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4.1 Playing. Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at MD Chess's Scholastic Tournaments (some outdated)
PROCEDURES for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament
P1. If you DO NOT see "SEE T.D. " next to your name in the list of registered players taped to a wall near the Registration Desk, then your registration is complete and you DO NOT need to check in with a Tournament Director at the Registration Desk. Just be ready to play at the scheduled start of Round 1.
P2. If you DO see "SEE T.D. " next to your name in the list of registered players taped to a wall near the Registration Desk, then your registration is not complete and you DO need to check in with a Tournament Director at the Registration Desk. In most instances, the problem is either that you do not have a USCF membership, or that your USCF membership has expired. Or perhaps, you are registered in a section for which we think you might be vastly overmatched. In that case, we would recommend (but not insist) that you move down to a section commensurate with your skill level.
P3. Any coach or parent who coordinates 20+ player registrations, or 40+ player registrations, will receive a 10% or 20% volume discount, respectively, during online registration. The volume discount will be applied to all forms of online registration (Early, Regular, or Last-Minute), but the percentage will be assessed as if the registration were the earliest form.
P4. The scheduled start time of Round 1 is fixed for all sections. The start of Round 1 will NOT be postponed to accommodate At-the-Door Registrants, who will be paired only if space is available. They are unlikely to be paired in Round 1, because pairing them would likely jeopardize the punctual start of Round 1 for all sections. If not paired in Round 1, they'll receive a ½ point bye, instead.
P5. Players are required to have a current USCF membership at USCF-rated tournaments. Players without a current USCF membership at the scheduled close of online registration are unlikely to be paired in Round 1. If not paired in Round 1, they'll receive a ½ point bye, instead. A USCF membership may be purchased online or by mail, along with registration for the tournament. If the player's USCF membership is current, bring a current USCF card or proof of membership to the tournament.
P6. Section-Change Requests made after the scheduled close of online registration might not apply to Round 1.
P7. When there is an odd number of players in a section, 1 player cannot be paired against an opponent and will receive a full-point bye. A player can receive only 1 full-point bye per tournament.
P8. When a player is deciding which section to register for, he needs to pay attention to a section's grade restrictions (K-5, 6-8, K-12, etc.) and USCF rating restrictions (U400, U800, 700-1199, at least 1100, etc.). When a player is deciding, first, whether his USCF rating is on or above a section's floor and, second, whether his USCF rating is below a section's ceiling, the player should consider only his current published ("official") USCF rating, which is listed at www.USChess.org in the rating supplement for the month in which the tournament will be held. A player's published rating is the rating that determines whether he is qualified to compete in a particular section, and it is static for a month. Disregard the player's unpublished ("unofficial", or most recent) USCF rating, which changes after every tournament in which he competes.
There are 2 infrequent exceptions to MCA's procedure for using a player's published rating to determine what section she is qualified for.
1. If a player wants to play up in a higher section for which her published rating does not qualify her, but for which her higher unpublished rating does qualify her, the Chief Tournament Director will likely permit her to play up. But the Chief TD will never permit the reverse: he will never permit a player to compete in a lower section for which her unpublished rating qualifies her, but for which her higher published rating disqualifies her. In other words, MCA's section ceilings are inflexible (hard), but MCA's section floors are occasionally flexible.
2. If there were an odd number of players in the top section (Varsity), then the Chief Tournament Director may exercise his discretion and invite the highest rated player in the next highest-rated section (Junior Varsity) to compete in the Varsity section, even if that player does not meet the top section's floor requirement (1100). The Chief TD would consider this option, because he wants to prevent a Varsity player from having to wait 2+ hours to play his next game; the Varsity section has only 3 rounds (3-SS, G/45 inc/30). (Under no circumstances, however, would MCA grant a Chief TD the discretion to suspend the rating ceiling of any section.)
[Useful terminology: If a player has completed only 1-3 rated games, he is unrated; if he has completed only 4-25 rated games, he has only a provisional rating; once he has completed 26 rated games, he has an established rating.]
P9. At the beginning of each round, parents and coaches are permitted to help players locate their board number. But after doing so, they must leave the Tournament Room immediately.
P10. If you lost your game, do not leave the tournament altogether. This is a non-elimination tournament. Regardless of whether you won or lost your game in the previous round, you will always be paired in the next round—or receive a 1-point bye, if you cannot be paired in a round because there is an odd number of players.
P11. Parents of young children (K - grade 2) are required to stay on the premises at all times and supervise their children between rounds. Parents of older players (grades 3-12) may drop off their children at the beginning of the tournament and pick them up at the end of it. But please understand that the Tournament Directors' and tournament organizers' responsibilities do not include supervising players outside of the Tournament Room.
P12. Before the start of each round, a Tournament Director will post the Pairing Charts on a wall. The players' board number will be on the far left. The player on the left has been assigned the White pieces, and the player on the right has been assigned the Black pieces. If you have a scorebook, make sure to write down your board number and whether you're White or Black. If you don't have a scorebook, then remember your board number and color, as you walk to your board. You are not required to write down or remember your opponent's name. In most instances, MCA does not include players' USCF ratings on Pairing Charts, because we do not want players to be either demoralized by the thought of playing against a higher-rated opponent, or overconfident about playing against a lower-rated opponent. A player should not be paired against the same opponent twice in a tournament; please let a TD know if a player accidentally has been.
P13. After Round 1, your pairing in subsequent rounds will be determined primarily by your total number of tournament points, which is cumulative. Players receive 1 point for a win, ½ a point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss—and either 1 point, ½ a point, or 0 points for a bye (depending on the circumstances). For example, "1.5" means the player earned 1 point by winning 1 game, ½ a point by drawing (tying) 1 game, and 0 points for any games she might have lost. A player will be paired against an opponent whose total number of points is roughly the same as hers—almost always with a differential of no more than 1 point up or down. Consequently, with each subsequent round, a player is increasingly likely to compete against an opponent whose skills are nearly equivalent to hers. So, when a player is looking at the Pairing Charts for each round after Round 1, she should make sure her total number of points has been recorded accurately. (TDs and TD Aides occasionally make mistakes.) It is the player's responsibility to bring an error to a TD's attention before the next round begins. If a player does not bring the error to a TD's attention until after the next round begins, then the Chief TD will make the correction, but the flawed pairings will stand.
P14. Occasionally after a round has been completed, the Chief Tournament Director will tabulate a Wall Chart (or standings report) and post it near the Pairing Charts. The Wall Chart includes a crosstable that lists each player's opponents and the result of each round of the player's games. The Wall Chart lists the players by total number of points in descending order; so, the player listed at the top of the chart is currently ranked #1 in his section. "L 12" means a player lost to an opponent who is currently ranked 12th in his section, and "W 28" means the player won against an opponent who is currently ranked 28th in his section. A separate Wall Chart lists the teams by total number of points in descending order; so, the team listed at the top of the chart is currently ranked #1 in its section. Players, parents, and coaches should check the Wall Chart to confirm that results have been recorded accurately.
P15. At any point during the Awards Ceremony or after the tournament, if you notice that a prize has been awarded erroneously, please bring it to a Tournament Director's attention. If you don't notice the error until a day or more later, please contact either the Chief Tournament Director (whose name and contact information was provided on the registration page), or the MCA Scholastic Director (whose name and contact information is posted at www.mdchess.org: MCA Board Members).
P16. Parents and players who want to learn how to use algebraic notation to record their games, should consult http://DanHeisman.home.comcast.net/~danheisman/Articles/recording_chess.htm.
P17. Maryland Sweet 16 Champion (written by Chris Y. Kim & John D. Rockefeller V)
The Maryland Sweet 16 Champion receives a 4-year Maryland Sweet 16 Scholarship to UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County). Valued at $35,000, the scholarship covers all tuition and fees, but not room and board.
Qualifying Rules for the Maryland Sweet 16
1. Qualifiers for the Maryland Sweet 16 must be full-time students in grades K-12 currently enrolled in school or home-schooled. Qualifiers must be residents of Maryland, or non-residents of Maryland who attend a school in Maryland. Qualifiers may not already be high-school graduates. There is no age cut-off for Qualifiers. (The University System of Maryland's definition of a Maryland resident is posted here: www.umbc.edu/registrar/Pages/Services/residency.html and www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII270.html.)
2. Qualifiers must compete in all rounds of the top section (the Varsity section) of at least 1 MCA local scholastic tournament during the scholastic year in which the Sweet 16 is held. However, if a player were to receive a 1-point bye because there were an odd number of players in a particular round at that tournament, then MCA would consider the player to have competed in that round. Only in the event of an emergency may a player may be excused from competing in at most 1 round of that tournament. The emergency-exemption claim must be approved by the Chief Tournament Director. Furthermore, after the tournament the player must submit to the MCA Scholastic Director documentation (a doctor's note, a relative's obituary, etc.) that affirms the legitimacy of the emergency-exemption claim. If the tournament is cancelled by MCA, then the player must compete in 1 of the remaining Varsity tournaments. However, if the tournament were to be cancelled by MCA, if the tournament could not be rescheduled before the Maryland Sweet 16, and if the tournament were the final Varsity tournament before the Maryland Sweet 16, then the player will have fulfilled the Maryland Sweet 16's tournament-participation requirement, by virtue of being considered to have competed in the cancelled Varsity tournament. However, Varsity Points will not be allocated to a player in this situation.
3. If a player competes in 1+ rounds, but not in all of the rounds of a Varsity section, and if the player's absence is not excused by the Chief Tournament Director and the MCA Scholastic Director, then the player will earn Varsity Points for the round(s) in which he competed at that tournament, only if he competes in all rounds of the Varsity section of at least 1 MCA local scholastic tournament during the scholastic year in which the Sweet 16 is held.
4. The formula for determining Varsity Points accrued by a player per tournament is: the number of players in the Varsity section of an MCA scholastic tournament divided by the player's place in the Varsity section. If there are ties, then each player with the same score (the number of tournament points) receives the average number of Varsity Points earned by all of the players who tied but who placed differently, according to tiebreaks. (Players from out of state count toward determining Varsity Points, but they do not count in the Varsity Point standings.
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5. The 16 Qualifiers are the top 6 players by USCF rating and the 10 players with the highest number of Varsity Points (excluding the top 6 players by rating). The March Rating Supplement (which includes the results of tournaments submitted by the third Friday in February) is used to determine the Qualifiers by rating.
(Any of the 6 players who qualify for the MD Sweet 16 purely by USCF rating, who decides not to play, will be replaced by the player with the highest number of MD-Sweet-16 Varsity Points who did not qualify purely by USCF rating.) The 2 players with the next highest number of Varsity Points are the Maryland Sweet 16 Alternates.
