NORTH CAROLINA CHESS ASSOCIATION

Bidding Process for NCCA Events  

Introduction 

The North Carolina Chess Association (NCCA) has the responsibility to conduct chess tournaments and matches within the State of North Carolina so as to promote the game and its literary and educational benefits. To these ends, the Bylaws of NCCA specify three tournaments that are to be conducted on an annual basis under the direction of the NCCA Board of Directors. Those tournaments are:

North Carolina Class Closed Championship (NC Class Championship)

A Scholastic Championship (currently the North Carolina K-12 State Championship)

An All Girls Scholastic Tournament (currently North Carolina K-12 Girls State Championship)

Other tournaments not specifically required in the Bylaws may be sponsored by NCCA at the direction of the Board of Directors. Currently the NCCA has  additional tournaments under its auspices that may be open for bid:

North Carolina Senior Championship

North Carolina Open Championship

North Carolina Collegiate Championship

The NCCA Board of Directors reserves the right to organize and operate any tournament for which it is directly responsible. In the interests of involving the North Carolina chess community in the process of managing and operating significant tournaments, the NCCA is herein providing guidelines for outside bids on its annual tournaments. Bids to host and operate a tournament will be considered by the Board of Directors and awarded or rejected at its sole discretion. If no bid is deemed responsive to the bid guidelines, it will be incumbent upon the NCCA to organize and operate the tournament itself. Bid winners will be required to make periodic progress reports to the NCCA Board of Directors and must seek approval for any operating change that is at variance with the original bid.

Bidding deadlines 

North Carolina K-12 State Championship (late February- early March )

• bidding deadline April 30th.

North Carolina K-12 Girls State Championship (March -April )

• bidding deadline Jan 31st.

North Carolina Closed Class Championship (usually held November or December)

• bidding deadline February 15th.

North Carolina Senior Championship (Usually held October or early November)

• bidding deadline April 30^th 

Required Components of a Bid 

All bids must be complete upon submission. The bidding person and/or organization will be held accountable for the successful execution of each component of the bid as promised by the bidder. Changes to any part of a bid after the tournament has been awarded must be approved by the NCCA Board of Directors. The Board reserves the right to revoke the award of a tournament should circumstances change so that the original bid components are no longer accurate. There are specific components of a bid that must be addressed. If any component is not applicable because of the nature of the event, that should be indicated.

A Tournament Bid Submission Form must be completed:

Bid submission document must address the following components:

• A complete description of the event
• Name of hotel, motel, Convention Center or other appropriate facility
• Proposed side events
• What Trophies or non-cash prizes might be offered
• Prize fund
• Percentage of any profit or flat rate guarantee to NCCA

A complete description of the event 

• The proposed date(s) for the event
• Options for a one-, two- or three-day schedule where applicable
• The number of rounds to be played and time control
• Number of Chief and Assistant Tournament Directors needed
• The proposed sections
• The proposed playing schedule (round start times)
• Minimum guarantee time between rounds for players
• Policy on granting of byes and re-entries
• Proposed entry fees and deadlines for entry

Entry fees and the prize fund should be set at levels that will ensure a successful tournament and a healthy number of attendees. Bidders may consult the results of previous iterations of a particular tournament to determine a reasonable estimate of attendees. The NCCA considers the North Carolina Open and the North Carolina Class Championship to be serious events as defined by the USCF rulebook (i.e., events not designed as either club events or tournament solely for the purpose of providing experience). The tournament organizer should review the USCF Official Rules of Chess (Section 33) on prize funds in proposing a payout schedule for these tournaments. The NCCA realizes that organizers expect a return (profit) for their investment in hosting these tournaments. The NCCA does not propose to limit profit for an organizer, but expects to see a fair return to the players through the prize fund as well as a contribution to the NCCA which owns the event.

Additional requirements:

The bidder for the North Carolina K-12 State Championship must remit a $9.00 per participant fee to the NCCA. A portion of these proceeds will be awarded to the K-12 winner, in the form of a scholarship and partial travel expenses to the Denker Tournament of H.S. Champions.

