C.12 Video assistance system for tournaments

Approved by FIDE Council on 29/07/2024

Applied from 1 August, 2024

1.       Video assistance system

1.1     A video assistance system is a set of video recording devices set to record on a permanent memory a footage from a chess game.

1.2     To be considered as a video assistance system, the following arrangements shall necessarily occur all together:

1.2.1      All devices shall belong to the organiser and be set up by him in accordance with the Chief Arbiter.

1.2.2      The devices shall be set in a way that they do not disturb either one of the players and be positioned between them. All boards shall be displayed from the same angle, which can’t change along the tournament, to ensure an unobstructed view of the board and the clock.

1.2.3      The devices shall be set up for the unique purpose of providing video assistance to the arbiters and not for other scopes, including media or press.

1.2.4      The recording must be started before the playing session has started and discontinued only after the last game is over.

1.2.5      The central processing unit shall not be placed in the tournament area near to the players: the unit screen must not be seen from any player’s position.

1.2.6      The tournament regulations shall specify in advance the scenarios in which the video assistance can be employed.

1.3     To be considered as a video assistance system, the following hardware requirements shall necessarily occur all together:

1.3.1      All devices shall be high-resolution and high memory capacity.

1.3.2      All devices shall be capable of working without producing any sound or vibration, even in case of an alert.

1.3.3      All devices shall be capable of working in the recording mode for at least fourteen hours without any interruption, occasionally with an external power supply.

1.3.4      All devices shall be connected to a robust and dedicated, protected network. Encryption and access controls to safeguard the integrity of the network is desirable.

1.4     To be considered as a video assistance system, the following software requirements shall necessarily occur all together:

1.4.1      All devices shall be connected to a central processing unit which can display one or more videos on the operator’s demand, in live and recorded mode.

1.4.2      All devices and the central processing unit shall be capable of zooming in and out the captured footage.

1.4.3      All devices and the central processing unit shall be capable of displaying the captured footage in a video or frame-by-frame on the operator’s demand.

1.5     Cameras or other recording devices which do not respect the requirements set by art. 1.2-1.4 are not considered a video assistance system. This doesn’t limit the rights of the arbiters according to the Laws of Chess.

1.6     When a video assistance system is implemented, it has to be supervised by an operator with an appropriate training. The decision to implement a video assistance system in a tournament depends on the organiser.

1.7     The operator shall act according to the organiser and the Chief Arbiter’s instructions, he shall not accept inputs from people who are not tournament’s officials and keep the utmost secret on what he has seen from the footages. The operator shall not share the footages with anyone unless specifically authorised by the organiser and the Chief Arbiter.

1.8     The Chief Arbiter and the other arbiters that he has previously allowed to do it are the only officials who can decide to pause a game to consult the video assistance.

1.9     The players have no right to stop the game for the purpose of asking the arbiter to check the footage, unless they raise a regular claim based on the Laws of Chess or other regulations. After a player raises a complain to check the footage, the arbiter is not bound to consult the video assistance.

1.10   The arbiter’s decision whether to use the video assistance or not cannot be appealed. However, the Chairman of the Appeals’ Committee is not bound by this decision and may determine otherwise to use the video assistance in case a decision has been appealed.

1.11   If the arbiter decides to consult the video assistance to solve a dispute arose between the players, he shall notify them before and explain what he needs to ascertain. The clock must be paused while the arbiter checks the footages.

1.12   The arbiter may always decide to consult the video assistance while a game is in progress. However, if following the check he needs to intervene in the game, he shall notify the players that he double checked with the video assistance before stopping the game.

1.13   The arbiter shall not consult the video assistance near to the players or in a place where this action can cause disturbance or noise.

1.14   The players can attend the footage examination together with the arbiter. However, the arbiter is the only person in charge to decide when the examination has to be discontinued.

1.15   Facts ascertained through a video assistance system are final and can’t be challenged unless it is evident that the system has some malfunctions or doesn’t respect the requirements set by these Regulations. The player can still appeal the decision made by the arbiter according to the regulations.

1.16   It is forbidden to film the video assistance system central unit screen or the arbiter while he is consulting it.

1.17   The video assistance shall not be used to conduct general investigations nor to evaluate the arbiter’s decisions.

1.18   All footages have to be permanently deleted after the deadline to make any appeals after the last round has expired. However, if an appeal has been lodged, the footage regarding the particular game has to be stored in a FIDE server until a decision has been made.

1.19   Unauthorised dissemination of the footages or failing to erase the footages after a tournament is over can be punished according to the art. 11.8 b) of the FIDE Code of Ethics.