6. Sweet 16 players are required to compete in all 4 rounds of the Sweet 16 tournament, with exceptions made only in the cases of a medical emergency or another extraordinary situation. Failure to play in all 4 rounds affects place and tiebreaks for the other players; so, if a Qualifier cannot commit to all 4 rounds, then she must decline MCA's invitation to participate as soon as possible. That way, MCA will have time to determine and notify an Alternate.
A player who fails to compete in all 4 rounds without an excused absence, will be barred from participating in any future Sweet 16 tournament—or in MCA adult tournaments for 1 year, if the player is a high-school senior.
7. The winner of a Maryland Sweet 16 may not compete in subsequent Maryland Sweet 16s.
MD Sweet 16 Tournament Rules
1. The Maryland Sweet 16 is a separate section of the UMBC Open. Sweet 16 rounds start at the same time as UMBC Open's. But where the UMBC Open has 5 rounds, the MD Sweet 16 has 4. Sweet 16 rounds take place during the UMBC Open's Rounds 1, 2, 4, and 5. (The UMBC Open's Round 3 on Saturday evening is skipped.)
MD Sweet 16's time contorl is G/90 inc/30. Clocks, sets, boards, & scoresheets are provided.
2. If there is a tie for first place, then see P20A below.
P18. Maryland Scholastic Chess Champions
Maryland Scholastic Chess Champion
The winner of the High-School Varsity section at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships in the spring is the Maryland Scholastic Chess Champion and the Maryland representative to the Denker Tournament of High School Champions, a national invitational tournament in the summer for players in grades 9-12. The Maryland Scholastic Chess Champion receives a stipend of up to $500 to help cover expenses at the tournament. The winner of the Denker Tournament receives a 4-year Chess II Scholarship to the University of Texas, Dallas. Valued at $105,000, the scholarship covers all tuition and fees and includes a $1500 per-semester contribution toward rental expenses incurred at on-campus university housing.
If there is a tie for first place, then see P20B below.
The Maryland Scholastic Chess Champion must be a full-time student in grades 9-12 currently enrolled in school, or home-schooled. The Champion must be either a resident of Maryland, or a non-resident of Maryland who attends a school in Maryland. The Champion may not already be a high-school graduate. There is no age cut-off for the Champion. (MCA adheres to the University System of Maryland's definition of a Maryland resident, which is posted here: www.umbc.edu/registrar/Pages/Services/residency.html and www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII270.html.)
Maryland Girl Chess Champion
The Maryland Girl Chess Champion will be the Maryland representative at the National Girls Invitational Tournament and will receive a stipend of up to $500 to help cover expenses.When the Maryland Girls Chess Championship is held, its winner is the Maryland Girl Champion. When the Mid-Atlantic Girls Chess Championship is held and not the Maryland Girls Chess Championship, the highest-placing Maryland resident in the top section in the Maryland Girl Champion.
If there is a tie for first place either at the Maryland Girls Chess Championship or between the highest-placing Maryland residents in the top section at the Mid-Atlantic Girls Chess Championship, then see P20B below.
If neither the Maryland Girls Chess Championship, nor the Mid-Atlantic Girls Chess Championship is held, then the Maryland Girl Champion is determined at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships. Unfortunately, in high school many fewer girls than boys play competitive chess. Consequently, MCA cannot reasonably assume that the girl who finishes highest in the HS Championship section at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships is most likely the best girl player in Maryland. Therefore, regardless of her grade, the girl who emerges from the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships (Elementary School or Middle School & High School) with the highest unpublished USCF rating, is the Maryland Girl Champion. However, if the 2 girls who emerge from the tournament with the highest unpublished ratings, played a game against each other during the tournament, then the winner of that game is the Maryland Girl Chess Champion.
The Maryland Girl Chess Champion must be a full-time student in grades K-12 currently enrolled in school or home-schooled. The Champion must be either a resident of Maryland, or a non-resident of Maryland who attends a school in Maryland. The Champion may not already be a high-school graduate. There is no age cut-off for the Champion. (MCA adheres to the University System of Maryland's definition of a Maryland resident, which is posted here: www.umbc.edu/registrar/Pages/Services/residency.html and www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII270.html.)
Maryland Middle-School Chess Champion
The winner of the Middle-School Varsity section at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships in the spring is the Maryland Middle School Chess Champion and the Maryland representative to the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions, a national invitational tournament in the summer for players in grades K-8. The Maryland Middle-School Champion receives a stipend of up to $500 to help cover expenses at the tournament. The winner of the Barber Tournament receives an $800 scholarship.
The Maryland Middle-School Chess Champion must be a full-time student in grades 6-8 currently enrolled in school or home-schooled. The Champion must be either a resident of Maryland, or a non-resident of Maryland who attends a school in Maryland. The Champion may not already be a middle-school graduate. There is no age cut-off for the Champion. (MCA adheres to the University System of Maryland's definition of a Maryland resident, which is posted here: www.umbc.edu/registrar/Pages/Services/residency.html and www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII270.html.)
P19. Maryland Junior Open Champion
The highest-placing Maryland resident in the top section at the Maryland Junior Open is the Maryland representative to the U.S. Junior Open, a national tournament in the summer for players younger than 21. The Maryland champion receives a stipend of up to $500 to help cover expenses at the tournament. If there is a tie for first place, then see P20C.
The Maryland Junior Open Champion must be either a resident of Maryland, or a non-resident of Maryland who is a full-time student currently enrolled at a school, college, or university in Maryland. The Champion must be younger than 21 when the U.S. Junior Open is held. (MCA adheres to the University System of Maryland's definition of a Maryland resident, which is posted here: www.umbc.edu/registrar/Pages/Services/residency.html and www.usmd.edu/regents/bylaws/SectionVIII/VIII270.html.)
P20. If there is a tie for first place, and if the prize can be divided and shared, then it will be. (For example, a title like MD Scholastic Chess Champion or a stipend for travel to a national tournament can be divided and shared.) If there is a tie for first place, and if the prize cannot be divided and shared, then a tiebreak procedure will determine the winner. (For example, trophies, the Maryland-Sweet-16 Scholarship to UMBC, and the opportunity to be Maryland's sole representative to the Denker Invitational cannot be divided and shared.)
P20A. Format for Determining a Champion, when there is a Tie for First Place at the Maryland Sweet 16
If there is a tie for first place, then the Maryland Sweet 16 Scholarship to UMBC will not be divided and shared between those tied for first place, because there is only 1 scholarship.
If there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion. The player who is ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament's scheduled final round, chooses color. If the player chooses White, then he plays G/15 inc/5 (where Black plays with 5 fewer minutes: G/10 inc/5) and can win only by the standard means of winning: checkmate, winning on time, etc. If Black draws White, however, then White loses, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 5 fewer minutes. If the player chooses Black, then he plays G/10 inc/5 (where White plays with 5 more minutes: G/15 inc/5) and can win with a draw against White, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 5 fewer minutes.
If there is a tie for first place among 3+ players, then see the same scenario in P20B.
P20B. Format for Determining a Champion, when there is a Tie for First Place in the:
1) High-School Varsity Section at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships
2) Middle-School Varsity Section at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships
3) section of the tournament that determines the MD Girl Chess Champion
If there is a tie for first place in any of the above 3 sections, then the stipend to help cover travel costs cannot be divided and shared, because Maryland may send (be represented by) only 1 player at the following 3 tournaments:
1) the Denker Tournament of High School Champions
2) the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions
3) the National Girls Invitational Tournament
If there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then 1 round of a G/10 inc/3 Blitz playoff will determine the champion. (In a round, both players play White and Black. Whoever finished ahead on tiebreaks, chooses color in the first game.) After the G/10 inc/3 Blitz round, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion. The player who is ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament's scheduled final round, chooses color. If the player chooses White, then he plays G/7 inc/3 (where Black plays with 2 fewer minutes: G/5 inc/3) and can win only by the standard means of winning: checkmate, winning on time, etc. If Black draws White, however, then White loses, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 2 fewer minutes. If the player chooses Black, then he plays G/5 inc/3 (where White plays with 2 more minutes: G/7 inc/3) and can win with a draw against White, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 2 fewer minutes.
If there is a tie for first place among 3+ players, then a double round robin of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff will determine the champion. (In a single round robin, each player plays 1 game against each opponent; conversely, in a double round robin, each player plays 2 games [both as White and as Black] against each opponent.)
· After the double round robin of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff, if there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then they play 1 round of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff. After the 1 round of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion.
· After the double round robin of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie for first place among 3+ players, then the 2 players who finished ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament's initially scheduled final round, play 1 round of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff. After the 1 round of a G/5 inc/3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion.
[The USCF requires Blitz games to be at least G/5 and no more than G/10. But that applies to a Blitz tournament or a tournament with a Blitz section, not to a Blitz playoff at the end of a tournament with longer time controls. So, if there's a tie for first place after the final round at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships, then even a standard FIDE Blitz game (G/3 inc/2) would be a viable option for determining the Maryland Scholastic Chess Champions.]
P20C. Format for Determining a Champion, when there is a Tie for First Place at Maryland Junior Open
If there is a tie for first place, then the title Maryland Junior Open Champion and MCA's Maryland Junior Open Champion stipend to the U.S. Junior Open will be divided and shared by the winners. The U.S. Junior Open is an open tournament; it's not an invitational tournament such as the Denker Tournament of High School Champions, the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions, and the USCF Tournament of Girl Champions (provisional name)—for which MCA may nominate only a single state representative. Since MCA doesn't nominate a single state representative to the U.S. Junior Open, MCA's stipend can be dived and shared. Trophies at the Maryland Junior Open will be awarded according to tiebreak order, when there's a tie between/among players in a score group.
P21. If there's a playoff among tied players, trophies will be given out according to the subsequent playoff results, rather than according to the previous tiebreak results. Playoff results trump tiebreak results.
P22. MCA stipends will be issued only after a player competes in the tournament for which the stipend is designated.
RULES for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament
R1. While games are in progress, only players and Tournament Directors have the right to be in the Tournament Room. Spectators must exit the Tournament Room.
This rule will be suspended during the entirety of Round 1 of the first MCA scholastic tournament of the scholastic year (usually in October), because we want parents to be able to watch and photograph their sons and daughters, as they compete in what may be their first chess tournament.
R2. Until the conclusion of all sections of the final round, your mobile phone must be off, while you are in the Tournament Room. The first time your phone is a disturbance, 10 minutes will be deducted from your clock. (If you have 10 or fewer minutes remaining, half of your time will be deducted.) The second time, you will forfeit your game. The third time, you will be expelled from the tournament. Spectators who are not players in the tournament will initially be warned, if their mobile phones are a disturbance. Further disturbances will result in their expulsion from the tournament.
