I try to have things rated the same day, but sometimes it takes a few days.
From the USCF Website:
"Depending on when and how the TD submits the rating report, it can take as little as an hour to rate an event or several weeks. As of September 2012, about 95% of the events we rate are now being submitted online, most of those are being submitted within 2 days of when the event ends and are rated within a few hours of when they are submitted online."
Parents should not watch tournament games that are in progress. Many tournaments enforce this rule to avoid distraction.
Players may never comment on another game in progress. A player who comments on a game in progress is in clear violation of USCF rules.
Parents must clear out of the tournament room at 6:25pm on Friday and 4:25pm Saturday, so we can start the rounds on time.
We place clocks on games that go too long. Bringing a clock guarantees that the player can use it for every game. We explain to new players how clocks work before placing them on the game, but any player is welcome and encouraged to ask how they work during the tournament, and parents are encouraged to email us ahead of time if they have questions about clocks. I have received lots of questions from parents, during tournaments, asking me to explain clocks. It is a bit technical and hard to explain.
Overall, clocks aren’t really a big deal, but here is some explanation.
Just remember:
1. Press the button after you move.
2. If you lose on time, you lose the game.
3. Out of 300 tournaments with 40-60 players, I am guessing that I’ve seen about 10 people lose on time. Most of these players were losing "on the board” already. Maybe twice I’ve seen beginners forget to press the clock button, but I encourage young players to remind their opponents to press the clock (this is in the spirit of good sportsmanship but it is technically optional).
The main point: Clocks really aren’t a big deal.
Advanced Tip: You are supposed to press the button with the same hand you used to move the piece. If you move the Rook with your right hand, use your right hand to press the button. This is often known as the “same hand” rule. This rule prevents players from accidentally pressing the clock button before they move, when in fact, they are supposed to press the clock button after they move. It really doesn’t matter much in tournament games, but it’s officially the USCF and International (FIDE) rule and it matters more for the top players.
Very Advanced: When capturing, or castling, you can press the clock with either hand. This is getting really nit-picky I know… but I know of two adults arguing about this a few years ago.
Avoid accidentally cheating: Spectators: When watching another game, never whisper commentary about the clock, never remind players to press the clock, and never mention to the players that someone lost on time. When watching a game, you might secretly be excited by the fact that someone is about to lose on time… but by bringing any attention to the clock, it will effect the game. A spectator that effects the outcome of a game is technically cheating (but we know it usually happens by accident).
Players who make this mistake usually have good intentions, but it leads to what appears to be an overreaction from tournament staff, players, sometimes parents, and the USCF. It gets them kicked out of tournaments, and maybe in trouble with the USCF. Sometimes the player that “benefited” from this advice can get in trouble, even if they didn’t ask for it. USCF resolves these disputes on a case by case basis, but it is not fun! Overall, it’s very important that a spectator never “helps” players or interacts with the players.
We very often receive questions requesting special pairings or placement of players in certain sections.
It is against USCF rules for us to pair players according to parent or player request.
We understand that parents are only asking with the best of intentions, but we just have to do pairings consistently, and according to USCF rules. The process is automatically done with the SwissSys or WinTD software.
We do set the computer to “avoid" sibling pairings, when possible, but this only happens in early rounds.
All special rules regarding pairings (like how we avoid sibling pairings) must be announced ahead of time, according to USCF rules.
Players and parents must be very quiet Friday 6:00pm-9:30pm and Saturday 4:00pm-7:30pm.
Any noise that is deemed to be distracting to players and tournament staff will result in the player being suspended, forfeited, or expelled from Panda Chess Academy events. If the player, the player’s parent, the player’s guest, or the player's guardian breaks this rule, the result will be in the player not being allowed to play at Panda Chess Academy. For the Spring 2014 semester, and for remaining semesters, we will offer a prorated refund (the cost of the remaining tournaments after the violation).
Our goal is to provide a safe and friendly environment for our players (who are as young as 5 years old) as well as our more experienced players.
This rule is effective as of February 7, 2014.