CAPTAINS AND HEADS OF DELEGATION (Approved by 2022 1st FIDE Council on 28/04/2022)

Applied From 01/07/2022

1.       The Role of the National Federation

A national Federation is responsible for:

1.1     Entering individual players in competitions under the aegis of EVE, supported by one appointed Head of Delegation.

1.2     Entering teams of players in competitions under the aegis of GSC and EVE, supported by one appointed Captain per team.

2.       The Role of the Head of Delegation

2.1     For team events, if there is no Head of Delegation appointed by the Federation, or the specific regulations of the tournament do not provide for one, the functions listed below shall be responsibility of the Captain.

2.2     The Head of Delegation is an ambassador for the National Federation. They are expected to maintain high standards of behaviour, both personally and amongst their players.

2.3     The Head of Delegation is the only point of contact used by the Organisers once the National Federation has submitted their entry in accordance with Article 1.

2.4     Any information conveyed by the Organisers to the Head of Delegation shall automatically be assumed to have been conveyed to the Captain and all of their players.

3.       The Role of the Captain (Team Events)

3.1     The Captain is solely responsible for all administrative functions connected with the tournament for the players under their management. Examples include, but are not restricted to:

3.1.1      Selecting the Fixed Board Order in team events

3.1.2      Selecting the players who will play in each round in team events

3.1.3      Submitting appeals or protests on behalf of their players, against the decisions of the arbiter in accordance with other FIDE regulations, or other tournament specific regulations

3.1.4      Serve as the player’s representative in all matters relating to the appeal

3.1.5      Attending Technical Meetings on behalf of their players

3.2     The following rules apply to the Captain during play:

3.2.1      The Captain shall sign the protocol indicating the results in the match at the end of play.

3.2.2      The Captain is allowed to leave or re-enter the playing venue only with the permission of the arbiter.

3.2.3      The Captain must not stand behind the opposing team during play.

3.2.4      If the team Captain wishes to speak to one of his players, they shall first approach the arbiter. The team captain shall then speak to the player in the presence of an arbiter, using a language the arbiter can understand. The same procedure shall be followed if a player needs to speak to the captain.

3.2.5      The Captain is not entitled to advise the players of his team to make or accept an offer of a draw. The Captain must not discuss any position on any board during play.

3.3     Any information conveyed by an arbiter to the Captain shall automatically be assumed to have been conveyed to all of their players.

3.4     The Captain will have other rights and responsibilities bestowed upon them in accordance with the regulations of a specific tournament.

4.       Requirements to Serve as a Captain or Head of Delegation

4.1     The Captain or Head of Delegation must have a FIDE ID. The FIDE ID need not belong to the Federation they are serving as Captain or Head of Delegation.

4.2     The Captain or Head of Delegation must provide their email address and phone number, and ensure they are responsive to messages. The email address should not be a generic Federation email address. Particularly for online events, it is likely that the Organisers will arrange for communication to be made via Instant Messaging applications, and it would be beneficial to be familiar with their operation.

4.3     It is not a requirement to have a FIDE licence of any kind (e.g. player, arbiter or trainer).

5.       Removing or Replacing the Captain or Head of Delegation

5.1     The Captain or Head of Delegation may be removed or replaced in any of the following ways:

5.1.1      The National Federation may replace the Captain or Head of Delegation in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Examples include, but are not restricted to, poor health or being unable to travel.

5.1.2      The Organisers may recommend to the Commission whose aegis the competition is being organised that they should remove or replace the Captain or Head of Delegation due to non-responsiveness. The Commission will attempt contact the National Federation and give them a limited number of days to resolve the matter. In the event of the matter not being resolved, the Organisers may decline the entry or entries.

5.1.3      The Chief Arbiter may remove the Captain or Head of Delegation in the event of them consistently failing to perform their duties in accordance with Article 2 or Article 3. The National Federation will be entitled to appoint a replacement.

5.2    The Commission under whose aegis the competition is being organised has the right to refuse an entry or entries if the Captain or Head of Delegation is serving a ban by the Fair Play Commission, Ethics & Disciplinary Commission or Arbiters’ Disciplinary Commission, or who is under probation (see Article 15 of the Ethics & Disciplinary Code).