Note: These rules are built to comply with the Lichess Terms of Service. They are not meant to be set in stone-their overriding principle is to allow the league to function smoothly. To that effect, league moderators reserve the right to add and/or modify the rules when necessary.  If you have any questions about the rules, ask in our Discord server!

1. Player eligibility

All players in the Zenith Chess League (which will be referred to in this document as the ZCL) must:

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• 1A. have an established Lichess classical rating (a numerical rating, not solely a question mark)

• 1B. not have violated Lichess's terms of service on any of their current or past accounts

• 1C. not have lost a game due to a “cheat detected” mark on any of their current or past accounts

• 1D. not have previously registered for the league with a different Lichess account (unless granted express permission to do so by league mods)

• 1E. not have been previously banned from participating in the league for any other reason.
  
  1F. League mods reserve the right to check the information of ZCL registrants or participants in any way to determine eligibility for the league.
  1G. League mods also reserve the right to deem registrants or participants ineligible or eligible for the league for any other reason/reasons.
  
  2. League format
  
  The official ZCL league format is as follows:
   

• 2A. There are eight teams in the ZCL, split up into 2 "divisions": Power Division (Flankers, Tacticians, Magicians, Generals) and Chaos Division (Strikers, Dominators, Juicers, Machine). Each team has eight players.
   

• 2B. For the purpose of this document, the strongest (determined by Lichess classical rating) player on each team shall be referred to as a "Board 1" player, the second strongest a "Board 2" player, and so on. There are 8 players in the league for each "board", one for each team.
   

• 2C. Players are assigned to teams by moderators in a serpentine draft based on rating-that is, the team that received the strongest Board 1 player in the league shall receive the weakest Board 2 player, the strongest Board 3 player, and so on.
   

• 2D. The regular season operates in a modified round-robin format across eight consecutive weeks. Every team plays every other team once (with one additional rematch against an opponent listed below.)
   

• 2E. The teams for the additional rematch are listed here: Flankers vs. Tacticians, Magicians vs. Generals, Strikers vs. Dominators, Juicers vs. Machine. 
   

• 2F. At the end of the regular season, the top two teams from each division will advance to the playoffs. The tiebreak order is as follows: regular season record, head-to-head results, total points earned across regular season games, and coin flip.
   

• 2E. The playoffs are organized in a single-elimination format with four teams. Semifinal winners play in the championship match and the losers play in the 3rd place match.
  
  3. Match format
   

• 3A. In each match, every player on a team will play one chess game against a corresponding player from the opposing team, with one game played per player. This totals eight games per match. All games will begin at the same time.
   

• 3B. In each match, players will be paired according to their board number: Board 1 player vs. Board 1 player, Board 2 player vs. Board 2 player, and so on.
   

• 3C. The team whose players score the most points (win = 1 point, draw = 1/2 point, loss = 0 points) wins the match. Matches can end in a draw during the regular season if the final score is a tie.
   

• 3D. During the playoffs, if the final score is a tie the tiebreak order will be as follows: total score with the Black pieces, highest board victory (e.g., if Board 1 is drawn and a player from Team A wins on Board 2, Team A wins the tiebreak), and coin flip.
   

• 3E. All league matches use rated standard chess games with a 60+10 classical time control. All matches begin at 12:00 PM (noon) CST.
   

• 3F. In each match, 4 randomly selected players on each team will play White and the remaining 4 players Black. Color assignments will alternate by board; for example, if Team X's Board 1 player is assigned White, then their Board 2 player will play as Black, Board 3 as White, and so on. This does not apply when Rule 3G is invoked for a match.
   

• 3G. If one or more players are honorably or dishonorably absent for a match (refer to Rule XX for further details), the corresponding boards will be removed; e.g. if one player is absent, Board 8 will be removed, and if two players are absent, both boards 8 & 7 will be removed. The players on the opposing team corresponding to the removed boards will receive a bye for the match.
  
  ​4. Cheating policy
   

• 4A. In this document, "cheating" is defined as one or more of the following:
   

• (i). the use of an engine or other computer assistance during a game

• (ii). the use of an opening book, game database, or similar during a game

• (iii). the use of a second online or physical board during a game

• (iv). observing the spectator chat of your ongoing game for any reason

• (v). discussing any matter relating to your ongoing game, including draw opportunities, with anyone else

• (vi). receiving assistance from any other source during a game, including from stream chat if streaming

• (vii). or losing any official ZCL game due to a "cheat detected" mark.
   

• 4B. Players found to have cheated will receive a red card, and their games in the current season will be retroactively changed to forfeit (scored as 0F-1) losses (see Rule 10D for further details).
  