R3. Black gets to choose whose clock will be used. But if White's clock has a delay setting and Black's clock does not, then White's clock must be used. Regardless of whose clock will be used, Black gets to choose where to set the clock: on her right, or on her left. However, a Tournament Director may specify which side of the table the clock must be on. For example, if you are sitting near a wall, then you must position the clock so that it faces the center of the room. That way, as the TDs walk around the Tournament Room, they will be able to see which games are under time pressure—that is, which games have at least 1 player with fewer than 5 minutes remaining.
R4. Even if your opponent is not at the board when your game begins, then you are permitted to start your clock. If you are Black, then start your clock—or your opponent's clock, if it's there and if you don't have one. If you are White, make your move, and then start your opponent's clock (if it's there)—or start your clock. After the expiration of your opponent's time, you will win by forfeit.
R5. Players are required to record (notate) their games—except K-3 players in any section and all players in the Elementary School Novice and Elementary School Unrated sections. Players who are required to record their games but decide not to, will forfeit their games. We do not favor imposing a less severe penalty—such as a time penalty. You may stop recording your game, however, when either you or your opponent is in time pressure—that is, when either you or your opponent has fewer than 5 minutes remaining. If you are using an electronic recording device (such as a Monroi PCM), then you must register it with a Tournament Director, before using it. (See further the USCF National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations, Appendix F: Use of a Handheld Recording Device, located on p. 26 at http://main.uschess.org/images/stories/scholastic_chess_resources/NationalScholasticTournamentRegulations.revSept2009.red.pdf.)
R6. Conversing with anyone about your game or his game, while either game is in progress, is cheating. Seeking advice from a chess device or book during your game is cheating. Pre-arranging the result of a game (yours or someone else's) is cheating. If a player cheats, then he will forfeit the game(s) in which he cheated, and he will be permitted to win neither a trophy, a title, nor prize money associated with the tournament. Furthermore, he might be expelled from the tournament and might be prohibited from participating in future MCA tournaments.
R7. Table talk and other forms of verbal communication or expression (such as humming, singing, and whistling) are prohibited. Do not converse about your game or anyone else's, while you or they are playing. Trash talking is forbidden. Do not try to enforce the rules of chess verbally during your game or anyone else's. Do not distract or annoy your opponent or fellow players intentionally. If you have a question, want to make a claim, or want to register a complaint, then pause your clock, raise your hand, and wait patiently for a Tournament Director to arrive at your board. When in doubt, ask a TD.
R8. A player may summon a Tournament Director and make a claim such as illegal move, touch move (defined below), take move (defined below), 3-fold repetition of a position on the board (defined below), 50-move rule (defined below), disturbance, unsportsmanlike behavior, etc. Spectators and other players are not permitted to make a claim on another player's behalf; only the player is. Unless you make a claim, a TD will rarely intervene in your game. For example, if a TD sees that you could obtain a draw by making a 50-move claim, the TD will start counting moves, only if you make the claim. If a TD sees your opponent make an illegal move during time pressure (that is, when either you or your opponent has fewer than 5 minutes remaining), the TD will prevent the illegal move, only if you make the claim. The following is a rare example of when it would be appropriate for a TD to intervene in your game, even if neither player made a claim requesting the TD to intervene: if a TD sees your opponent make an illegal move, and if neither you nor your opponent is in time pressure, then the TD will intervene by disallowing the illegal move.
3-fold repetition of a position on the board: If the same position occurs 3 times (but not necessarily consecutively), then a player may summon a TD and make a draw claim. A player who wishes to make this claim must have a score sheet to document the claim. Alternatively, in anticipation of making a draw claim, a player may summon a TD and ask him to observe the 3-fold repetition.
50-move rule: If 50 moves have been made without a piece having been captured or a pawn having been promoted to another piece, then a player may summon a TD and make a draw claim. A player who wishes to make this claim must have a score sheet to document the claim. Alternatively, in anticipation of making a draw claim, a player may summon a TD and ask him to count the number of moves.
R9. Because of the touch-take rule and the touch-move rule, make sure you touch a piece only when you want to take it or move it. If you touch one of your opponent's pieces intentionally, then you must take (capture) it—as long as you can do so with a legal move. If you touch one of your pieces intentionally, then you must move it—as long as you can do so with a legal move. But remember: it's the touch-move rule, NOT the touch-square move. So, while you are moving your piece across the board, as long as you keep a finger on the piece, you do not have to leave the piece on a particular square, just because it touched or rested on that square. And yet, also remember: after you have picked up a piece intentionally, once you release it, that's your move, even if you released the piece by accident—as long as you made a legal move. (In Blitz chess neither the touch-take rule, nor the touch-move rule applies; only the clock-move rule applies. That is, in Blitz your move is neither determined, nor completed, until you stop your time on the clock.)
R10. If you want to adjust one of your pieces to the center of its square, then you must wait until it is your move and you must say I adjust, before adjusting the piece.
R11. You may leave the Tournament Room at any time and for any reason: to go to the bathroom, to get a drink, to get something to eat, etc. Furthermore, you do not need permission from a Tournament Director to leave the Tournament Room. But if you plan to be absent for more than 15 minutes, then you must first notify a TD. An unexcused absence of more than 15 minutes might result in the forfeiture of your game. Before you leave the Tournament Room, you are not allowed to pause your clock to preserve your time. While you are out of the Tournament Room, you are forbidden to seek advice about your game. If you do seek advice about your game, then you are cheating. Punishment for cheating includes forfeiture of your game and expulsion from the tournament.
R12. If you discover that when it's your move, your opponent remains in check, then you should immediately summon a Tournament Director. The game is not over. You have not won the game simply because your opponent made an illegal move, leaving himself in check. All moves that leave a player's king in check are illegal moves, and a game cannot end with an illegal move. The TD will help both players walk back as many moves as necessary, until the original move with which a player put his opponent in check. Then it will be the opponent's move. If the game cannot be reconstructed, then the TD will help both players walk back as many moves as possible that both players agree were played, leaving the king in check. Then it will be the opponent's move.
R13. Disturbance and interference by spectators and players are prohibited. Disturbances and interferences include mobile phones ringing and vibrating, mobile-phone conversations, and flooding the Tournament Room with noise by opening a closed door to observe games in progress. Penalties for these types of inappropriate behavior include time deductions, game forfeiture, and expulsion from the tournament. Spectators who are not players in the tournament will initially be warned, if they cause a disturbance or interference. Further disturbances and interferences will result in their expulsion from the tournament.
R14. When your game nears the expiration of its time limit, if you are not using a clock, then a Tournament Director will place a clock by your board and split the time that has elapsed since both players began playing and assign each player half of the game's remaining amount of time. (If you do not want to find yourself in that situation, then bring a clock to the tournament and use it, or borrow a clock from the Scorer's Table.)
R15. If you see another player's clock run out of time, you are not permitted to point this out to her opponent. The only one who may claim a win on time, is the player herself. Not even a Tournament Director may bring time elapse to a player's attention.
R16. If you want to offer your opponent a draw, then make your move, quietly ask "Draw? ", start your opponent's clock, and wait patiently, while your opponent considers your offer. Do not extend your hand before your opponent answers. You should shake hands only if and after your opponent accepts your offer. If your offer is declined, it's poor sportsmanship to repeat your offer frequently, in an effort to distract your opponent. It's also poor sportsmanship to offer a draw when you're in a losing position.
R17. If you want to resign, then carefully lay your King on his side and/or quietly say I resign.
R18. Just because your opponent indicates to you that he has checkmated you or that the game is a stalemate or a draw, does not mean he is right. Before conceding anything, arrive at your own conclusion. For, once you have agreed to the result of a game, you have determined the end of the game—even if the result you agreed to is incorrect.
You have agreed to the end of the game, when you have:
A. agreed to a checkmate verbally (and shaken hands)
B. agreed to a stalemate verbally (and shaken hands)
C. agreed to a draw verbally (and shaken hands)
D. resigned by saying I resign (and shaken hands), or by turning over your King (and shaken hands)
Do NOT simply shake hands in silence. Before you shake hands, communicate with your opponent exactly what result you both are agreeing to.
So, even if, after conceding defeat, you later point out to a Tournament Director that your opponent "checkmated" you with an illegal move (which means she did not checkmate you legitimately), then the TD will not intervene in your game by overruling your concession to defeat and by compelling your opponent to take back her illegal move. Even though you were not checkmated legitimately, the game is over and you have lost it, because you agreed to having been checkmated legitimately—even though you were not. That said, even if neither you, nor your opponent makes a claim, there is a scenario in which it would be appropriate for a TD to intervene in your game, by compelling your opponent to take back the illegal move with which she "checkmated" you. That scenario has two provisions: neither you, nor your opponent is in time pressure (that is, neither you, nor your opponent has fewer than 5 minutes remaining); and you have not agreed to having been checkmated.
R19. While games are in progress, only players and Tournament Directors have the right to be in the Tournament Room. The moment a player completes her game, she becomes a spectator and is no longer a player. Spectators who recently finished their games or who have received a TD's permission to take a bye during a round, may silently observe other games during that round, only if they receive permission from a TD.
R20. When there is an odd number of players in a section, 1 player cannot be paired against an opponent and will receive a full-point bye. A player can receive only 1 full-point bye per tournament.
Rather than compete for a 1-point win, a player may request a bye for any round, for any number of rounds, and for any reason. (The vast majority of players do NOT request a bye, however, because they want to play all their games and maximize their ability to win a trophy.) Although permitted an unlimited number of byes, a player will be granted only a single ½-point bye at a tournament. (Additional bye requests will be granted as 0-point byes.) A player's request for a ½-point bye must be received before the pairings for Round 2 are posted. (This prevents a player from seeking to avoid playing against a specific opponent to whom he fears he would lose.) (A player may request an unlimited number of 0-point byes at any time.) A player does not need to provide a reason for requesting a bye. Furthermore, while the player is taking her bye, she does not need to leave the tournament site; nor does she have to leave the tournament room. Indeed, she may even study other players' openings and defenses, while she's taking her bye.
MCA considers a player who requests or receives a 0-point bye to have withdrawn from the tournament, regardless of whether the player later re-enters the tournament or whether the 0-point bye is taken during the final round—that is, regardless of whether the withdrawal is temporary (and later reversed) or permanent. Consequently, even though a player is permitted to reenter a tournament after he requests or receives a 0-point bye, and even though a player could hypothetically earn enough total points to win a trophy in a section after having withdrawn from the section's final round, a player who requests or receives a 0-point bye may win neither a prize (a trophy or title), nor a stipend (for travel to a national tournament) associated with the MCA scholastic tournament. MCA's treatment of a 0-point bye as a withdrawal that disqualifies the player from being rewarded for his performance at the scholastic tournament, is rooted in Rule 32C1 of The United States Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess: "Unless the director decides otherwise, players who fail to complete the tournament are not entitled to prizes". Furthermore, tournament points earned by a player who requests or receives a 0-point bye are forfeited not only by the player, but also by the player's team; the player's individual points may not count toward the player's team's total points.
