MEMORANDA

MEMORANDUM FOR MCF ANNUAL KNOCKOUT COMPETITIONS

1 ELIGIBILITY OF TEAMS

The knockout competitions are open to teams that participate in the league during the same season.

The Reyner Shield is open to teams from A and B divisions only.
The Wahltuch Trophy is open to teams from B and C divisions only.
The Hartley Trophy is open to teams not eligible for any of the other competitions.
The Alfred Milner is open to teams from the rating limited standard play division(s) only.
The Harry Lamb is open to teams from the rating limited rapidplay division(s) only.
A team may enter only one of the competitions.

2 ENTRIES

Applications for entry to the Annual Knockout Competitions must reach the General Secretary and Fixtures Secretary by 1 August prior to the commencement of the season.

3 BYES

Prior to the first-round proper (which may be the quarter or semi-finals), the number of teams competing shall be brought to a power of two. Byes shall be awarded to the number of teams required to achieve this.
Where byes are required, they shall be given in the following order:

To the previous winner of the knockout competition in question.
To the highest placed team in the previous year’s league table.
To the second highest placed team in the previous year’s league table.
Further byes shall be decided by lot.
Note: In determining 2 and 3, a team which played in a higher division is deemed to be higher placed than one in a lower division, irrespective of their relative placings in those divisions.

4 MATCH DATES AND VENUES

In knockout competitions, the pairings for any preliminary round needed to reduce the number of teams competing to the power of two, plus the first-round proper, shall be drawn by lot at the Fixtures Committee meeting.
For any preliminary round pairings required and for any fixtures in the first-round proper which are not dependant on the result of a preliminary round match, the first team drawn shall have the fixture at home.
For all other knockout competition fixtures, the home team shall be determined by the Fixtures Secretary in accordance with the following criteria:

The number of earlier rounds in the knockout competition in which each team was drawn to play away (the team with the greater number shall be at home for this fixture).
The venue of the league fixture taking place between the teams during the season (the team playing away in the league fixture shall be at home for the knockout fixture).
The venues for the previous round of the knockout competition (the team playing away in the previous round shall be at home for this fixture).

In determining the venue for a fixture, criterion 1 takes precedence over 2 and 3 (but note that matches won by default are not included), and criterion 2 takes precedence over 3. Where two teams from the same club are paired together in any round preceding the final, this fixture shall be regarded as a home fixture for whichever team qualifies for the next round.

If the venue cannot be determined by any of the above three criteria, then it shall be decided by lot.

(N.B. if a team has been given a bye in a preliminary round, this does not automatically mean being allocated an away fixture in the next round – a bye is “venue neutral”)

5 MATCH ARRANGEMENTS

These shall be as for league matches. A player may not play for a team in the final of a knockout competition unless he or she has already played at least two Manchester League or knockout matches during the season for the club represented by that team. This restriction shall not apply to the bottom 2 boards in the final.

6 RESOLUTION OF TIES

In the case of a tie in any round, including the final, the tie shall be broken by board count. If the board count is even, the tie shall be broken by bottom board elimination. If all the games are drawn in the final then the trophy will be shared, but in previous rounds there would be a replay with venue
reversed.

MEMORANDUM FOR BRAMLEY-HARKER INDIVIDUAL MCF CHAMPIONSHIPS

1 ELIGIBILITY

All players in the Manchester League are eligible.

2 FORMAT

Each season there will be a championship awarded for each division of the league. The winner will be the player who scores the most points in league games for one team within that division (note that knockout competition games and defaults will not count).

3 TIES

Ties shall be resolved in accordance with the following tiebreakers applied in the order shown:

Most wins.
Rating (lowest takes preference).
Highest average board number.

4 PRIZES
The winner of each class shall receive the sum of £25 and a Certificate.

5 AMENDMENTS
Amendments to these rules may only be made by Council.

MEMORANDUM ON ESTIMATED RATINGS

For the purpose of the MCF’s ‘100 point’ rule 4 c) i), an estimated rating will be treated as if it were a ‘real’ ECF rating.

An estimated rating will be assigned as early possible in the season and before the player plays in a match.

