Chess Arbiters' Association

A: The arbiter is the referee who ensures that the Laws of Chess are obeyed at a chess tournament.  The arbiter is also responsible for doing the pairings for each round.  This means that the arbiter, following a set of procedures, will determine your opponent and colour in each round.

A: The way that you become an arbiter in England, Scotland and Wales differs slightly in each country.  In each country you will be expected to gain experience by helping at a number of events and getting reports on your performance from experienced arbiters.  You will also need to sit an exam on the Laws of Chess and how to do a pairing. Contact Geoff Jones if you are interested in becoming an arbiter.

A: This is a way of deciding who plays against whom in a chess competition.  The arbiter follows a set of instructions to determine a player's colour and opponent in each round of a tournament.

A: This is the most common type of chess tournament.  Most weekend tournaments last five rounds and players are able to take part in each round.  Normally in round 1 the top 50% of the players in an event will be paired against the bottom 50%.  After the first round a pairing will be carried out amongst the winners, then amongst those who have drawn and finally amongst those who lost.  The arbiter will again try to pair the top players in each score group against the bottom but shall also try to alternate the colour given.  This continues throughout the tournament.  It means that the further into the tournament you are the closer  your opponent should be to your own strength.

A: Contact the CAA's Chief Arbiter, Alex McFarlane, who will try to answer your question.  Please make sure that you put a meaningful subject in your email or it may be 'spammed'.