29 October 2024

This document relates only to fees, fines and penalties of a monetary nature. It does not include (for example) the deduction of match points or scoring a match as a loss for both sides, as to which you should refer to the League Rules.

The date in square brackets is the date on which the Council determined the fee or fine in question under article 

Relevant provisions of the Constitution

Article 4: Fees

(a) All fees shall be determined at the Annual Council meeting (see article 10 below).

League entry and related fees

Admission to Middlesex League Formula Divisions

Article 3(e): “No club shall be admitted to the League or to membership of the Association unless and until the Treasurer has certified that the appropriate fee, and any moneys owed by the club to the Association, have been paid in full.”

50% of the fee for entering a team in one of the main League Divisions [08.07.2024]

Admission to Middlesex League main Divisions

Article 3(e): “No club shall be admitted to the League or to membership of the Association unless and until the Treasurer has certified that the appropriate fee, and any moneys owed by the club to the Association, have been paid in full.”

£60 per team entered in one of the main League Divisions [06.07.2023]

Late entry

Rule 6(d): “Late entries shall be at the League Secretary's discretion and subject to a late entry fee as determined by the council.”

And see Article 3(f): “... no club shall be admitted to the League after 1st September in any year unless the League Secretary so agrees for good reason.”

One quarter of the total League entry fees paid or to be paid by the club [08.07.2024] 

Operational fees and fines

Fees etc. relating to adjudication and match result reporting are for consideration by the League Secretary.

Not attending the Fixtures Meeting

Rule 10(a): “A fine may be levied on clubs not represented at the Fixtures Meeting.”

£75 [08.07.24]

Not reporting result of match in time

Rule 18(a): “Each team captain shall send the full score of the match including the names of the players and their board numbers and colours to the League Secretary within seven days of the first session. Any team in contravention of this rule shall be fined and may, at the League Secretary's discretion, be scored nil points for this match…”

50p per result [on or before 01.11.2021]

Adjudication appeal fails

Rule 17(g): “... If the appeal fails a fee shall be deducted in addition to the one already deducted after the initial adjudication deposit of the relevant club …”

To be ascertained or determined

Adjudication appeal upheld

Rule 17(g): “If the appeal is upheld then the initial fee shall be restored to the adjudication deposit of the successful team's club; and a fee, as agreed by Council, shall be deducted from the adjudication deposit of the opposing team's club”

To be ascertained or determined

Adjudication deposit

See Rules 6(c) and 17(f), (g) and (j)

£15 less fee for losing appeal against adjudication [on or before 01.11.2021]

Adjudication lost

Rule 17(f): “The club that loses the adjudication shall be informed of this decision and have a fee deducted from its adjudication deposit (see clause 'f').”

£5.50 which may be deducted from the adjudication deposit [on or before 01.11.2021]

Voluntary fees

Board Fee

The Council has accepted the necessity of funding county chess wholly or partly through board fees (i.e. a fixed sum collected from each Middlesex player at every home match) during any season in which League fees and any other income are insufficient. [06.07.2023]

The Treasurer after consulting county match captains accordingly decided that until League fees and other income are sufficient, each player should be asked to pay voluntary Board Fee of £5 for each home match for which he or she is selected. Board Fee has been collected on that basis from the 2023/24 season onwards.

Fees set by other bodies

Game Fee

Article 4(c) and (d): “The Association may invoice a member club for ECF Game Fee in respect of any player if all the following conditions are satisfied: 1. The player has played in a team of such member club in the Middlesex League or in some other competition organised by the Association; 2. The player did not meet the English Chess Federation’s membership requirements for the relevant competition; and 3. The Federation has correctly invoiced the Association for Game Fee in respect of the player. The member club shall pay such invoice within one week or such other period as may be stated in the invoice.”

For the relevant level of Game Fee, the ECF’s Membership, Pay to Play and Game Fees 2024/25 document should be consulted. For Leagues and other team events which are not FIDE-rated, players must be ECF members at Bronze level or higher. Juniors are eligible for the junior pay-to-play fee rate if they are under 18 on the day before the league starts. Players who are not ECF members at Bronze level or higher do not pay any game fee for their first three games in the relevant league’s competitions – but once they play a fourth game they become liable for a game fee of £20.00 if an adult or £6.00 if a junior. In practice MCCA will invoice member clubs according to the ECF’s invoice to MCCA if it appears correct on the surface.

Affiliation

Affiliation is rarely if ever used, confers little benefit, and needs some tidying up in any event.

Affiliation by clubs

Article 3(c): “Affiliation shall be open to clubs that have their place of meeting in Middlesex and are not current members of the Middlesex Chess League, on the payment of a fee.”

£30 [08.07.2024]

Affiliation by individuals

Article 3(b): “Affiliation by individuals shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee and shall be subject to the payment of a fee.”

£30 [08.07.2024]