This is a responsibility shared between the registering club and the MCF. To arrive at an estimated rating the MCF will consider:
a) the club’s own estimate – this will be accepted, unless there is clear evidence from a brief search of other sources (see (b) below) which make it questionable, in which case there will be a dialogue to try to agree a figure which both parties find acceptable. If agreement is not possible, the MCF will
adjudicate. The ECF indicates that the P ratings are unreliable – if the club wishes to estimate a more accurate grade instead for P-rated players, that is acceptable.

b) other data, principally any previously held ECF grade(s) or rating(s) and any FIDE rating or record; also, any period of time inactive (where relevant), age and experience (where relevant), and any recent congress results (although these will be treated with caution, being in statistical terms only a small sample to go by).

Once this estimated rating has been assigned, it will be operative throughout the season, unless:
– The club itself requests a change to their registration list, based for example on the player’s results; the MCF will then consider the request and adjudicate,
or
– The MCF becomes aware of clear evidence (such as a December ECF rating based on more than 8 long-play games) of a major discrepancy (defined as a difference of more than 150 ECF points) between the estimated rating and the player’s current playing strength.

The case will then be discussed immediately with the club and promptly adjudicated by the MCF on its merits, chiefly with respect to its relevance to fair competition between clubs. Discrepancies with no significant fairness implications may be disregarded, as the system will self-correct over time.

Any amendment by the MCF to an estimated rating will take place on a date to be decided by the MCF but will not be retrospective.

The MCF will normally delegate all negotiations and decisions regarding estimated ratings to its Records and Registrations Secretary, but clubs will retain a right of appeal to MCF Council, whose decision will be final.

MEMORANDUM FOR MCF TROPHIES

The winners of trophies shall be entitled to hold the respective trophies from time of presentation to the next MCF AGM, or earlier if required by the MCF.
Such winners shall not be obliged to hold such trophies and may leave them with the MCF for safe keeping. In such cases a form of acknowledgement shall be given to the winner.
In view of the element of risk of loss or damage to the several trophies belonging to the MCF, the recipients of trophies shall be required to indemnify the MCF against contingencies of loss or damage not wholly recoverable from any insurance policy in force.

MEMORANDUM FOR COMPOSITION OF MCF DIVISIONS

1) Based on the entries from clubs received by the published deadline, the Fixtures Committee shall assign teams to divisions and organise the fixtures for each of them in the way it considers most appropriate in the circumstances.
2) The top two teams in each division usually have the automatic right of promotion to the next higher division. The bottom two teams shall normally be relegated to the next lower division (except as noted in 8 below). Ties for first place or for a promotion or relegation place will be split in the following sequence.
i) Game points scored.
ii) Individual match result.
iii) Board count of the individual match.
ii) and iii) will apply to a combination of matches if the teams play each other more than once.
3) The AGM or Council shall appoint a Fixtures Committee to compose the league in accordance with this memorandum. The Fixtures Committee shall normally consist of the President, General Secretary, Fixtures Secretary, and Records & Registrations Secretary.
4) New teams shall normally be admitted to the lowest division.
5) If there is a vacancy in a more appropriate division an exception to the normal promotion and relegation schemes and to entry conditions may be made if a team’s strength evidenced by the players ratings on the team list submitted and previous results of the team indicate that normal placing would result in an unbalanced division.
6) The AGM should be held in time for the new season’s fixtures to be produced and checked before they are issued.
The fixtures meeting should be scheduled within fourteen days of the deadline for Applications for entry in League and Match Rule 1 and the General Secretary should arrange it at a time such that all the key officers are able to attend (note the meeting may be virtual rather than in person).
This meeting will finalise the composition of divisions and make the draw for each knockout competition.
The full draw for each knockout competition (with team names, not just number codes) should be written out and checked by the Fixtures Committee before the meeting is closed. The Committee bears a collective responsibility for this process.
7) Any club changing its Secretary for the new season should supply at the AGM or in writing to the general secretary within seven days of the AGM the name, email, address, and postcode of the new or acting secretary. This is to facilitate correct mailing of fixtures and to ensure clear lines of communication and responsibility.
8) The lowest standard play division is subject to all rules, conventions and memoranda governing the League, with the exception of the following:

No player shall be eligible to play in a team if his or her ECF rating is higher than 1450 at the start of the season.
Where a player has no ECF rating, he or she will not be eligible to play in a team if a reasonable estimate of their playing strength is greater than ECF 1450.
No team will be relegated into this division without the express consent of that team.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CONDUCT OF MCF FIXTURES COMMITTEE

Rationale
This memorandum draws together items from other MCF rules and memoranda regarding the role and conduct of the Fixtures Committee and then makes explicit its tasks and operating procedures.