R21. If you decide to withdraw from the tournament, then you must inform the Chief TD before leaving the tournament site. Because your failure to inform the Chief TD of your withdrawal will render the next round of pairings inaccurate, you might be prohibited from participating in a future MCA scholastic tournament.
R22. MCA's scholastic team policies at ALL scholastic tournaments
* All players on a team must attend the same school in the same building with the same administration. Home-schooled players who reside in a single school district may form a team. Alternatively, a home-schooled player may play for the team from the public school she would have attended.
* A school may enter an unlimited number of players in any/all sections.
* If a school has a large team in a section, it may subdivide into at most 2 teams. The players on those teams might be paired against each other, however, because the teams will be considered entirely separate teams. The players on the 2 teams (School Team A and School Team B) must be designated by the scheduled end of online registration (on Thursday night), and they may not be switched after having been designated. If a school subdivides into 2 teams, both teams may win a team trophy.
MCA's scholastic team policy at local scholastic tournaments & the MD Junior Open
* Players from a K-8 school housed in a single building and run by a single administration may form a team in a section (such as Junior Varsity or Varsity), if the section is open to K-8 players. However, a mix of ES, MS, and HS players from a K-12 school any of whose various divisions (ES, MS, or HS) either is housed in a separate building or is run by a separate administration, may not form a single team.
* Within each section a team's score is the sum of at least the top 2 scores and at most the top 4 scores by players from the same school (except in Varsity, where the maximum is the top 2 scores).
MCA's scholastic team policy at Greater Baltimore Scholastic Chess Championships
* Within all sections, a team's score is the sum of at least the top 2 scores and at most the top 4 scores by players from the same school.
MCA's scholastic team policy at Mid-Atlantic Girls Chess Championship
MCA's scholastic team policy at Greater Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Chess Championships
MCA's scholastic team policy at MD Scholastic Chess Championships (ES, MS, & HS)
* Players must attend a school in Maryland or be home-schooled in Maryland.
MCA's scholastic team policy at MD Scholastic Team Championships
* 1 player per team in the MS and HS sections may be in a lower grade at the same school.
Except for tournaments that are specifically team tournaments, MCA scholastic tournaments are primarily individual tournaments and only secondarily team tournaments. At MCA scholastic tournaments other than specifically team tournaments, we usually activate the team-restriction option in our pairing software (SwissSys), so that most players from the same team won't play against each other in a section. However, since most MCA scholastic tournaments are only concomitantly team tournaments, the paramount goal of the tournament is to determine the best individual players in each section. Therefore, starting with Round 3, players from the same team might play against each other, if they are either near the top or near the bottom of their section—that is, if they have a plus-2 score (2-0 or 3-1) or a minus-2 score (0-2 or 1-3). For example, if it's Round 5 and there are only 2 players who are 4-0 and they attend the same school, we'll pair them against each other (rather than against players who are 3-1), because we want the tournament to identify the best individual player in each section. On the one hand, then, outliers (players near the top or bottom of their section) will not be pushed out of their score group to avoid playing against a teammate. And on the other hand, inliers (players in the middle of their section) will rarely play against each other; however, occasionally it's unavoidable because a single team comprises approximately 1/3rd or more of a section's players.
If there are 33+ players in a 5-round section, then we might implement accelerated pairings (a broadly applied form of forced pairings) to identify the best individual player. Otherwise, 2 players could emerge with perfect scores (all wins, no draws, and no losses), having never played against each other. (With "x" being the number of rounds, a tournament can guarantee at most 1 perfect score in a section whose players number 2 to the power of x. In a 5-round section, then, at most 1 player can emerge with a perfect score if there are ≤ 32 players [2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 32].) With accelerated pairings, the top players play against each other sooner than they would with natural pairings (where they might not play against each other at all). With natural pairings, each round the top half of players with the same score plays the bottom half of players with the same score. So, with natural pairings, in Round 1 of a section of 60 players, #1 plays #31, …, and #30 plays #60. Assuming #s1-30 win, then in Round 2 #1 plays #16, …, and #15 plays #30. And so on, until in Round 5 #1 plays #3, and #2 plays #4. Since there is no Round 6, #1 and #2 emerge with perfect scores (5-0), having never played each other. But with accelerated pairings, Round 1 is paired for the top 30 players the same way Round 2 is with natural pairings: #1 plays #16, …, and #15 plays #30. So, accelerated pairings effectively "adds an extra round" of play for the outliers at the top, transforming a 5-Round section into the functional equivalent of a 6-Round section, with natural pairings.
Here's how it works. In Round 1 where natural pairings divides players into 2 halves, accelerated pairings divides players in 4 quarters. In Round 1 the 1st quartile plays the 2nd quartile, and the 3rd quartile plays the 4th quartile. Hypothetically, all of the 1st quartile and all of the 3rd quartile win. Then, hypothetically in Round 2 the winners in the top half from Round 1 (the 1st quartile) are paired amongst themselves, and only the top 1/8th emerges with a perfect 2-0 score. Moreover, hypothetically in Round 2 the losers in the top half from Round 1 (the 2nd quartile) beat the winners in the bottom half from Round 1 (the 3rd quartile). And finally, hypothetically, in Round 2 the losers in the bottom half from Round 1 are paired amongst themselves, and only the top 8/8th emerges with a 0-2 score. Hypothetically, then, with accelerated pairings heading into Round 3 only the top 1/8th of players are undefeated at 2-0; conversely, with natural pairings heading into Round 3 all of the top ¼ of players are undefeated at 2-0. Starting with Round 3, accelerated pairings are turned off, and natural pairings are resumed. Rounds 3-5 winnow the field down so that only 1 player emerges with a perfect score. Click here for an explanation of accelerated pairings specifically and the Swiss System generally.
Only with accelerated pairings (in which top players face each other earlier in the tournament than they would with natural pairings, because the pairing method generates forced pairings by quartiles, rather than by halves), might teammates play against each other in Rounds1-2—as opposed to only in Rounds 3-5 possibly, with natural pairings.
R23. Unless no other Tournament Director is available, a TD may not make a ruling on a game that includes a player who is a relative or someone whom the TD coaches or tutors. (In the rare instance of another TD not being available, the TD making the ruling must reveal his unavoidable conflict of interest to both players.) Furthermore, TDs should not wear their school's, club's, or organization's chess-team shirts.
The Maryland Chess Association's Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament supplements The U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess, 5th Edition (2003). MCA's tournament procedures, rules, and etiquette are listed chronologically, as they would apply to ensure the proper flow of events at a tournament.
For comparison's purposes, see FIDE's (the World Chess Federation's) Laws of Chess (2008) and Appendices: www.fide.com/fide/handbook.html?id=32&view=category.
ETIQUETTE for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament
E1. All of the tournament's premises (the Tournament Room, the Skittles Room [where players relax, eat snacks, and play casual games of chess, while waiting for the next round of their games to begin; and where spectators pass the day by reading books and newspapers], the hallways, the bathrooms, etc.) are smoke-free zones.
E2. Players and spectators should wear proper attire throughout the day.
E3. Players are forbidden to eat snacks or meals at the board for several reasons: it's a distraction to other players, it's unsanitary (licked fingers spread germs by touching pieces that are later captured by one's opponent), and it often leaves a mess. Water, however, may be consumed and gum may be chewed—if silently. Soda and juice are forbidden.
E4. Players are permitted to listen to music, as long as no one else can hear it.
E5. At the beginning of each round, shake hands before starting your clocks.
E6. In this Tournament Room there is no such thing as a bad question. So, as soon as you have an issue you want to discuss with a TD, pause your clock and raise your hand. It is better to feel a little embarrassed about asking a question during the game, than it is to lose the game and later wish you had asked the question. Furthermore, if you wait too long to pose your question to a TD, then it might be too late for the TD to act on your concern.
E7. As a courtesy to your fellow players and in the name of fair play, if you observe anyone cheating, then pause your clock, raise your hand, and tell a Tournament Director.
E8. Do not say check. First of all, it is your opponent's responsibility to recognize that she is in check. Second, it is not in your interest to say check. If your opponent fails to realize she is in check, and if she touches a piece (say, her Queen) with which she could block check, then you can make a touch-move claim. Consequently, rather than simply moving her King out of check, she would be required by the Tournament Director to block check with her Queen. Then, you could capture her Queen and simultaneously put her back in check. Or, if, while in check, your opponent makes an illegal move (say, she moves a Rook that can neither capture the piece putting her in check, nor block check), then you can request that a TD require her to take back the illegal move. Furthermore, if she makes the illegal move while the game is in time pressure (that is, when either player has fewer than 5 minutes remaining), then you can ask the TD to impose a time penalty against her (by adding 2 minutes to your clock). Players who commit illegal moves while the game is not under time pressure, however, are not subject to a time penalty.
E9. If you have checkmated your opponent, or if the game is a stalemate or a draw, then do not say checkmate or stalemate or draw. Instead, wait patiently for your opponent to realize it. If your opponent does not realize it, then point it out to him silently. If your opponent disagrees with your interpretation of the position on the board, after you have pointed it out to him silently, then pause your clock, raise your hand, and wait patiently for a TD.
E10. After you have completed your game and agreed to its result, shake hands and congratulate each other on playing a hard-fought game. Practice good sportsmanship: win with grace; lose with dignity.
E11. After your game, set the pieces back in place. Then both players must report the game's result at the Scorer's Table. In a drawn (tied) game, each player receives a ½ point. If you beat your opponent, then you receive 1 point and she receives 0 points. If you won by forfeit (say, because your opponent did not show up, or because she was disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior), then you also receive 1 point (signified by 1F, rather than by 1) and she also receives 0 points (signified by 0F, rather than by 0). If you won by forfeit, then do not tell the Tournament Aide at the Scorer's Table simply that you won; instead, say that you won by forfeit. (Why? Because the Chief Tournament Director needs to know that your opponent did not show up for her game, so we don't pair her in the next round. By letting us know that you won by forfeit, you are helping us identify the no-shows and thereby extending a courtesy to your fellow players. For, it's no fun to be paired and not have your opponent show up to play.)
E12. When you re-enter the Tournament Room for the next round of games in your section, please do so silently, as games in other sections will likely be in progress.
E13. If you do not know how to set your digital clock, then view one of the demonstration videos we've posted at:
www.mdchess.org
in the Main Menu sidebar on the lower left, click on "Chess Links"
"Learn How to Set Your Chess Clock…"
[Alternatively, go to
www.mdchess.org/index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=category&id=18%3Amiscellaneous&Itemid=16.]
© 2011 John D. Rockefeller V
MCA Scholastic Director
[last updated: 11/29/2012]


