Section 1 – Seasons
The ACA adopts a 6 season schedule, with each season consisting of 2 months
Season 1 – September/October
Season 2 – November/December
Season 3 – January/Febuary
Season 4 – March/April
Season 5 – May/June
Season 6- July/August
Special NOTE: Season 6 is a short season and ends on the Thursday of the week that the state championship starts

Section 2 – Player Eligibility
Players must be a resident of the state of Arkansas
Players must be paid up members of the Arkansas Chess Assocation with an expiration date that covers the season they are playing in
Players must be paid up members of USCF with an expiration date that covers the season they are playing in.   
Once a player has played for a team, you are assigned to that team for the rest of the league year.    Exceptions may be requested and made by unanimous consent of all team captains. 
Player Loans – if a team is struggling to muster enough players, the opposing team may loan a player for the duration of a single match, providing it is clearly stated that the player is on loan and not assigned to that team.  
Team Captains are responsible for ensuring that players meet the eligibility requirements prior to match starting. 

Section 3 – Governance
Games are played under USCF regulations and are followed to resolve any disputes
The league is managed centrally by an offsite TD.  
During match play, captains control the day and handle the disputes.  If the captains cannot come to a mutual decision, the lowest rated player of the match day will adjudicate. 
Escalation: call the league TD on his/her cell phone. If not answer, then call the ACA President.

Section 4 – Team Captains and Scheduling
Each team has a nominated team captain who co-ordinates all activies with the league TD and other team captains to schedule games and faciliate smooth running of the league
Game reporting – All match results must be submitted to the league TD within 48 hours.
Game Scheduling – it is recommended that all matches be scheduled at the earliest convenience for the whole year as much in advance as possible, but all games must be scheduled for the following season before the season starts.
for example, season 2 games must be scheduled before the end of season 1
In the event of a game needing to be rescheduled, 
In the event of inclement weather, impacted teams should work together to find alternative date/location asap.   

Section 5 – Scoring
the league table will show the leading team.
A team win will result in three  points for the team. 
 A team draw will result in one point for the team
A team loss will result in zero points
A forfeited match will result in two points being awarded to the impacted team.
Abbreviations
PL – Matches Played
W – Matches Won
D – Matches Drawn
L – Lost
F – Number of individual games won
A – Number of individual games lost
GD – Game Difference. Difference between games for and games against
Tie Breaker. in the event of 2 teams tieing, the GD will act as the tie breaker in determing league positioning   

It is the intention to report games on a monthly basis to the USCF, if for some reason this cannot be done, it will be done no less than on a seasonal basis.   

Section 6 – Time Control & Match Day
Each team will play home and away.  A team consists of 4 players
Home Team will always play white on board 1, alternating colors down the boards. 
Teams will be seated based upon USCF ratings, highest player on board 1, going down the list

Section 7 – Forfeits and Withdrawals
(under discussion – not yet agreed upon)
Any inability to schedule a game or if a game is postponed, the league TD needs to be notified within 48 hours in order to determine the root cause of the issue and provide remedial attempts at resolving the situation.    

Match Forfeiture – if a team cannot play a game within a designated season, an extension of 30 days may be given to reschedule at the TD discretion.  If a game remains unplayed after this extension, the impacted team will receive the points (2) for the game,but the GD will remain unchanged. 
In the event any team forfeits two games, they will be automatically withdrawn from the league and classed as an involuntary team withdrawal.     
Voluntary Team Withdrawal – In the event that a team wishes to withdraw from the league, they may do so by notifying the league TD.
Involuntary team withdrawal – In the event a team breaks any rules and is removed from the league for cause, they will not be eligible to play the following year unless they can demonstrate a cure for the reason they have been removed from the league.   
In the event that a team is withdrawn from the league, the league table will be recalculated as if they never participated.   

All individual games played will still be reported to the USCF for rating purposes

Section 8 – Sportmanship and Spirit
It is the intention of the league to promote chess and give players the ability to play more chess games.   The league is supposed to be a social and fun and all players participating are encouraged to promote the league and help each other

Section 9 – Dispute Resolution
From time to time, disagreements may occur and are expected. Should this occur, we want to resolve issues as amiciably as possible.      
In the event of a problem, any team captain can start the process to change by bringing a motion to modify and resolve, a discussion will happen and then a vote will be called and requires a majority to be resolved.    This will then be taken to the TD to ratify.   The TD for the league has ultimate authority for setting the rules based upon players and team captain feedback and can decide what and when to implement. 
Votes will come from: team captains, ACA Vice President and ACA President.
We will use a specific discord channel to co-ordinate all remediation efforts