Role, composition, and other considerations
The role of the Fixtures Committee meeting is to decide the structure and composition of the league and trophy competitions for the following season.

The MEMORANDUM FOR COMPOSITION OF MCF DIVISIONS states:
“The AGM or Council shall appoint a Fixtures Committee to compose the league in accordance with this memorandum. The Fixtures Committee shall normally consist of the President, General Secretary, Fixtures Secretary, and Records & Registrations Secretary.”
“Based on the entries from clubs received by the published deadline, the Fixtures Committee shall assign teams to divisions and organise the fixtures for each of them in the way it considers most appropriate in the circumstances.”
“The fixtures meeting should be scheduled within fourteen days of the deadline for Applications for entry in League and Match Rule 1 and the General Secretary should arrange it at a time such that all the key officers are able to attend (note the meeting may be virtual rather than in person).”
“This meeting will finalise the composition of divisions and make the draw for each knockout competition. The full draw for each knockout competition (with team names, not just number codes) should be written out and checked by the Fixtures Committee before the meeting is closed. The Committee bears a collective responsibility for this process.”
The Fixtures Committee meeting is therefore one of the most important in the MCF calendar and it takes decisions of lasting consequence. The MCF Rules and Memoranda grant this committee great power but “with great power comes great responsibility”. Furthermore, it has to work under the
pressure of a deadline.

The Fixtures Committee meeting should be regarded as the culmination of a process; one of consultation and careful weighing of all the relevant factors.

Procedure
1) As soon as all the team entries and registration lists have been received (by a deadline decided by the MCF) and circulated, all members of the Fixtures Committee should start to consider the options for the following season.

2) Factors that need be considered and weighed include:

Decisions taken at the previous AGM;
Relevant MCF Rules and Memoranda;
The league and cup structures inherited from the previous season;
MCF Custom and practice;
Promotions and demotions (traditionally two-up and two-down);
Consideration of (but not necessarily acquiescence to) any special requests from clubs;
Any new clubs entering the league (note, there is strong resistance to any new team going into A division, so B division should be the highest, and they should really go into the lowest available division);
Any new teams from existing clubs;
Consideration of team strengths in allocating teams to divisions (and hence trophy competitions).

3) All members of the Fixtures Committee should informally discuss and test out possible solutions (communicating with each other by email and ZOOM), so that by the time of the formal Fixtures Committee meeting, the principal challenges and constraints are clear and ideally a consensus has been formed (or at least everyone is fully aware of the main sticking points). Advice from previous MCF Officers may be sought.
4) No fresh proposal for radical change of the league structure or the trophy competitions is to be considered by the Fixtures Committee without at least 48 hours’ notice (before the Fixtures Committee meeting) to all its members.
5) Following the Fixtures Committee meeting, the Fixtures Secretary will begin the process of allocating fixtures to clubs, in accordance with the scheme decided by the Fixtures Committee. The first draft of fixtures will then be circulated to the members of the committee for checking, before publication to clubs.
6) After the Fixtures Committee meeting, there shall be a “cooling-off period” of 7 days before fixtures are published on the basis of the decisions made there. This is to enable further reflection and give time for possibly hidden but important snags to be revealed and corrected.
7) It is customary for the MCF to try to complete and publish the fixtures in advance of the fixtures meeting of the Stockport & District Chess League; this is in the interests of both organisations, to help prevent fixture clashes and consequent rearrangements.
8) There needs to be at least 2 weeks’ notice of fixtures given to teams and clubs, therefore preliminary round cup fixtures allocated to the last 2 weeks of September need to be issued as early as possible in September (or ideally in August).

