How to Submit an Event for NWSRS Rating

  1. The files: Most events submitted for rating are run in SwissSys. The files needed for rating are the final round files. Since most tournaments are 5-rounds, this would be the files created by SwissSys that end in .S5C If it was a 3-round tournament it would be .S3C and so on. Occasionally, tournaments are run in a round-robin format, in which case the file to send would have the extension .SRR. There will be one of these files for every section in your tournament. E-mail these files to Kirk Winges directly (or, if an Oregon event, to JDobbins at willamette.edu). It is possible to submit events for rating without using SwissSys, in either an ASCII text format, or in a spreadsheet format. Contact Kirk for details kirk.winges@gmail.com.
  2. Student ID: For unrated players it is necessary to provide an initial ID code for them. That code is the first three digits of the school code, followed by the single digit grade code. The allcodes.txt file available in the TDdata.zip file gives a complete list of school codes. Grade codes are just A = kindergarten, B = first grade, C=second grade, etc. The grade code ‘N' is used for adults or anyone who is no longer in grades K-12. So, for example, a new student from Lakeside Middle school in the 7th grade would have an initial ID code of LMSH without the final four digits. The ratings program will assign the full ID as the event is being rated.
  3. School ID: If the student is from a school that doesn't have an ID code, you must make up a new code. Make certain it is unique and the code is not already in use (see the allcodes.txt file). In the text of the e-mail you send when you send me the files you must give me the following information about any new school code you make up:
    1. The new code
    2. The full name of the school it stands for
    3. The type of school it is, e.g. elementary, middle school, high school
      etc. if it can't be categorized, leave this information out
    4. The city the school is located in
    5. The state the school is located in
  4. Also in the text of the e-mail you need to provide a list of any changes you made to players already in the NWSRS. It's OK (in fact it's preferred) to go ahead and make these changes in your SwissSys files if you didn't make the change using the NWSRS registration program, but I need a confirming note from you in your cover e-mail so I can tell accidental changes from intended changes. These changes generally fall into 3 categories:
    1. Changes in the spelling of the first or last name
    2. Changes in the school code (make this change in the ID field, not just the team field)
    3. Changes in the grade code (make this in the ID field, not just the grade field)
  5. MOST IMPORTANT: There is no longer a fee nor a suggested donation for rating. All of the rating and related web content is provided by donated time and resources.
  6. Be careful of adjusting SwissSys results. There are only 3 acceptable results for a rated game: white wins, black wins or draw. Some TDs have attempted to resolve a result on a board by giving wins or losses to both players. SwissSys will not do this of its own accord, but will allow you to adjust the results this way. This causes the ratings program to CRASH!! Please do not do this. If you want to award both players a point, give them both full-point byes, not wins. If you want to give them both losses, give them both zero point byes or just call the game unplayed.
  7. Any other information you want to provide is appreciated, but not necessary.