Reason why we proposed changes in B.06.1 – FIDE Regulations for the Titles of Arbiters
Dear chess friends, dear chess arbiters,
As you can see in FIDE Handbook, starting from March 1st is effective the new Regulation – B.06.1 – FIDE Regulations for the Titles of Arbiters.
In this article you can see explanation of changes we proposed to FIDE Council for approval and that were accepted.
Special thanks goes to our colleagues, IA Jens Wolter and IA Gerhard Bertagnolli, who significantly contributed to our work on this topic. The main motivation for this proposal is to clarify certain provisions of the regulations that are currently ambiguous, and to ensure greater consistency in cases where multiple interpretations were possible. These issues came to light during the processing of applications, when it became clear that some articles were confusing for candidates.
Key changes:
- Certificates for an IA norm must be signed by an IA. Certificates for an FA norm must be signed by an IA or FA.
(IOs can no longer sign FA or IA norms.) - Notification of the Chief Arbiter in advance:
An arbiter who wishes to obtain a norm from a tournament must inform the CA in advance, so that the CA can properly evaluate the arbiter’s performance. In the past, some norms were issued years after the tournament had taken place, which we believe undermines accuracy and fairness. With this change, the norm should be issued immediately after the tournament and not years later. - Clarification of tournament types and time controls:
Some provisions were unclear as to whether they applied to team or individual tournaments, and what time controls were acceptable. These points have now been clarified. It was also fixed when a player is to considered to be counted when a minimum number of players is defined as a requirement.
- Limiting the number of norms from festivals:
In the past, in some cases the arbiters obtained all their required norms within a single festival, for example: a weekend tournament (5 rounds standard), immediately followed by a 7-round standard event, plus a 9-round blitz tournament (maybe in the evening) during the same week. While all 3 tournaments were valid for FA norms, such rapid progression does not guarantee adequate experience. To address this, we amended the regulations so that only one norm per festival can be used.
- Validity of norms for FA:
All norms valid for the International Arbiter (IA) title should also be valid for obtaining a FIDE Arbiter (FA) norm. Currently, this is not always the case (example: At present, some minor FIDE World Championships or title tournament with less than 20 rated players are valid for IA, but not for FA norm)
- Experience requirements for titles:
At present, the only requirements for becoming a NA, FA, or IA are a certain age and for FA/IA the number of norms. While we value the ambition of arbiters to progress, we also believe experience is essential. Therefore, even tournaments where the arbiter is acting outside the tournaments valid for his/her FA/IA norm are important for the progress of the candidate. The new requirement is:
– To become an FA, an arbiter must either hold the NA title for at least one year or have officiated at one additional tournament (not necessarily valid for an FA norm).
– To become an IA, an arbiter must either hold the FA title for two years or have officiated at three additional tournaments (not necessarily valid for IA norms).
These requirements ensure arbiters gain sufficient experience, which is crucial for their professional development.
- Clearer rules on norm signatures, supervision and decentralized events:
– In the past, it was sometimes unclear who was entitled to sign FA/IA norms.
– Additionally, there were cases where candidates acted as Chief Arbiter in all their events, while their “supervisors” were not even present at the venue. The new proposal requires supervisors to be physically present at the tournament to properly evaluate performance and describes better the situation who can sign a norm.
– It was also fixed who can sign in case of a hybrid or decentralized event (not covered till now)
- Minimum participation requirements:
FA norms for Round-Robin-tournaments: Previously, it was not always clear at the start of a tournament whether certain round-robin tournaments qualified for FA norms, particularly when unrated players or too few players were involved. The proposal sets a minimum of 8 rated players for such tournaments, so it is clear now. Minimum participation requirements are also introduced for team and knockout events (same number like in Swiss events).
- Submission of applications only after tournaments are rated:
We have received applications for titles where some tournaments had not yet been rated and even not submitted to the FIDE Rating Server, making it impossible to check the norms properly. Federations will now be required to submit FA/IA-applications only after all relevant tournaments have been rated.
- As IA Seminars were introduced at the beginning of 2024, this requirement now is a regular part of the regulations.
Download Regulations (pdf format) >>>
IA Ivan Syrovy, Chairman IA Nebojsa Baralic, Secretary
