The following are the rules by which the club champions will be determined this year, in each division (A, B, C). Changes from last year are underlined.
All players are eligible for the championship, regardless of attendance in past seasons.
A player’s end-of-season established rating in the previous annual season (if they have one) determines the division in which they will be competing in this annual season. Players rated above 1399 are in Division A, players rated 1050–1399 are in Division B, and players rated under 1050 are in Division C. Players who are within 50 points of a division boundary have until the end of September to choose which side of the boundary they wish to play on. If they do not choose, then past players will remain in their past divisions, and new players will play in the appropriate division for their rating. The division breaks are chosen each year to balance the number of games played in each division.
If a player does not have an established rating from the previous season, then their rating as established after their first 12 games in the current system will determine their championship division as above.
An exception to the preceding is that the defending Division B Champion (Eli Shupak) must compete in Division A this season.
In order to win a championship, barring extraordinary circumstances, a player must play (or be asked to sit out) an average 55% of the scheduled games during the regular season (up to and including the June tournament). The previous requirement to play games in the first half of the season so as to avoid destablizing the rankings has been lifted.
The champion will be determined on the basis of Iterated Overall Performance Ratings for the period beginning with the first night of the season in the fall and ending with the last night of the June tournament. That is, the championship rating will be the performance rating that a player would have had if all the games during that period were treated as one big tournament, and all the contenders had been unrated.
If the top players have ratings that differ by no more than half the ratings multiplier of the top player, then they will share the championship.
Contenders are strongly encouraged to play in the June tournament. If they are unable to do so, they must announce three sessions in advance when they plan to stop playing rated games at the club, to avoid the impression that they are sitting out on a high rating.
Players may play either regular NASPA or NASPA Collins rules. If players disagree, regular NASPA rules shall be in effect. Games played under NASPA Collins rules may also be tracked under a separate SOWPODS rating system if there is sufficient interest.