text:
STORYTELLING SERIES AT THE ALLIANCE FOR THE ARTS
By Mary Lou Williams
The Alliance for the Arts is presenting a series of storytelling showcases in 2023. The Storytellers of the Round Table and the Elephant Showcase Storytellers will take to the stage to tell their stories of New Beginnings, Stories of Love, and Stories of Luck. These are the themes of the stories for January, February and March, respectively. The series will start with a performance on Friday, January 6th, from 7 to 9 pm. Four storytellers will tell their stories of New Beginnings. Dr. Joel Ying will kick it off by giving you a Recipe for Life to begin the new year and a personal story. Then, Mary Lou Williams will tell a medley of Aesop's fables, updated for a modern audience. Rhonda Brazina will then tell a personal story. Last, but not least, Marilyn Graham will tell two folk tales. The same four storytellers will tell love stories in the spirit of Valentine's Day on Friday, February 3rd, from 7 to 9 pm. The third showcase titled, "The Best of Luck," will be on Friday, March 3rd, from 7 to 9 pm. Lisa Leonhardt and Pamela Minton will join Dr. Joel Ying and Mary Lou Williams to tell tales of luck, both good and bad, and how one can sometimes be mistaken for the other. When was the last time a story transported you to another world? Experience the power of the spoken word – captivating, spellbinding, and entertaining! The stories will be followed by a talk back, which is a question-and-answer session with the audience. Meet the storytellers. Discover the stories behind the stories. The talk back was an innovation that proved to be popular in last year's series. The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers, FL. The ticket price is $18 for members and $20 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets visit www.artinlee.org or call (239) 939-2787.
Posts By: admin2
by Admin2 - January 10, 2023
President's Letter for January
This year began with the continuation of 'negotiating' with Truist Bank. Michael Cole is working diligently with one of the fraud analysts at Truist and with the Lee County Sheriff's Office to get our funds restored. Hopefully, we will have more information to share with you at our January meeting.
One of our members, who was a professional financial attorney, suggested the amount might be below the bank's deductible and that could potentially be the reason why they do not want to pay it. Gee–this sounds like the homeowners insurance companies!
The latest info will be available at our January 21st meeting. We hope to have as many of you in attendance as possible because we really need your support and encouragement for other members. We have been polarized for too long. Now is the time to step forward and say, "I am not going to take this anymore!"
One of our authors is bringing people with her who probably haven't been able to attend for fear of driving, etc. Carpooling is an efficient and effective way to save gas and to spend time with like-minded people; it is one way we can be of assistance to our fellow writers. This author recently left one writer's group because of the "cliques" that were ruining the organization. This type of behavior has destroyed two other local groups that used to exist in our area.
GCWA is blessed not to have that issue. The reason is simply because we follow our constitution. When we have differences, we collaborate and iron them out at our monthly Executive Committee meetings. Many elder members had to retire; however, we have been blessed by the new residents who have relocated to our area.
If you want an exciting and thorough understanding of what life was like in Southwest Florida years ago, our January guest speaker, Clarissa Thomasson's four novels offer delightful reading. In addition, add five children's books, two award-winning stage plays, and a new novel for 2022. Her complete bio is listed on the first page of the website. Check it out when you get a chance.
The 2023 Writing Contest details can be found on the GCWA website as well. There is still time to submit your entries–the deadline has been extended to February 28, 2023.
Our January meeting is scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 21, 2023 at 10:00 am – noon. Remember, the meeting will be offered, both, in person and via Zoom. We offer quite a few diverse ways to renew your membership. A payment can be made while physically attending the January meeting, you can pay online through PayPal, or you can mail a check to:
Gulf Coast Writer Association
Irene Smith, President
in letters 0
by Admin2 - January 7, 2023
In Person and Zoom Meeting – Register Here
in announcements, events, speaker 0
Gulf Coast Writers Association Victimized by Theft
In September and October of 2022, during the lead up and aftermath of Hurricane Ian, we had $4,000 stolen from our bank account, via account-to-account transfers, from our account at Truist Bank. This left us with only approximately $1,000 to operate. All of this took place around the time of hurricane Ian. We filed a fraud claim with Truist. They did an investigation and denied our claim, despite overwhelming evidence that we were the victims of fraud.
Their reason for denial given was, "We have determined that the transactions were authorized and therefore not eligible to be returned." When Mike Cole asked who authorized these transactions (only Mike is authorized to do so), they continually refused to reveal who the thieves were, even though they know who the perpetrators are.
These account transfers were initiated by another bank, which Michael Cole found out to be Suncoast Credit Union.
Mike opened a case (#22-480794) with the Lee County Sheriff's Office; they claimed banks do this all the time. Mike was told they would wait and see how Truist respond to him and will then submit a subpoena for the relevant bank records, if necessary. They have since subpoenaed the documents and the investigation is ongoing.
I have read the complete transaction report on this activity, rest assured; this was no amateur job.
It is clear the bank has no intention of returning our stolen funds; although, we continue our efforts to have them restored.
I ask YOU: why do banks protect the criminals and not their depositors? How safe is anyone's money if the banks are permitted to persist in this behavior?
The answer is obvious: There are 16 full pages of lawyers in this area but not one handles fraud cases. I stopped calling after 15. The reason is obvious…there is no money to be made for the lawyers.
For three months and a countless number of hours, Michael has met with and documented every conversation he has had with Truist officers and their Centralized Fraud Claims Team members, and all have the same answer, "I cannot give you that information."
Mike contacted local TV media, but again, absolutely no acknowledgment of his request.
We are also in the process of moving our business to another bank, which we hope will be more attentive to the security of our deposits.
Ever since the COVID crisis, our membership attendance and renewals have dropped by nearly 90%. We understand some people didn't wish to go out or gather indoors with a crowd of people, but for most, times have changed. Without financial stability, we cannot survive as an organization.
I would like to make this very clear…this is not a request for charity. We are asking that you renew your membership, so we can continue our goal of encouraging emerging writers, and to create an inclusive environment for writers and would-be writers.
Our January meeting will be held on Saturday, January 21, at 10:00am-Noon. Remember, you can attend physically or via Zoom. You can renew your membership through PayPal or mail a check to:
Details of that meeting will be discussed in the January 2023 President's Letter.
by Admin2 - December 14, 2022
With winds cresting 150 MPH, SW Florida has survived the Perfect Storm. We may still be walking about with glazed eyes and exhausted bodies, but we are making the best of a bad situation.
This month, I asked our officers if they wished to convey something encouraging, uplifting, or humorous about their battle with Ian. Here are a few of their feelings:
"Dear GCWA members, I want to encourage everyone to stay positive and safe. Also, as we are about to begin a new year, let's focus on our families and see if we can begin anew to also get back to writing. Some may find that this is a good time to reflect and write about family, feelings, and life experiences." Susan Grunin, Board Member
"I joined GCWA three years ago to get help for a writing project I had taken on because I was a "closet" writer with NO experience or credentials to my name and I knew I needed guidance. Well, the project fizzled out, but I'm still here three years later because my experience with GCWA has ignited a desire that lay dormant in me for most of my 72 years! Gulf Coast Writers Association has welcomed me with open arms and has been a continuous source of inspiration and motivation, from their amazing monthly programs, with top notch speakers, down to the camaraderie and encouragement I've found in critique groups and interaction with the board of officers. Whether you're an acclaimed published author, with impressive credentials, or a nobody like me, GCWA is a GREAT place to be if writing is in your blood! This group has a passion that's contagious. You will not be disappointed–come see for yourself." Christie Zarria, Special Projects