MEMORANDUM FOR MCF RAPIDPLAY DIVISIONS

Aims & Objectives
Although this might be extended in the future, the main aim of providing Rapidplay league competitions for teams from MCF clubs is to cater for the requirements of adult novices or inexperienced junior players. To this end, it is envisaged that matches in the Rapidplay league should be arranged to finish by 9.30 p.m.
Team composition
Teams are of four players. There is nothing to prevent captains from arranging in advance for more boards to play – indeed, this is to be encouraged – but only the top four boards will count for match purposes.
Junior Rapidplay division
In a junior Rapidplay division teams may consist of four juniors (i.e., u18 on the 1 st of September of the season in question) or three juniors and one adult, e.g., a driver.
Fixtures
The format will be decided at the start of each season dependent upon the number of competing teams. However, a match will always have each player playing two rounds of Rapidplay against the same opponent using alternate colours.
With the agreement of the clubs involved, some of the fixtures may be arranged (or re-arranged) on a “jamboree” basis, i.e., more than two teams will play at the same venue on the same night. However, this must be strictly by agreement and must not be ‘sprung’ on any team that does not wish to or cannot accommodate this.
Colours
The away team shall have white on the odd-numbered boards in the first game of each match. For the second game the colours shall be reversed.
Starting time
The official starting time is 7.30 p.m. An earlier starting time is permissible but must be agreed at least 24 hours in advance by email between the two team captains or organisers.
Break between games
There should be a short break of up to 10 minutes between games. After the break all the second games should be started at the same time.
Finishing time
An important aim is that matches should finish by 9.30.
Rate of play and Rapidplay rules
The default is 25 minutes for each player for the whole game. This means that the games come under Guidelines III. Games without increment including Quickplay Finishes of the FIDE Laws of Chess (available at https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/E012023 ).
It is to be hoped that matches pass off without the need to have recourse to the more technical aspects of these rules.

[Advisory note: the MCF advises all captains and players to become familiar with all the FIDE Laws of Chess, which are applicable to all MCF league and trophy matches, unless modified by the MCF Rules.]
Alternatively, if a strict 9.30 finish is not considered important, an incremental time limit, such as 15 minutes plus a 5 second increment per move from move 1 (G15+5), may be used, but only if both captains or organisers agree by email in advance.
Rating limit
All players must be rated below 1450 in the original August ECF Rapidplay rating list.
Players without a current ECF rating must be allocated an estimated grade.
The ECF have indicated that their “P” ratings are unreliable; it is therefore permissible for a club to estimate a more accurate grade for any player with a “P” rating, by agreement with the Records and Registrations Secretary and in compliance with the Memorandum on Estimated Ratings.
Rating of games
All games played will be submitted for ECF rating, but only the top four boards will count for match purposes.
Board Order
The real playing strength of young or inexperienced players can be hard to gauge and can vary considerably in a relatively short time. The MCF rules allow some flexibility, with 100 points leeway.
Scoring System
The championship of the division will be decided on game points. In the event of a tie, the winning team shall be the one that scored most points overall in the matches between the two teams.
At the end of the season a trophy and a certificate will be awarded to the winning team.
Recording the game
There is no requirement under the Laws of Chess to record a Rapidplay game.
However, if the players are to derive maximum benefit from the experience, they will need feedback, so recording is desirable, at least until a player is down to less than 5 minutes.
Refreshments
The availability of refreshments at a match is a not only a reasonable and civilised expectation – it is arguably an important part of making evening league chess more attractive.
If a venue has rules that stipulate that visitors are not permitted to bring their own refreshments, that has to be accepted, but this should be made known in advance to the opposing team captain, who should ensure that the players are fully briefed.
Reporting Results
Results should be reported at the League Management System website within 24 hours of the match by the winning team (or the home team in the event of a drawn match), with the opposing captain verifying promptly and within seven days at most.

ECF Membership
Players should be encouraged to become ECF members. This is free to juniors in their first year.
Adult players not already members of the ECF and juniors whose first free year has elapsed may play up to 3 standard play games or 6 Rapidplay games (or a combination of both) but must join the ECF before playing any further games in the same season in MCF. Otherwise, they will be deemed ineligible for any subsequent MCF matches while still a non ECF member.

