Revised SCF Arbiter Policy (March 2024)

SCF Arbiters Commission (SCF ARB) will be making the following updates to the SCF Arbiter Policy:

1. New Candidate Arbiter (CA) title and National Arbiter (NA) norm requirements
2. SCF Arbiter Policy overall language

New CA title and NA norm Requirements

The following changes to CA title and NA Norm requirements will come into effect from 1 March 2024 onwards:

New Requirements for Candidate Arbiter Title:

1. Obtain at least one (1) NA norm;
2. Attend and pass a Basic Tournament Assistants Seminar or NA Seminar. Seminar attendance must not be more than four (4) years old on the date of application;

New Requirements for NA Norms:

1. Individuals serving in SCF events must attend and pass a Basic Tournament Assistants Seminar or NA Seminar within the past four (4) years, in order to be considered for NA norms from the event.

From experience over the past year, Candidate Arbiters and assistants form the bulk of helpers in major SCF events. They are the first line of defense and have to make simple arbitration decisions, knowing when to escalate to more experienced arbiters when appropriate. They require a basic foundation in Laws of Chess to perform such duties effectively, which might not always be attained through obtaining a single NA norm.

While the upcoming NA seminar will provide a strong foundation for National Arbiters, we hope that the Basic Tournament Assistants Seminar (BTAS) will offer a more accessible alternative for assistants who are making their first foray into chess arbitration. Registration is still open; don’t forget to sign up at http://tinyurl.com/SGMar2024NASem if you haven’t done so!

SCF Arbiter Policy overall language 

SCF ARB has revised the overall language of the policy. Apart from including the new requirements mentioned above, we have improved the overall wording, tidied up the syntax, and rearranged key sections for greater clarity. Please refer to https://tinyurl.com/SCFArbiterGuidelines for the revised policy

Moving forward, SCF ARB is reviewing several areas of the SCF Arbiter Policy, including but not limited to:

1. Refresher Requirements for all licensed arbiters (CA to IA)
2. Selection Policy for major events
3. NA Norm Requirements

We will be rolling out further revisions to the policy over the following months while seeking feedback from the arbiters community. If you have any questions or comments over the existing SCF Arbiters Policy, do not hesitate to send them in to arbiters@singaporechess.org.sg