"In my professional capacity as a psychotherapist, I have often encouraged trauma victims to write about their experiences as a way of dealing with stress and PTSD. I did this myself, albeit many years after my return from the Viet Nam war. Many people in SW Florida have experienced trauma and loss, either directly or indirectly, from hurricane Ian. Writing about it could help them cope." David Aiken, Membership
"As a writer, I sincerely believe we create stories in order to make sense of life's events. The kinds of stories we tell can change the past and the future. In Fort Myers, the story of 2022 is one of resilience, of renewal, of perseverance, and of neighbors helping neighbors. In this Christmas season, it's a story that brings joy." Claudia Geagan, Special Projects
"A sudden burst of homelessness was not in my master plan for life. But Ian said phooey to my plan. I sit in my borrowed bed in a dark borrowed house on October 1st. My car sat in the garage during hurricane while waters rose to the rafters. I was invited to go with neighbors to buy a replacement car from Enterprise Car Sales. I have never bought a car looking like a vagabond, but I now own a car I don't like, and I am happy. I am still living communally with two other neighbor families in a temporary situation, which we must vacate by mid-December. I'm hoping one of our houses will be livable by then so we can all camp out there until our own homes are habitable. This is a new situation for me — not knowing where I will live next month was not on my radar. There is such a feeling of finality in being suddenly cast adrift from a life we have all cherished. I want to believe that we'll build back and become the caring community we took for granted until September 28th. I have stopped whining. My bumper sticker on the car I don't like says, 'Not to spoil the ending, but everything will be okay!'" Mary Charles, VP and Programs
"The devastation of Hurricane Ian has affected us in many ways. Months later, our hearts still break into a billion tiny pieces as we drive through the once beautiful cities of our area. December is typically a month of holiday spirit and cheer. Yes, we are hurting deeply—some even angry; however, just like with everything else, we have the option to make a choice. We can either allow the havoc and destruction of hurricane Ian to depress and demotivate us or we can pull up our bootstraps, ask our higher power to give us strength and peace in the midst of the storm, and decide to uplift our mindset. We must not allow our surroundings and emotions to dictate our moods and actions or to shut us down. Let's use the month of December to reset and purposely decide to grasp onto what little holiday spirit we can muster up. Sometimes, we just have to 'fake it until we make it!'" Dr. Kesha Dreher, Webmaster
Now, back to business:
Our GCWA 2023 Writing Contest is in full swing. Because of the storm, we have extended the contest deadline to February 28, 2023. This information will also be on our website.
On behalf of all of us, we wish all of you a blessed and happy Holiday season…be it Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or Soyal. Draw close to your loved ones and provide aid to those who desperately need it. "There, but for the Grace of God, go I."
We look forward to seeing many of you in January. Full details of future GCWA expeditions will be provided at that time. Get ready because we have some power-packed programs lined up that will clear the cobwebs from your eyes.
May God bless and keep all of you safe and sound. Have a blessed holiday.
Gulf Coast Writers Association
The Alliance for the Arts is presenting a series of storytelling showcases in 2023. The Storytellers of the Round Table and the Elephant Showcase Storytellers will take to the stage to tell their stories of New Beginnings, Stories of Love, and Stories of Luck. These are the themes of the stories for January, February and March, respectively.
The series will start with a performance on Friday, January 6th, from 7 to 9 pm. Four storytellers will tell their stories of New Beginnings. Dr. Joel Ying will kick it off by giving you a Recipe for Life to begin the new year and a personal story. Then, Mary Lou Williams will tell a medley of Aesop's fables, updated for a modern audience. Rhonda Brazina will then tell a personal story. Last, but not least, Marilyn Graham will tell two folk tales.
The same four storytellers will tell love stories in the spirit of Valentine's Day on Friday, February 3rd, from 7 to 9 pm.
The third showcase titled, "The Best of Luck," will be on Friday, March 3rd, from 7 to 9 pm. Lisa Leonhardt and Pamela Minton will join Dr. Joel Ying and Mary Lou Williams to tell tales of luck, both good and bad, and how one can sometimes be mistaken for the other.
When was the last time a story transported you to another world? Experience the power of the spoken word – captivating, spellbinding, and entertaining! The stories will be followed by a talk back, which is a question-and-answer session with the audience. Meet the storytellers. Discover the stories behind the stories. The talk back was an innovation that proved to be popular in last year's series.
The Alliance for the Arts is located at 10091 McGregor Blvd. in Fort Myers, FL. The ticket price is $18 for members and $20 for nonmembers. To purchase tickets visit www.artinlee.org or call (239) 939-2787.
in announcements, events 0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Myrtle Elisabeth Russell
Myrtle Elisabeth "Liz" Russell August 21, 1937 - February 10, 2021 Liz, aka "Mom", aka "Aunt Liz" took her last breath the morning of February 10, 2021. She was preceded in death by her parents Bob and June Campbell, her younger sister Elaine Dunlap, and her husband David Russell, 5 nieces and nephews and several cousins. She is survived by her children Mike (Cindy), Shelly (Sam) and Scott, her grandchildren John, George, Ethan and Chloe, and 24 nieces and nephews, 55 grand nieces and nephews and 16 great grand nieces and nephews and many cousins. We feel a sense of loss at heaven's gain. She is now waltzing again with Papa. Liz met her husband at Purdue. Her girlfriends talked her into asking David to the Sadie Hawkins dance. He was pretty much hooked after that. She was an active thespian during her school years and people enjoyed watching her perform. Liz enjoyed attending many reunions of Columbian High School and Purdue University. Many visits with friends and family were included in these travel plans. Liz enjoyed playing games. In fact, she was playing dominoes just Sunday night, and like a true Russell, the competition was on. Liz also enjoyed board games and cards games like 31, golf, "Oh-heck", hearts, spades and bridge. Dave and Liz had hours and hours of time at the bridge tables. Liz spent many years active in her sorority, Beta Sigma Phi, doing service projects. One project was building picnic tables for and with the kids at Boy's Country. Liz loved to cook and was wonderful at it. She often made home-cooked meals for David's Customers of Dow Chemical. Many preferred to go home with him for dinner and maybe a game of cards over going to a restaurant. She also baked snacks for social events and square dances. Liz Also enjoyed Genealogy. They went and visited many libraries. Francis Scott Key is her Great Great Great Great Grandmothers Uncle. Liz and Dave were avid square dancers. They were elected Dancers of the Year in 2001. They served 5 years on the board of the Houston Square and Round Dance Council, working their way up to the position of Presidents the 5th year. That year, they attended 328 square dances! They also served three years as photographers for the Texas State Federation of Square and Round Dancers. They helped several teen dancers in achieving their educational goals, helping with teen scholarship fundraisers. Thirty-one years after they became active in this, their grandson George was one of six recipients in 2019. Liz enjoyed activities with her children. She was active in their Girl and Boy Scout troops. Dave and Liz shared their love of the outdoors with their family. Even after scooter-bound, Liz was eager to join family and friends camping in the state parks, and was ready to roll up to the picnic table and prep food for the campfire. She always made her children's friends feel like part of the family and they all caller her Mom. Liz thoroughly enjoyed her grandchildren and attending their activities. She said Ethan took over the job of hugger after Papa's passing. She said he hugged just like Papa. A popular family thing was to call "Group Hug" and everyone would pile on Grandma (Liz), while remaining standing, with her in the middle. We will truly miss that infectious giggle that emanated from the center of our group hug! In the square dance world she loved, "Yellow Rock" means hug your corner, which is the person next to you. Share a hug in her memory.
Myrtle Elisabeth "Liz" Russell August 21, 1937 - February 10, 2021 Liz, aka "Mom", aka "Aunt Liz" took her last breath the morning of February 10, 2021. She was preceded in death by her parents Bob and June Campbell, her younger... View Obituary & Service Information
The family of Myrtle Elisabeth Russell created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories.
Myrtle Elisabeth "Liz" Russell
August 21, 1937 - February 10,...
Send flowers to the Russell family.


