Young Kwon National Online Tournament 2

The YKNOT is a national online tournament sponsored by Mr. Young Kwon, a former US Open Champion. Beginning in 2011, it is one of the largest western online go tournaments. The tournament is open to all levels, is run with Swiss-McMahon style pairings, and boasts a total prize purse of nearly $3,000. Any AGA member resident in the US for 6 out of the last 12 months or any AGA life member regardless of residency, can compete for free. The open section of this tournament will be scored as a 2012 North American Ing Masters Qualifier.

The YKNOT 2 will take place on KGS from March 3rd to the 10th 2012.

Please register for the tournament here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/J883N78. Registration for this tournament will close at midnight on Friday, February 24th.

Once a week beginning Saturday, Feb 11, the "See Who's Playing" document will be updated with current tournament registrants.
( https://docs.google.com/a/usgo.org/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AkXJn_mji-SjdHltZllxZTFnVVR0czgtcmhsSzBpdGc&hl=en_US#gid=0)
If you would prefer not to be listed in this document prior to the tournament, please indicate this by email to the TD (yknot.td@gmail.com).

Game conditions

KGS go server--AGA Tournaments Room
Dan Players: 45 minutes per player basic time
Kyu Players: 30 minutes per player basic time
All Players: 10 periods of 30 seconds Japanese byo-yomi
AGA rules
7.5 points komi
Players will use webcam and skype to communicate

Game Schedule

Round 1: March 3, 2012 at 9:00 am PST / 12pm EST	Pairings	Results
Round 2: March 3, 2012 at 1:00 pm PST / 4pm EST	Pairings	Results
Round 3: March 4, 2012 at 1:00 pm PST / 4pm EST	Pairings	Results
Round 4: March 10, 2012 at 9:00 am PST / 12pm EST	Pairings	Results
Round 5: March 10, 2012 at 1:00 pm PST / 4pm EST	Pairings	Results

NOTE: The change to Daylight Savings time will occur in the early hours of March 11th, and so will NOT affect this tournament schedule.

Rules

Should a player, for any reason, need to withdraw from the tournament after they have registered, notify the TD ASAP by email at yknot.td@gmail.com. For a bye, a player must inform the TD at least 24 hours before the scheduled game. Otherwise, the player forfeits the game.

1. Rating: Official AGA rating on 2/24/2012 will decide players' divisions

If a player has no valid AGA rating, he/she must find two AGA members to be references for an approximate start rating
If a player's rating is 0.200 or less below the next bracket rating, he/she may claim up. (eg. If your rating is 1.8, you may play in the 2D section on your request)
If a player has a large sigma (rating variance), he/she can discuss with the Tournament Director(TD) for claiming a higher rating
This online tournament is not AGA rated
Players need to inform TD at least 24 hrs ahead for a bye

2. Game Setup: All of the games will be played on KGS server, in the AGA Tournaments room

For information about how to use the server and how to join the room, please go to the AGA's own KGS Tutorial (http://www.usgo.org/tournaments/KGSTutorial/)
Use AGA rules. Dan brackets' basic time is 45 min, 10 periods of 30 seconds overtime for Dan brackets; Kyu brackets will play at a basic time of 30 min, 10 periods of 30 seconds overtime.
The tournament will run using the Swiss system (no elimination)
Players who take White (TD assigns) will setup the game, Black then joins.

3. Web Camera/Skype: Considering cash prizes, eligible players must be able to use the webcam chat via Skype. Web camera costs about $15 and cheap ones can be purchased from Amazon.com or Dealsea (below $10). All players must be on a webcam Skype chat with their opponent for the duration of the game.

Skype can be downloaded for free at http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/get-skype/
For information about how to use Skype, please go to http://www.skype.com/intl/en-us/support/user-guides/
Players must be signed into Skype and on a web-cam chat with their opponent at all times during tournament play, with the understanding that games will be played in a quiet environment (No background conversation, no music, etc). If there is excess noise coming in as a result of the Skype connection, players may mute the audio. However, the video web-cam must be on at all times.

4. Internet Failure: In the case of unstable internet connection

We strongly suggest players using a reliable connection (e.g. cable). We also recommend you to have a backup plan in case of disconnection. (e.g. neighbor, nearby library)
Sometimes your window may freeze (also called "server lagging"), and you may see your opponent's clock is running, but it is actually you who are disconnected. This issue could cost you the game if in the last few minutes of overtime. If you notice an abnormal pause (e.g. your opponent taking very long time in an obvious response), you may type a word and hit "enter" in the "chat". If your word shows up in the game room, you are fine, otherwise you are likely "lagged". Close the KGS windows and log in again. Rejoin your game and sometimes you may just lose a little bit of time.
If disconnected from the server, a player has 10 minutes to reconnect and continue the game. The time lost due to disconnection does not count against the player.
If disconnected for 5 times or more, he/she will lose the game automatically.

5. Cheating: A player will be removed from the tournament if there exists any form of cheating, which includes, but is not limited to

Receiving or giving aid from anyone during the game. Players may discuss the games after the games have ended
Playing on someone else's account, or asking someone else play on your account
Players should report to the TDs if he/she has any suspicion about another player
Players should not receive phone (or mobile) calls or text messages during the game. If there is an emergency, please contact the TD.

6. TD Supervision: To ensure the fairness of the tournament, the Tournament Directors reserve the rights to, but not limited to

Request a Skype chat with any player before, after, or during the game. The time spent on the video chat will be added to the player's playing time
Request to see the player and the player's computer screen during the video chat
Make the decision individually, or as a group, on a case-to-case basis in the event of anything not mentioned above

7. TD-Contact

Email yknot.td@gmail.com for general tournament questions
For pairing questions ONLY, contact TD-Pairing at chrisk.aga@comcast.net