 5.6 or 5.7. 6.1.6 Any other information that is considered relevant to the selections. 6.2 The Selection Co-ordinator shall retain a copy of all information supplied to the selectors. 6.3 The Selection Co-ordinator shall advise the selectors of the deadline when their votes are to be received by him. 6.4 In the case of the Olympiad, the deadline for voting shall be at least 120 days prior to the commencement of the Olympiad unless another deadline is determined by the Council. 6.5.1 An application for selection by a person, who, at the date on which applications for selection closed, appears to be ineligible for selection either by reason of ACF by-laws, other than paragraph 4.3.1, or FIDE requirements ("an ineligible person"), shall nevertheless be given to the selectors under this by-law unless, in the opinion of the Selection Coordinator there is no possibility of the applicant being eligible for selection by 21 days before he or she would have to leave Australia to compete in the event for which the selection was made. 6.5.2. An ineligible person who is selected under the subsequent provisions of this by-law must become eligible by 21 days before the person is to leave Australia to compete in the event for which the selection was made. 7. Voting 7.1 Selectors shall consider the information given to them by the Selection Co-ordinator under clause 6.1 and may consider such other information as they consider relevant in respect of each candidate. 7.1.1 For the avoidance of doubt, a relevant consideration in determining an applicant’s playing strength, is the applicant’s activity as a player preceding the close of applications for selection, in the case of the Olympiad, since the conclusion of the previous Olympiad, and, in any other case, in the previous 2 years. 7.2 Selectors shall list all applicants according to the selection criteria, with the most preferred player ranked no. 1, the second most preferred no.2, and so on. 7.3 The player with the lowest total of ranking numbers shall be the first selection, or, in the case of a team, board 1. 7.4 In the event of a tie the tied applicants will be considered in isolation and the tie resolved as follows: 7.4.1 The candidate with the least number of first preferences (considering only the tied players) will be eliminated and the process repeated until the tie is resolved. 7.4.2 If the method outlined in clause 7.4.1 does not resolve the tie, the tie shall be broken in favour of the player with the higher FIDE rating. 7.4.3 If the method outlined in clause 7.4.2 does not resolve the tie, the tie shall be broken in favour of the player with the higher ACF rating. 7.4.4 If the method outlined in clause 7.4.3 does not resolve the tie, the tie shall be broken by the drawing of lots. 7.5 The votes of individual selectors shall remain confidential and shall be known only by the ACF President and Selection Co-Ordinator. The total votes awarded to each applicant may be reported to the ACF Council and/or published if the President considers it is appropriate. 8 The Decision 8.1. The Selection Co-ordinator shall - 8.1.1 advise all of the applicants of the results of the selections; 8.1.2 publish the results in each medium in which the call for applications for selection was published, and 8.1.3 in both cases, inform applicants of their right of appeal under clause 9. 9. Appeals 9.1 Any applicant may appeal the results of a selection within 7 days of being notified of the results of the selection by the Selection Co-ordinator. 9.2 Appeals shall given to the Selection Co-ordinator and shall be accompanied by a $200 appeal fee which shall be refunded if the appeal is upheld. 9.3 Appeals shall be on the basis that either: 9.3.1 There was a material error or omission in the selection process that has disadvantaged the applicant. 9.3.1.1. Paragraph 9.3.1 does not apply to an alleged material error or omission relating to the eligibility of an applicant for selection, other than the eligibility requirement in paragraph 4.3.1. 9.3.2 That the applicant was clearly ranked such that no selectors could have reasonably given the applicant that ranking based on the information supplied to the selectors. Note: It is not sufficient to appeal on the basis that a player thinks that he/she should have been selected. The ranking of the selectors has to be clearly incorrect and unreasonable. 9.4 On receipt of an appeal all players involved in the selection which is subject to the appeal shall be advised that the appeal has been lodged. 9.5 Each player against whose selection an appeal has been lodged shall be given a copy of the appeal and an opportunity to state in writing, within 7 days after having been given the appeal, his or her case with respect to the appeal. 10 Appeals Tribunal 10.1 The Council shall appoint a person known as the ACF Appeals Tribunal Convenor (ATC) who shall be an ACF Honorary Life Member, a former ACF President or an eminent person with appropriate knowledge of chess and of the issues involved in the appeal. 10.2 The ATC shall appoint two other persons, each being either an ACF Honorary Life Member, a former ACF President or Deputy President or an eminent person as described in clause 10.1 to form a three person tribunal with the ATC. 11 The Appeal - Consideration and Decision 11.1 The Selection Co-ordinator shall give to the Appeals Tribunal the same material as he gave to the selectors under clause 6, the total votes awarded to each applicant and, despite clause 7.5, the votes of the individual selectors. 11.2 The Appeals Tribunal may seek and consider such other information as it considers appropriate and its decision shall be final. 11.3 The decision of the Appeals Tribunal shall be either: 11.3.1 The result of the selection stands. 11.3.2.The selectors for the selection being appealed reconsider their votes in the light of the appeal and correct any previous errors or omissions in the selection process. 11.3.3 One or more of the selectors for the selection being appealed be replaced with new selectors appointed from the Selection Panel and the votes of the new selectors shall be counted in lieu of the votes of the selectors they replaced. 11.3.4 Three new selectors be appointed from the Selection Panel, not being the original selectors, and the votes of the new selectors shall decide the selection. 11.4 A new selector referred to in clause 11.3.3 or clause 11.3.4 shall be appointed by the ACF President after consultation with the ATC and the Selection Co-Ordinator. 11.5 Any such new selector and the consequent selection shall be governed by the same rules as applied to the original selectors and the original selection. 12. Alternative Selection Process 12.1 Despite clauses 1 to 11 above, if, for adult events, in the opinion of the President, there is insufficient time to conduct a selection process as outlined in clauses 1 to 11, then applicants shall be ranked according to the average of their FIDE and ACF ratings, rather than on the votes of selectors, and selected by the President accordingly. 13. Captains 13.1 Applications for the captaincy of any team may be invited whenever the Council considers it appropriate or expedient to do so. This would normally be after the selection of the team so that unsuccessful applicants for the team may apply for the captaincy. 13.2 Applicants for the captaincy may convey or distribute information in respect of their applications to team members, prospective team members and Councillors as and whenever they wish. 13.3 Team members and/or prospective team members may convey preferences, recommendations and any other related information concerning the appointment of captains to Councillors and others as and whenever they wish. 13.4 After consideration of submissions in the hands of Councillors at the time, the Council shall appoint as captain the person it considers most suitable in the circumstances. 13.5 Such appointment may be made at whatever time the Council deems appropriate or expedient and need not be subject to or dependent upon the distribution or receipt of submissions from applicants, team members or others.