MEMORANDUM FOR MCF FIXTURES ARRANGEMENTS

As far as possible, fixtures for league and knockout competition games shall be arranged to fulfil the following conditions:

No club shall have more than two teams in the same division.
League fixtures shall normally start in the first week of October. Preliminary-round knockout competition fixtures may be allocated to the final two weeks of September, as long as at least 14 days’ notice is given to both clubs.
All fixtures shall be played before 31st May, unless Council sanctions a later date.
As far as possible, May should be kept clear of league fixtures, to allow for postponements and knockout competition finals.
No matches shall be scheduled between 22nd December and 3rd January inclusive, on any public holiday, or on the day immediately preceding a public holiday. Consideration will be given to special difficulties or requests notified by clubs to the Fixtures Secretary in advance.
The Fixtures Secretary may set aside certain weeks for knockout competition matches (see also point 17 below), although knockout matches may also be slotted into non-knockout weeks (but see points 7 and 8 below).
No team shall have more than one match in the same week.
No club shall have consecutive teams playing matches in the same week, except, if the Fixtures Secretary judges it necessary, for knockout matches scheduled after Christmas, in which case no club shall have consecutive teams playing matches, knockout or league, on the same night.
8.1 This does not apply to the ratings limited divisions; consecutive teams in these can, if really necessary, be scheduled to play in the same week, and in the same week as the lowest standard play team (e.g., 3Cs 5 (in F) and 3Cs 6 (in R) can play in the same week if really necessary, and either can be scheduled in the same week as 3Cs 4 (in D) if necessary)
8.2 The consecutive teams rules only apply to a club’s first 3 teams (e.g., although 3Cs 3 can’t play in the same week as 3Cs 2, they could play in the same week as 3Cs 4 if really necessary)
A club with more than one team shall not be allocated more than one home fixture on the same night unless that club’s premises can accommodate the required number of matches in reasonable playing conditions, as per the MCF Rules.
League fixtures between the same two teams should alternate home and away from season to season.
However, if a team defaults a match, in the following season it should be drawn away if the same fixture occurs. If this proves impossible or impractical, the offending team should instead be allocated more away than home matches in the following season (e.g., a 4-5 home-away split in a
10-team division).
If a club has two teams in the same division, fixtures should be allocated such that all the opposing clubs play one of these teams at home and one away.
Wherever possible, during a season, a team should have an equal number of home and away league fixtures. In a division with an even number of teams, this is clearly impossible but, for instance, in a 10-team division, each team shall be allocated a 5-4 (or 4-5) split of home and away matches. If a team remains in the same division, this split should be reversed from one season to the next.
If a club has two teams in the same division of ten teams, one team shall be given a 5-4 split and the other a 4-5 split of home and away fixtures. The team allocated 5 home matches and 4 away matches shall be drawn at home against the other team (who will thus have a 4-5 split, but with one
of its away matches being against the club’s other team – this brings both teams closer to fulfilling the objectives of point 13. above).
A team’s fixtures should be reasonably spread over the season. Teams should have between two and four league matches scheduled before Christmas. No team shall be allocated a run of more than three consecutive home or away fixtures.
If a club has two teams in the same division, the Fixtures Secretary shall assign a date for the fixture, but the club may subsequently rearrange the match at their convenience, as long as it is played and reported by 31st December and as long as the Fixtures Secretary is informed of the new
date in good time.
In knockout competitions, the pairings for any preliminary round needed to reduce the number of teams competing to the power of two, plus the first-round proper, shall be drawn by lot at the Fixtures Committee meeting, in accordance with the Memorandum for MCF Annual Knockout Competitions.

Clubs will be informed before the start of the season of any weeks set aside for knockout matches and are expected to keep such weeks clear for as long as their team(s) remain in the competition.
Failure to do so may result in a team drawn at home having to play away or in the worst case the offending team being defaulted if a satisfactory re-arrangement is not possible.
No finals in any knockout competition shall be scheduled before April 7th.

N.B. Clubs are asked to bear in mind that the job of the Fixtures Secretary is not easy. With so many divisions and the various knockout competitions, it will rarely, if ever, be possible to fulfil all the above conditions, and the fixtures secretary often has to make difficult decisions.
Please be tolerant therefore and try to make the fixtures work as published. As a last resort, a club may contact the Fixtures Secretary to request a fixture re-arrangement, in accordance with the MCF League and Match Rules, but always work through the Fixtures Secretary and please keep such requests to a minimum, since the knock-on effects on the fixtures can be very disruptive.