  ​5. No-show policy
   

• 5A. Players who do not show up to their scheduled match will have their game cancelled in accordance with Rule 3G and will receive a yellow card.
   

• 5B. These players will be immediately messaged on Discord by a league moderator. If they do not respond by one hour before the start of their next scheduled match, they will be issued an orange card.
   

• 5C. All players are granted two non-rolling "Life Happens" credits per season. These credits can be used to excuse an absence by messaging @stackofcookies on Discord at least one hour before the respective game.
   

• 5D. "Life Happens" credits may not be retroactively applied after the game has started or concluded.
  
  6. Gameplay rules
   

• 6A. All league games must be played within the official team matches on Lichess sent to players during the season. Any games played outside of these matches, on other platforms, or in any other unofficial format, location, or time are not official and will not count toward the league standings and results unless expressly approved by @StackOfCookies.
   

• 6B. Do not agree to switch colors with your opponent for any reason. This is a violation of Rule 6A and will result in a yellow card.
   

• 6C. If league moderators determine that a game was drawn without either player making reasonable effort, the game will be treated as invalid and given a 0F-0F result. Both players will be given a yellow card.
   

• 6D. If league moderators determine that a player intentionally lost a game without making a reasonable effort (often to avoid Rule 5A), the game's result will stand, however the player who lost will be given a yellow card. An example of this is playing one move and then immediately resigning.
   

• 6E. If league moderators determine a player intentionally acted with clear and obvious disrespect during the game based on their moves, time usage, and overall conduct (e.g. playing unserious or disrespectful openings such as the Bongcloud, deliberately wasting your opponents' time by spending excessive time on a move, or similar behavior) that player will receive a yellow or orange card depending on the severity of the violation.
   

• 6F. Disconnecting from a game without resigning, regardless of the intention to waste the opponent's time,'is considered a violation of 6E.  If you must urgently leave an ongoing game, you must resign before disconnecting and contact @StackOfCookies as soon as possible.
   

• 6G. Players may not use the “Claim Victory” or “Claim Draw” features of Lichess during a league game. If a player uses this feature, they will automatically lose the game.
   

• 6H.  It is not mandatory to allow takebacks in league games; in other words, if a player makes an unintended move in a league game, they may request a takeback if they so wish, but their opponent has the right to refuse (or accept) the request for any reason without incurring any penalty, regardless of the cause of the unintended move.
  
  7. Communication rules
   

• 7A. All players must behave reasonably and respectfully in all league-related communications and interactions.
   

• 7B. Some examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: sending offensive or harassing messages, spamming, advertising unrelated products or services, etc. in our official Discord server.
   

• 7C. In most cases, league moderators have the final say on whether specific behavior is considered unreasonable or not, and penalties (ranging from warning to red card) will be applied at their discretion.
   

• 7D.  If a non-player violates Rule 7A in our official Discord server, an appropriate penalty would be a temporary or permanent mute or ban, depending on the severity and nature of the violation.
  
  8.  Miscellaneous rules
   

• 8A. All players who wish to livestream their league games must follow the rules outlined in our official Guidance for Streamers document.
   

• 8B. If a player voluntarily closes their Lichess account while playing in an active season, and the account is not re-opened before 1 hour before the next official match begins, they will receive an orange card, however any games they played prior to the account closure will remain valid.
  
  9.  How to report a player for cheating or breaking the rules
   

• 9A. Please refer here for instructions on how to report a player for cheating or breaking the rules.
  
  10.  Penalty card system
   

• 10A. A yellow card represents a formal warning issued by league moderators. One yellow card does not result in any consequences, but receiving two yellow cards within the same season will automatically result in an orange card. Yellow cards do not carry over to the next season.
   

• 10B. An orange card represents a severe penalty issued by league moderators for major infractions. A player who receives an orange card will be immediately disqualified from playing official league games for the remainder of the current season (and possibly a portion of the next season, at the discretion of league moderators). During this time, the player will also be muted in all official league communication channels. After the penalty period has ended, the orange card will convert into a yellow card. Receiving orange cards consistently across many seasons may result in a red card, at the discretion of league moderators.
   

• 10C. A red card represents a very severe penalty issued by league moderators for extreme or egregious infractions. A player who receives a red card will be permanently disqualified from all official league games and will be permanently banned from all official league communication channels and other league conduct.
   

• 10D. If a player receives a red card due to a violation of Rule 4 (cheating), all of their games from the current season will be retroactively changed to forfeits (scored as 0F–1 losses), in addition to the permanent ban of the red card. This is sometimes referred to as a "black card", however it is not an official term.
   

• 10E. If you wish to appeal a received card or penalty, please submit an appeal form at https://forms.gle/GcoSvG5zSJKQBwhs9.

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