The Larry Smith Invitational Rook Tournament
Tournament Regulations

2 – Tournament Elements

2.1 – Players

2.1.1 – Individual Scoring

Each player competes for himself; there will be only one person to win the Tournament. It is not necessary for players to select partners, since each player will be assigned a different partner in each round. Whatever points a player's team earns in a given round is added to his cumulative score, which is used to decide the winner.

2.1.2 – Number of Players

The number of players in the Tournament field must be an exact multiple of four, since each concurrent Rook game requires four players. At the start of the Tournament, the Scorekeeper will assess the number of players who are present and determine if players need to be added to, or removed from, the field. Players are asked when they sign up for the Tournament if they would be willing to sit out or join in as needed. Based on this information, the final field is assembled.

2.1.3 – Commitment to Play

Once a player has started playing in the Tournament, he must be willing to keep playing through all rounds until the Tournament is complete. If, for some reason, a player cannot do so, it is his responsibility to arrange beforehand for an alternate player to take his place.

2.2 – Seedings

Each player will be assigned a seed value at the outset of the Tournament, using the method described in Section 4.2 of these Regulations. The seedings will be used to make initial team and table assignments, and to break ties when necessary.

2.3 – Teams

At the start of each round in the Tournament, the players will be paired off into teams. The initial pairing will be based on the seedings; subsequent pairings will be based on each player's current score in the tournament. The score earned by each team in a given round will be added to the score of each player on that team.

2.4 – Tables

2.4.1 – Table Assignments

Throughout the Tournament venue will be card playing tables, arranged in numerical order, identified by an official Table Card. At the start of each round, pairs of teams will be assigned to play each other at a specific numbered table.

2.4.2 – Table Relocation

As the Tournament progresses, Tournament Officials may determine that the numbering of the tables should be changed in order to accomodate the needs of certain players (for example, in order to avoid making elderly players walk upstairs to play). In such a case, the official Table Cards will be moved to reflect the new numbering. Teams should always play at the table that corresponds to their assigned table number.

2.5 – Rounds

During each round, all players play Rook simultaneously according to their team and table assignments. The Tournament consists of a minimum of five rounds, each of which is limited to twenty minutes or four hands, whichever comes first. Additional rounds may be played as long as the Tournament concludes by 10:00pm.

2.6 – Score Sheets

Each table will have a supply of official Score Sheets that teams should use to keep score on as they play each round.

2.7 – Officials

2.7.1 – Scorekeeper

The Scorekeeper operates the computer-based scoring system. At the end of each round, one player from each table should deliver its offical Score Sheet to the Scorekeeper, who will key the results into the computer. After he has entered the scores of every table, the Scorekeeper will use the computer to generate an updated listing of every player's score, as well as team and table assignments for the next round.

2.7.2 – Timekeeper

The Timekeeper keeps track of the elapsed time of each round. No teams may begin to play Rook until the Timekeeper has indicated that it is time to begin. The Timekeeper also announces when then twenty minute time limit for each round has expired.