Courtesy
Clubs are asked to do their best to fulfil all their fixtures. Not being able to field one’s best team is not a valid reason for postponing or defaulting a match. When a team is unable to fulfil a fixture, or is unable to field a full team, it is courteous to inform and apologise to the opposing club with as much notice as possible.

MEMORANDUM ON RESOLUTION OF MCF DISPUTES

Preamble
This memorandum is designed for the resolution of disputes that cannot be resolved between the clubs concerned and that come under the rule headed disputes in the League and Match Rules (Part A), or personal disputes between MCF Officials and/or players (Part B).
The aims of the procedure are to:
a) Resolve disputes quickly.
b) In the interests of justice, let each side see the other’s written claim and have the opportunity of commenting on it in writing.

Part A
It is strongly recommended that prior to entering the disputes procedure, a club contacts the
disputes committee secretary to see if:

The dispute is covered by the laws of chess or MCF rules.
There are precedents to the dispute.
An amicable agreement can be reached.

The club can accept or reject any advice given and take the matter formally to dispute.

Procedure

1 In the event of a dispute, and within 14 days of it occurring, the club secretary or team captain shall email the disputes committee secretary, with a copy to the opposing club secretary, giving details of the dispute, their claim and pay the dispute fee (currently £15), to the MCF.
2 Within 7 days of receiving the email, the secretary or team captain of the opposing club shall reply by email to the disputes committee secretary, with a copy to the originator of the dispute, and pay the dispute fee to the MCF.
3 The originating club has a right of reply to the opposing club’s email. If it wishes to exercise this right, it must email the disputes committee secretary within 5 days with a copy to the opposing club.
4 The disputes committee secretary shall then email all formal correspondence to the committee members for their consideration. If the committee members wish to clarify the submissions, they may do so by emailing the secretary or team captain of the opposing club; they may also wish to put questions by email to the players involved in the dispute.
5 The decision will be agreed by (a majority of) the disputes committee and will be final. The secretary will email the clubs with the decision. Council will decide whether the decision should be published on the MCF website.

Part B
Procedure
Council may appoint a separate Personal Disputes Committee with up to 5 members to handle personal disputes between officials and/or players.

1 In the event of a dispute, and within 14 days of it occurring, the member shall email the President and General Secretary, and the other member with whom there is a dispute, giving details of the dispute.
2 Within 7 days of receiving the email, the other member shall reply by email to the President and General Secretary, with a copy to the originator of the dispute.
3 The originating member has a right of reply to the opposing email. If the individual wishes to exercise this right, it must email the President and General Secretary within 5 days with a copy to the other member.
4 The President shall then have the option of referring the matter for informal resolution with the Mediation Officer, determine that the matter is outside of the scope of the remit of the Disputes Procedure, or refer the dispute to a Committee for a decision. The President can form the Personal Disputes Committee from members of MCF clubs, or exceptionally if required outside the MCF, and is not required to select any members of the (Part A) Disputes Committee whose role is settling disputes relating to over the board play.
5 The Personal Disputes Committee shall have the option of contacting the members involved in the dispute to obtain further information.
6 The decision will be made by the Personal Disputes Committee and will be final.
7 Confidentiality: in principle the details and outcome of any personal dispute dealt with under this Memorandum must be communicated only on a “need-to-know” basis. The Personal Disputes Committee Secretary, in consultation with the President and the GDPR Officer, will determine whether it would be appropriate and, if so, at what stage and to what degree, Council or/and the
MCF clubs should be informed.

MEMORANDUM ON VENUES FOR MCF MATCHES

It is assumed that all MCF matches will be played at the home club’s venue, as listed in the current MCF Clubs Directory and official MCF online sources.
Other arrangements may only be made:

Either in an emergency,
Or with the approval of the President,
Or by mutual agreement in advance by email between the two clubs involved. Both sides should retain all relevant emails, in case of a dispute arising. The venue must meet the requirements of MCF Rule 7 (PLAYING CONDITIONS FOR MATCHES) and ECF requirements for rating.

MEMORANDUM FOR THE CONDUCT OF ONLINE MCF MEETINGS

It is not easy to run a meeting, and one conducted on Zoom, Teams or similar, can present its own special difficulties. This Memorandum sets out basic guidelines for good practice.
The President is normally the chairperson of the meeting, but the President may delegate that role to another Council member for all or part of the meeting, if it is thought that this will lead to more efficient and effective processing of the agenda.