text:
"""
Installation script for installing sql2asciidoc
library for Oracle and AsciiDoc.

Copyright 2009 David Avsajanishvili
avsd05@gmail.com

The software is released under Modified BSD license
"""

from distutils.core import setup

setup(name='sql2asciidoc',
      version='0.1.2',
      description='Tools for SQL DDL (table creation) and DML (SELECT commands output) to AsciiDoc source',
      author='David Avsajanishvili',
      author_email='avsd05@gmail.com',
      url='',
      packages=['sql2asciidoc'],
      scripts=['scripts/ddl2asciidoc', 'scripts/sql2asciidoc'],
      license='BSD')

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Jakob Söns (ur. 1902, zm. ?) – zbrodniarz hitlerowski, członek załogi niemieckiego
obozu koncentracyjnego Mauthausen-Gusen, Rottenführer SS.

Członek Niemieckiego Frontu Pracy i Waffen-SS. W sierpniu i wrześniu 1944 był Blockführerem (kierownikiem bloku) w Florisdorf, podobozie Mauthausen. Następnie od października 1944 do kwietnia 1945 pełnił służbę w podobozie Hinterbrühl. Söns uczestniczył również w ewakuacji Hinterbrühl do Mauthausen w kwietniu 1945.

Jakob Söns został osądzony w procesie załogi Mauthausen-Gusen
(USA vs. Waldemar Barner i inni) przed amerykańskim Trybunałem Wojskowym w Dachau i skazany na 5 lat pozbawienie wolności za znęcanie się nad więźniami.

Bibliografia
 Dokumenty z procesu US vs. Waldemar Barner i inni, format PDF

Niemieccy zbrodniarze wojenni w okresie II wojny światowej
Osądzeni przez Trybunał Wojskowy w Dachau
Personel Mauthausen-Gusen
Urodzeni w 1902
Zmarli w XX wieku
Członkowie SS

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Hello. I am currently helping my friend re-create a map from a Gamecube game for Team Fortress 2 (because freaking converting it to a model is tedious as all hell) and when I dump the textures from the level I want, the textures are all grey-scaled and blurry? How do I get the dumped textures to be normal?
Edit: Also the game I'm wanting the textures from are Super Mario Sunshine if anyone was curious.
(01-13-2013, 07:27 AM)neobrain Wrote: texture filename plz.
Edit: Is it also possible to activate the texture dump option while you're playing the game? Because if I just want to get to a certain level, it has to dump Delfino Plaza's textures first before I actually get to the level.
Also, yes it is possible to enable the texture dumping option during gameplay. You have to make sure that it is enabled by the first time the texture that you want to dump is being displayed.
Wait... So I'm in Ricco Harbor (the textures which I want), and it looks like Dolphin is just taking photos of every frame?? I don't want that... I just want the textures of the floors and walls and stuff!
Yeah, I like how you're constantly ignoring my question.
What is your game? Is it SMS?
I have enabled texture dumping but almost all textures has only red channel.


text:
Study Finds Fact Checking Can Reverse the Views Lying Politicians
Politician Proposes Licensed Brothels to Reduce Rape in Thailand
Cabinet Asked to Approve Bt3 Billion to Combat Water Shortages
Anti and Pro Thai Government Events Scheduled for Same Day
Thailand's Justice Minister Calls for Chemical Castration of Rapists
Thailand's Prime Minister Troubled Over Fake News in Thailand
Future Forward Party Leaders to Be Charged Over Bangkok Rally
Thailand's Army Chief Warns Over "Proxy Crisis" in Thailand
Woman's Feminine Napkins Become Heated Tax Debate in Thailand
Police Chief Summoned Over Protest Ban in Bangkok
PERTH – Researchers in Australia say that fact checking can reverse the views of even the most dyed-in-the-wool partisans, and over time could cause voters to shun an often-lying candidate.
Scientists from the University of Western Australia, the United States and Britain found that Aussies did change their minds about false statements — even from politicians they support — when corrected.
In findings that offer hope that "post-truth" politicians and a rash of disinformation from state-actors like Russia can be checked, the authors found voters from across the political spectrum would change their minds when presented with facts, and were turned off by persistent lies.
"This study's findings are encouraging regarding both the potential effectiveness of fact checking and the importance of veracity to voters," they said.
The study presented 370 Australians with a series of false and true claims from conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor leader Bill Shorten and a corresponding fact check for each claim.
Unlike earlier studies, the false claims outnumbered the true, allowing researchers to measures whether a pattern of debunked false claims had a longer-term impact on the politician's appeal.
The authors found that, while right-wing voters were slightly more likely to believe false claims as a whole, left wing participants were more likely to believe their own side.
But for both sides "corrections strongly reduced myth beliefs" and participants' support for politicians "did decline" even if participants' political views did not change.
"It appears that veracity does matter to voters," they said.
The "results suggest that fact checking could serve as a genuine threat to the electability of politicians who regularly make false statements."
But there were some notes of caution: In the real world not every lie is fact checked, not everyone sees or seeks out those checks, and false claims could go unchecked for a long time.
And there could be cultural differences from country to country, particularly in places that do not have compulsory voting or in deeply polarised countries like the United States.
"Our results suggest that the impact of politicians' false statements on the level of support they receive may differ between the USA and Australia," they said.
Some earlier studies have suggested that misinformation continues to affect memories, beliefs and reasoning even after it had been corrected.
By Agence France-Presse
Related Topics:liarspoliticiansPost-truth politicians
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha Cites 2019 as an Important Year for Thailand
Future Forward Party Proposes Ending Economic Monopoly and Military Reform
Thailand's Leading Political Parties Vow to Rewrite Junta's Charter After Elections
Thai General,Provincial Politicians and Police, Found Guilty in Human Trafficking Trial in Bangkok


text:
/* global process module */
var moment = require('moment');
var sdkVersion = moment.utc().format('YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss') + 'Z';
var releaseVersion = require('./package.json').version;
var environment = process.env.NODE_ENV;
var webpackConfigs = require('./webpack.config');

console.log('Using version', sdkVersion);

module.exports = function(grunt) {
    grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-clean');
    grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-contrib-copy');
    grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-sed');
    grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-webpack');
    grunt.loadNpmTasks('grunt-zip');

    grunt.registerTask('default', []);
    grunt.registerTask('pack', ['zip']);
    grunt.registerTask('build', ['default', 'clean', 'webpack', 'copy:chrome-app', 'copy:flash', 'sed', 'pack']);

    grunt.initConfig({
        pkg: grunt.file.readJSON('package.json'),
        clean: ['dist'],
        copy: {
            'chrome-app': {
                files: [
                    {
                        expand: true,
                        cwd: 'src/chrome/',
                        src: ['**'],
                        dest: 'dist/pcast-screen-sharing'
                    }
                ]
            },
            'flash': {
                files: [
                    {
                        expand: true,
                        cwd: 'generated/',
                        src: ['**'],
                        dest: 'dist/flash'
                    }
                ]
            }
        },
        sed: {
            version: {
                pattern: '%SDKVERSION%',
                replacement: sdkVersion,
                recursive: true,
                path: 'dist'
            },
            releaseVersion: {
                pattern: '%RELEASEVERSION%',
                replacement: releaseVersion,
                recursive: true,
                path: 'dist'
            },
            environment: {
                pattern: '%ENVIRONMENT%',
                replacement: environment || 'production',
                recursive: true,
                path: 'dist'
            },
            'no-publish-camera': {
                pattern: 'camera',
                replacement: 'apparat',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-microphone': {
                pattern: 'microphone',
                replacement: 'ohr',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-publisher': {
                pattern: 'publisher',
                replacement: 'verleger',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-publish': {
                pattern: 'publish',
                replacement: 'verlegen',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-Publisher': {
                pattern: 'Publisher',
                replacement: 'Verleger',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-Publish': {
                pattern: 'Publish',
                replacement: 'Verlegen',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-shimGetUserMedia': {
                pattern: 'shimGetUserMedia',
                replacement: 'shimGetFluss',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            },
            'no-publish-PublisherLimited': {
                pattern: 'VerlegerLimited',
                replacement: 'PublisherLimited',
                path: [
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.js',
                    'dist/phenix-web-sdk-no-publish.min.js'
                ]
            }
        },
        webpack: webpackConfigs,
        zip: {
            'dist/pcast-chrome-app.zip': {
                cwd: 'dist/pcast-screen-sharing/',
                src: ['dist/pcast-screen-sharing/**'],
                dest: 'dist/pcast-screen-sharing.zip'
            }
        }
    });
};


