The new Norm Tournaments

Saturday, December 8, 2018: A new set of 10 different Norm Tournaments become available within days.

Following the decision of the 2018 ICCF Congress in Llandudno, a new batch of 10 different Norm Tournaments will be introduced within days to replace the current ones.

It was remarked that the “old” Norm Tournaments were no longer attractive to players. It was very hard to get GM norms in Grandmaster Norm Tournaments and there was no specific tournament to get SIM norms.

The Qualifications Commission did a detailed study, with a lot of statistics, and developed a new batch of Norm Tournaments specifically designed to facilitate title norms.

There will be two types of tournaments, “A” and “B”, for each possible international title:

1. GM Norm tournaments will be reserved to the highest rated players (ELO > 2454*);
2. a new type of tournament, SIM Norm, will be introduced for players rated from 2380 to 2454*;
3. Master Norm (MN) tournaments will be limited to players rated from 2300 to 2379* (plus the “medallists” of national championships);
4. a new type of tournament, CCM Norm, will be introduced for players rated from 2200 to 2299*; and
5. a new type of tournament, CCE Norm, will be introduced for players rated from 2050 to 2199*.

* Players are referred to the newly updated ICCF Rules, §1.2.5., expected online about 15 December 2018, for details about rating ranges differentiating "A" and "B" within each type of Norm Tournament.

The new Norm Tournaments will officially start in January 2019. Players can send their entries as soon as the new 2019/1 rating list becomes available (starting approximately 10 December 2018).

Players who have sent their entry to the “old” Norm Tournaments and have not been inserted in a section will be automatically redirected to the corresponding “new” tournament. The players who entered a GMN tournament and should now play in a SIM tournament will be directly contacted by the TTC and asked if they wish to withdraw their entry.

Here is a table with the new structure of the Norm Tournaments including Direct Entry fees:

** Holders of the GM title and any player rated > 2600 will be allowed to enter GM Norm tournaments free of charge

Gian-Maria Tani

Title Tournament Commissioner