Before the meeting

The President should draw up the agenda in combination with other officers, as appropriate.
The agenda should be as short as possible.
A starting time and a finishing time for the meeting should be established and published in advance.
In the light of the time allocated for the meeting, the agenda should be carefully considered by the chairperson (and with other officers as appropriate) and an approximate time allocated to each item, in order to maximise the possibility of a) processing all the essential business, and b) finishing on time.
Meeting papers should be circulated in good time before the meeting and it should be made clear that attendees are expected to have familiarised themselves with the contents, in order to save valuable time in the meeting.
As far as possible, items such as officers’ reports should be compiled and circulated in advance and not revisited in the meeting unless there are serious questions to be answered or there is an “action item” associated with it.
Any papers or reports submitted at the last minute should not be awarded discussion time unless it is obvious that the subject requires the meeting’s urgent attention.

In the meeting

The main focus of the chairperson should be on ensuring that any items requiring a decision or action are dealt with efficiently.
The default for all participants other than the chairperson should be to be “on mute”.
Anyone wishing to speak must indicate this by using the hand sign and must wait to be called to speak by the chairperson.
After speaking, a participant should then re-mute themselves.
“Meetings discipline” is essential and little different from common courtesy. For instance, no participant should ever try to interrupt or speak over another.
It is important that the chair allocates speaking time fairly. As a general rule, unless answering a question, contributing further relevant information, raising a point of order or proposing a procedural motion (see below), a participant should not be permitted to speak more than once on any topic.

Motions to Council
While notice would be desirable, it is not a requirement and anyone present and entitled to attend Council can propose a motion to Council. As long as the motion is seconded and falls within Council’s remit, it must be discussed and voted upon.
Good practice in Council meetings is the same as that required by the Constitution at a General Meeting (although regrettably not always enforced):

CONDUCT OF GENERAL MEETINGS
a) No person may speak except with the express permission of the Chairman and all remarks shall be addressed to the Chair. The proceedings may only be interrupted from the floor either to propose a procedural motion, or to raise a point of order requesting the Chairman to rule on a potential irregularity regarding the proceedings.
b) Only the following procedural motions are allowed and after one has been proposed and seconded the Chairman must immediately put the motion to a vote without discussion.
i. That X takes the chair (i.e. to replace the chairman)
ii. That the motion be put (i.e. to call for an immediate vote)
iii. That the meeting be adjourned for a specified time (The Chairman may adjourn the meeting at any time or require any person to leave if the Chairman rules that person out of order)
c) Amendments may be made to any motions. All amendments must be seconded and shall be accepted only at the Chairman’s discretion. The Chairman shall not accept an amendment to a proposal on a general meeting agenda unless in the Chairman’s opinion the amendment is either insubstantial or would result in a lesser change to the status quo than the motion in its original form. Amendments may be withdrawn by their proposer prior to being voted on.

The Treasurer’s report
In any organisation it seems that the Treasurer’s report is frequently a source of time-eating discussion, as not unnaturally everyone seems to have an interest in how the money is spent! Nevertheless, this should not be allowed to take up too much time in the meeting and firm chairing is essential.

A paper report should be prepared and circulated in advance of the meeting.

As a rule, any verbal report by the Treasurer should be confined to two headings:
1) information that the Treasurer considers essential to be conveyed urgently to the meeting;
2) any spending decision for which the Treasurer feels that a Council decision is required urgently.

Regarding a question to the Treasurer for which no prior notice has been given, the chairperson should quickly exercise judgement and rule whether the topic should be allowed time in the meeting, or whether it would most appropriately be handled in a conversation between the Treasurer and the questioner after the meeting.

The break

At the scheduled half-way point of the meeting a five-minute break should be declared by the chairperson.
At that point, If it has become clear to the chairperson that certain items have been allowed to overrun, there will need to be a quick process of triage of the remaining items, deciding which to try to cover in the time remaining and which can well be left to a future meeting if the time runs out.
In fairness to the participants, who are all volunteers, every effort should be made to finish the meeting on time.
Revised 10 December 2024

ManchesterChessFederation