Molossus 2: A 3h 6x 1m Tourney
Molossus 2 is a wonderful opportunity to play some serious, long time control, games against players of similar skill as well as spectate the same. Each game is split into two sessions, each scheduled at mutually agreeable times by the two players in order to make scheduling easier.
You can check out Molossus 1 under the “Previous Rounds” dropdown below, get a more comprehensive overview of the tourney under “More Info”, or read the entire post for the full picture. In any event, please feel free to comment down below, even if you aren’t able to participate.
More Info
All pairing will be posted when the Tourney starts, with each player assigned an opponent for each week running from Sunday to Sunday. Each week, the players will contact their respective opponents to schedule that week’s game at a time that works for both of them. If they can’t find a time, they can agree to play one or both sessions during a subsequent week of Molossus 2: as long as it’s not holding up the completion of the tourney, we would much rather have a good game played a bit later than no game at all.
Molossus 2 will take either 3 or 5 weeks to complete, depending on the number of players. The players will be divided into one or more groups of 3-6 players of similar skill. The players in each group will get to play once against every other person in their group. Ties in individual games or in the final standings will simply be considered as ties: no tie-breaks.
The pairings and results are here. It’s a wiki, so feel free to edit in your session times and results.
The name “Molossus” comes from a poetic foot of the same name which consists of three long syllables (stressed syllables in modern English meter).
Please comment in post or pm if you believe I have overlooked something in these rules.
Game Rules
All games should be unranked and played using NZD Rules and 7.0 komi on OGS. Time control should be set to byo-yomi with a main time of 3 hours for each player and 6 periods of 1 minute each.
Allowed Aids
Allowed:
- Game Chat/Malko Log
- Paper Kifu
- Pencil/Paper, or equivalent (these may hold the current or earlier game state(s), but should not contain any future game states during the sessions)
Allowed between (but not during) sessions:
- Playing out variations on electronic and/or physical boards
Disallowed:
- Consulting with other humans regarding the game
- Using AI (including but not limited to LeelaZero, Katago, and score estimators)
- Using position and/or game databases (including but not limited to Waltheri and joseki or fuseki dictionaries)
Scheduling
Each week, each participant should contact their designated opponent via forum and/or OGS pm. The two players should make mutual reasonable effort to arrange a time UTC at which they can both begin each of their two sessions, optimally by the end of the following weekend.
Upon reaching agreement, one of the players should update the pairings post accordingly, both so that the players can check it for reference, and so that passersby and other players can plan to spectate the game as it’s being played.
Inability to Schedule Sessions
While players are highly encouraged to make all reasonable effort to schedule and complete their game within the week, leeway will be extended if the following conditions are met:
a) they can show reasonable effort on their part to arrange the game in a timely manner
b) they are not postponing the completion of Molossus 2 for more than a week by their delay.
If one player is unresponsive to attempts by the other to arrange the game, the second player may request an adjudicated win by forfeit.
If both players are unable to arrange a mutually agreeable game time despite mutual effort, they can request an adjudicated draw.
Sealed Move
Each game will be played over two sessions. The first session will conclude, if not ending due to the game being completed, with a sealed move, which will only be revealed to the opponent at the beginning of the next session.
The first session will be played for three hours, at which point the players can continue playing on for as long as they wish, but they now both have the option every turn to seal a move instead of playing, which will bring the session to a close when done. Thus noone is forced to continue playing the first session past 3 hours longer than it takes them to come up with a move to seal after at least 3 hours have past.
For more details on how this works in practice, see “How to Seal a Move” below. For more information on how to start each session, see “Boilerplate”.
How to Seal a Move
When one player (during session 1, 3h+ in) decides to seal a move, instead of playing it on the board, they should enact the following procedure, in order:
- Type the sealed move into the Malkovich Log (Accessed by left-clicking on the word “chat” to the left of the chat input box. It will be visible to spectators but not the opponent until after the game. (alternatively, you may use a hash to conceal your move and paste the hash in the game chat)).
- Pause the game. (OGS will still think it is the sealing player’s turn)
- Inform the opponent in game chat that you have sealed your move.
