Dear Members,

We are excited to announce the official Swiss Team Pairing System rules, set to take effect on 1 August 2024.

The newly established rules, detailed in the Basic Rules for Swiss Systems (C.04.1)  and the General Handling Rules for Swiss Tournaments (C.04.2.A, C.04.2.C, C.04.2.D), have traditionally been applied to individual competitions. Now, these rules have been thoughtfully adapted for team events. Notably, articles 6 and 7 from the Basic Rules are excluded from application to teams due to the unique nature of team compositions, which can be adjusted between rounds. This flexibility ensures a balanced distribution of White and Black pieces across teams, diminishing the significance of piece color compared to individual competitions. The adaptation allows for different team formats, where some tournaments may disregard the importance of piece color altogether, while others may maintain a lesser but still relevant consideration.

Moreover, Article 2 of the General Handling Rules, which deals with the initial order of teams, has been intentionally omitted. Determining team strength involves multiple complex factors, thus each competition may define the initial team order based on its specific regulations.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the FIDE Technical Commission SPP Department, under the guidance of Mr. Roberto Ricca, for pioneering these essential rules for Swiss Team Tournaments.

For any inquiries or additional information, please do not hesitate to contact FIDE TEC at secretary.tec@fide.com.