Membership in NCCA is required for North Carolina residents 18 or older entering NC Close and NC Senior championship.

All bidders for the North Carolina Closed must make provision for hosting the annual meeting of NCCA which entails making meeting space available for approximately two hours on a Sunday morning.

Proposed side events 

The excitement of large state tournaments is not just the opportunity to play for a title and also have a chance at a prize fund that is larger than the typical one-day or local chess tournament provides. Side events are a way organizers can draw additional players to a tournament and increase the income side of their ledger.  These statewide events provide a pool of players that can support side events which might not be feasible for local and club events. The NCCA is charged with developing chess players in North Carolina and side events such as Grand Master simultaneous exhibitions, lectures, and analysis promote this goal. Side events can be a good way to enhance a bid for a tournament.

Blitz tournaments held prior to the main event or during a break period are fairly easy to run and can be profitable for the organizer. A blitz tournament held prior to the main event may increase the number of hotel nights that are booked by players which will benefit the tournament bidder.

Publicity arrangements and plans 

At a minimum, the NCCA expects that an organizer will make arrangement for these tournaments to be listed in the TLA section of Chess Life. The organizer may also propose additional methods of promoting the event such as mass mailings, website posting, etc. The NCCA will list the event on its website in the tournament section as well as help promote it through special online notices, announcements at local tournaments, etc. The goal of NCCA is to encourage as much participation as possible in its sponsored tournaments and all publicity efforts to that end are appreciated.

Names of Chief and Assistant Tournament Directors 

It is important that the bidder has a Chief Tournament Director with the required USCF credentials lined up to manage the tournament. The Chief TD should not plan on playing in the event as his/her responsibilities will be too extensive to allow tournament play.

If the organizer does not have a qualified TD within his/her organization, it is possible to contract with an outside person to provide this function. There are several qualified TDs within North Carolina who are willing to work with organizers for a fee.

Because these large tournaments often present a multitude of issues to be handled simultaneously and because sections are sometimes held in separate rooms, it is essential that the bid include provision for at least one if not more assistant TDs depending upon the situation.

Event plan 

Each of the events available for bid has a traditional format based on past experience, but that format is not necessarily a requirement for a successful bid. An organizer may propose a change in fundamental aspects, such as number of rounds, time controls, round times, etc., if it can be demonstrated that this will be of benefit to the participants, and approved by the NCCA Board of Directors.

A timeline of the event should be included with the bid including important aspects, such as entry deadlines, onsite registration times, times and locations of side events, special events, opening and closing times for attractions (vendors), etc.

Bids Are Considered Contracts 

This bidding process is being enacted by the NCCA Board of Directors to ensure that statewide tournaments under its sponsorship are high quality operations. The conduct of these tournaments is a reflection upon the NCCA and it is incumbent upon the NCCA and the bidders to provide a positive experience that will promote chess in North Carolina. A bid that is accepted by the Board of Directors is considered a contract between the organizer and the NCCA. Any change to an accepted bid must first be approved by the NCCA Board of Directors.

Submission of Bids 

Submission of bids for tournaments listed in this document should be made, by the deadline dates, to:

President, NCCA

E-mail: Charles Roberson <croberson2@triad.rr.com>

Approval Process 

This document will reside on the NCCA website and will be updated annually. The Board of Directors or an assigned subcommittee will determine the deadlines for submission of bids and how bids are to be submitted. The NCCA reserves the right to extend deadlines in the absence of a responsive bid and also to accept late bids if necessary to ensure a quality event. Should no bid be deemed responsive to the bid requirements or should no bid be submitted, it is incumbent upon the NCCA to host the event itself.

After the submission deadline, the Board of Directors or assigned subcommittee will review each submitted bid. All bidders will be contacted and told the results of the bidding process. The winning bidder will be asked to sign an agreement to host the event as proposed.