Today, the energy industry is a vast network of diverse market participants producing, transporting and trading energy. Each energy company is challenged to manage cash flow across multiple commodities, assets, and regions.
The industry settles billions of dollars of wholesale energy transactions using emails, spreadsheets, faxes, and phone calls. These tools and processes are used by thousands of settlement departments each one working to meet tight cash flow deadlines.
Working with key industry participants, Aquilon has built the Energy Settlement Network® (ESN®) to automate energy settlements using a collaborative, cloud-based platform.
"Aquilon's technology integration approach allowed us to quickly integrate our ETRM system to ESN."
"Dynegy uses ESN to automatically and collaboratively settle Power with our trade counterparties increasing efficiencies and reducing risk. Working with Aquilon we launched ESN Power in less than ninety days."
"We are excited to be a strategic investor and customer of Aquilon. ESN brings automation, efficiencies, collaboration and risk reduction to the energy industry's settlement process."
HOUSTON — Sept. 24, 2018 — More than 1,000 companies – ranging from electric utilities and multinational oil and gas companies to Fortune 500 financial institutions – now settle energy transactions on Aquilon's Energy Settlement Network. Over the past year, ESN membership more than doubled and network transactions more than tripled. Since the network launched in 2015, members have settled more than 25 million wholesale power and natural gas transactions.
Lisle, IL — October 16, 2018 — Sam McNair, Senior Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Macquarie Group's Commodity Markets and Finance division, has joined Aquilon Energy Services' Board of Directors. Mr. McNair is responsible for developing processes and systems that support Macquarie's strategic business goals. Mr. McNair is a forward-thinking leader and will be a valuable contributor as Aquilon continues to grow the Energy Settlement Network.
HOUSTON — June 7, 2018 — Aquilon Energy Services recently hired David Vinzant as its senior vice president and head of sales. Vinzant brings to Aquilon more than 30 years of experience managing the sales and delivery of software solutions for the energy industry. Based in Aquilon's Houston office, Vinzant will manage the company's Americas sales efforts for its Energy Settlement Network®.
LISLE, Ill. — April 26, 2018 — Invenergy, North America's largest renewable energy provider, joined the Energy Settlement Network from Aquilon Energy Services. The Invenergy Future Fund was an early investor in Aquilon Energy Services, and introduced the company to Invenergy's trading team. Invenergy quickly recognized the value of having their counterparties, communication and documentation organized on a secure, collaborative and cloud-based network. Invenergy now settles physical natural gas on ESN.
LISLE, Ill. — Mar. 8, 2018 — ENGIE, a global energy company with over 150,000 employees in about 70 countries, recently upgraded to pro membership on Aquilon's Energy Settlement Network. ESN is an innovative, cloud-based platform that automates the energy settlement process. The network helps members realize significant improvements in operations, audit, compliance, cash flow management and security. With access to the full capabilities of ESN, ENGIE's settlement team can manage an ever-increasing number of transactions more easily.
LISLE, Ill. — Feb. 8, 2018 — More than 500 companies – ranging from electric utilities and multinational oil and gas companies to Fortune 500 financial institutions – now settle energy transactions on Aquilon's Energy Settlement Network. ESN is an innovative, cloud-based platform that automates the energy settlement process. The network helps members increase security of sensitive information, improve financial performance, settle more transactions in less time, and reduce exposure to risk.
LISLE, Ill. — Jan. 24, 2018 — Aquilon Energy Services recently hired Scott Egler as its vice president of marketing. Aquilon's Energy Settlement Network® is a cloud-based platform, built in partnership with major energy industry players, that enables organizations to collaboratively settle energy transactions. In his role, Egler will develop and execute the firm's marketing strategy.
LISLE, IL — Oct. 10, 2017 — Aquilon Energy Services recently opened a new, expanded office in the Esperson building in downtown Houston to support its ongoing growth in the city. Aquilon is the developer of the Energy Settlement Network, the first collaborative, cloud-based platform to automate wholesale energy settlements.
October 2017 - A Chicago-area startup is garnering the attention of major industry players with a cloud-based platform for settling energy trades in the decentralized, digital 21st century.
Aquilon Energy Services, based in Lisle, Illinois, has developed an Energy Settlement Network that leverages the power of web-based communication technology and big-data analytics to make it easier for energy companies and other firms to trade commodities like power, oil and natural gas.
Settlement departments are the often-unheralded engines of companies' financial operations. The physical and financial energy transactions that keep oil and gas flowing worldwide produce mountains of financial data that end up as invoices on the desks of settlement analysts. Companies need efficient settlement operations to ensure accuracy and maintain cash flow.
Aquilon Energy Services joins Enterprise Ethereum Alliance.
NEW YORK, NY, USA – July 18, 2017 – Enterprise Ethereum Alliance (EEA) announced today that 35 organizations have joined the blockchain industry group since late May. This brings total membership to over 150 organizations added since the group's launch in February of this year. EEA is now the world's largest open-source blockchain initiative.
to easily identify exceptions and settle physical and financial energy transactions with their counterparties.
The global energy market is worth about $6 trillion today, and has both financial and physical aspects to it. The supply chains are vast, complicated, and risky. Because of this complexity, and legacy delivery, settlement, and contract conventions dating back to the 19th century, administrative and back-office costs are high. So are the costs of settlement risk, but thanks to innovative new technologies and services, the day is fast approaching when settlement risk will be a distant memory.
LISLE, Ill. — Feb. 1, 2017 — Aquilon Energy Services Inc., developer of the first collaborative cloud-based platform that enables buyers and sellers to automatically settle both physical and financial energy transactions, has raised $19 million during a Series B financing round. The Series B financing round includes investments from Citi, Goldman Sachs Principal Strategic Investments, Invenergy and Macquarie Group – and all four companies committed to use Aquilon's Energy Settlement Network (ESN™). Lake Bridge Capital also continues to serve as a key investor in Aquilon.


text:
News Sports YD-Preps Crime Watch Photos / Videos Opinion Obituaries E-Edition Legals
Y-A League's top senior volleyball players come together for All-Star match
RYAN VANDERSLOOT
THE YORK DISPATCH
While the Dallastown girls' volleyball team failed to advance as far into the York-Adams League and District 3 playoffs as it would have liked, there were certainly memorable moments along the way.
On the first Sunday since the volleyball season officially ended across the state, Delaney Kolb and coach Shannon Werner looked back at it all with smiles after the York-Adams League Senior All-Star game at Dallastown High School on Sunday, Nov. 19.
Kolb, who led the Wildcats to a third-place finish in Division I, played on one of the two Purple teams during Sunday's exhibition. The event, which was organized by Werner, is used to both recognize the league's top seniors as well as raise donations for the Alzheimer's Association.
Both goals were clearly met as the players all enjoyed themselves during the four one-game matches that pitted the two Violet teams against the two Purple squads. Each squad finished 1-1 for the day.
"I enjoyed this a lot," Kolb said. "I got to play with a ton of new girls out there that I didn't even know."
Kolb's Purple team was made up of players from Dallastown, York Suburban, Susquehannock, Bermudian Springs, York Tech, York Catholic, Delone Catholic and Hanover. She played with Purple Team 1 that defeated Violet Team 1, 25-19, in its first set. Violet Team 2 claimed a 25-20 victory over Kolb's side in the final set of the contest.
While the rigors of the season and playoffs are intense, there was little to none of that Sunday. In fact, Kolb's side played without a coach as Delone's Jason Leppo missed the event due to illness.
Werner, who was on the public address system during the game, joked that she was actually the coach of the Purple squad. Part of that stems from the fact that Leppo and West York coach Joe Ramp led the teams in last year's event.
"Last year Joe and Jason coached the teams and this year they were both making a long run into states," she said. "So, for me, it's a correlation that if you coach these teams that next year you'll be there. So, yeah, I'm taking the credit."
That response was a perfect indication of the way Werner coaches her teams. While she's serious about the way her teams perform, she does it in such a way that earns affection from her players.
"She's one of my favorite coaches," Kolb said. "And that's because she's a bit of goofball. She's not a hard, yelling coach. She just wants us to go out there and have some fun, but to also play as hard as we can."
Werner raved about the improvement that Kolb made as a senior this past year. After being more of an offense-only player in the past, Kolb was an all-around contributor in her final season thanks, in part, due to a bum shoulder.
"She had a shoulder injury as a junior playing club," Werner said. "So in club she would only play in the back row. And that actually helped me this year because she was one of the best serve-receive passers on the team. This year she got to play the whole way around which meant she could hit in the back row. And she had some nice hits today in the back row.
Reviving all-star match: The players can thank Werner for working to bring back the event several years ago.
There used to be one held at Red Lion High School that pitted the best seniors from District 3 against one another. After that stopped for a few years, Werner felt like there was a need for someone to step up.
The fact that the contest also is for the benefit of the Alzheimer's Association is an added bonus for Werner, whose grandmother was diagnosed with the disease before she passed.
"As I walked around today a lot of people told me that they've been touched by a loved one with it," Werner said. "And that's nice to hear."
The event raised over $600 last year, an amount that Werner was hoping to exceed this time.
"Looking into a couple of the jars, there's a couple of checks," she said. "I've never had that before, so hopefully that's a good sign."
— Reach Ryan Vandersloot at sports@yorkdispatch.com


text:
Panvala
Contract API Reference
TokenCapacitor
frontend integration
Connect to Panvala
Ballot Voting
Regulator, mount up!
Source.
The Gatekeeper controls access to the TokenCapacitor (and other resources) through slate governance. Any attempt to send funds from the TokenCapacitor to a beneficiary must begin with a request for permission made to the Gatekeeper.
The Gatekeeper keeps track of the requests that have been made, and can be queried at any time for the status of a given request. Since the system is controlled by slate governance, a request is considered granted only if has been included in an accepted slate (either through being unchallenged, or by winning a vote). Once the request has been granted, the action can be executed, for example, tokens can be transferred from the TokenCapacitor to the specified beneficiary in the specified amount.
When a recommender puts together a grant proposal slate, they choose the proposals they think should be included, and make a request for permission for each of the proposals to the TokenCapacitor. This gives them a list of request IDs that they include when they call Gatekeeper.recommendSlate. They need to include the category that they are submitting their slate for, since there can be multiple categories of slates.
Once a recommender has called Gatekeeper.recommendSlate, their slate gets added to a pool for the current batch, for the appropriate category. In that case, it's in the Unstaked state. People have the chance to stake on the slate through the staking period. Once it's staked, it is added to a list of staked slates for that category. If no other slates in the category are staked by the end of the staking period, the staked slate is automatically accepted, and all its associated requests will have status granted.