It is the responsibility of the player sealing the move to ensure it is unambiguous and legal. It is recommended to ctrl-click on your intended move to put it in the malko log, and check by hovering over the sealed move in the Malko log that it is correct, before pausing the game. If you sealed the wrong move or changed your mind before having paused the game or informed your opponent of your intent to seal, just say so in the malko log. It is only once you have paused the game that you must live with the move you have sealed, so double check before pausing the game.
Unpausing by either player before they reconvene for session two is grounds for adjudicated loss by forfeit. Play of moves (with the exception of the sealed moves at the beginning of the second session) while the game is paused is disallowed.
When both players arrive for the resumption of the game, the player who sealed a move should play on the board their sealed move, and then unpause the game. No moves other than the sealed move may be played while the game is paused.
If one player fails to show up, the players may work it out for themselves or ask a moderator or the TD for a win by forfeit to the present player at the present player’s discretion.
Thereafter the game continues normally to conclusion.
To my knowledge, we have not yet had a session 2 that went to more than 3 hours, but it is possible if both players are taking their time. If your session 2 lasts longer than 3 hours, I would be interested to know, along with your opinion on if that was a problem that could be remedied by a slightly longer (15-30 minutes) session 1, or if it was an unusual case and the current session times are good.
Boilerplate
When the first session begins, one of the players must make a note in chat containing the following information (exact wording not required as long as the information is clearly communicated):
This game for "Molossus 2" is being played over two sessions using a sealed move between the sessions. This is session one, starting at <time>.
After three hours, one player will seal a move and pause the game. The game will resume and be played to completion at <resumption time/date>.
One of the players should update the pairings post with a link to their game so that other players can view it.
When the second session begins, one of the players must make a note in chat containing the following information (exact wording not required as long as the information is clearly communicated):
This is session two, which will last until the game is complete, starting at <time>.
This procedure is intended to ensure that the players are on the same page, as well as explaining what is going on to future and current spectators.
Moderation
Autarchic Obfuscation
Rights of the TD:
- To update the rules, such as to codify precedent or to prophylactically handle ambiguities or vaugities in the rules.
- To make final decisions regarding cases in the following situations:
- The case is appealed at the discretion of the moderator handling the case.
- Two or more moderators both having valid claims to original jurisdiction in the case have arrived at different rulings and are unable to reconcile the discrepancy among themselves.
- A moderator’s ruling on a case has failed to adhere to reasonable application of the rules, in the TD’s estimation.
- The TD chooses to exercise original jurisdiction on any case, esp. as pertains to an ambiguity or vagueness in these rules, at their discretion.
- To assign original jurisdiction to a moderator of their choice in the case that no moderator has yet had it.
- To decline appellate jurisdiction of a particular case in favor of the decision of the moderator having original jurisdiction.
- To adjudicate individual games as wins, losses, or draws.
- To disqualify players from the tourney.
- To appoint moderators at discretion, contingent on the candidate’s agreement.
- To play in the tourney.
Rights of Moderators:
- To make rulings regarding the application of these rules to specific tournament situations.
- To adjudicate individual games as wins, losses, or draws in accordance with these rules.
- To appeal cases to the TD at their discretion.
- To play in the tourney.
Rights of Players:
- To contact a moderator or the TD (or to ping them all, or all online ones, or any other subset) to ask for a ruling regarding a dispute between them and one or more other players.
- To ask the moderator with original jurisdiction over a case which they are involved in to appeal the case to the TD.
- To ask the TD to review a case.
- To play in the tourney.
In any case involving one or more moderators and/or the TD, a disinterested moderator or TD should take original jurisdiction. If no such person exists, the TD should find a 3rd party to moderate the case, making all reasonable efforts to make such party amenable to all interested parties.
Participants
In order to join, pm me (@Samraku) either here or on OGS, or post in this thread, and I will add you to the list, in alphabetical CWM FJORD BANK GLYPHS VEXT QUIZ order.
The tourney will begin on Sun., 4 Oct., 2020 with the following participants (so far):
- chartreuse
- Watcharin47
- GOkyle
- Lyle
- Samraku
