There are a couple of reasons why a team in a match might have an average rating above 2400.75. They are:

1. Each team is allowed to use any rating list from September of the previous year through August of the current year. The ratings shown on this page will all be from August though - sometimes resulting in a seemingly higher rating average than would legally be allowed.

2. When a team uses a player rated above 2590, that player only counts as 2600 when determining a lineup's legality. However what is shown on this page will be the actual average which of course might be higher.

There are a couple of reasons why a team in a match might have an average rating above 2400.75. They are:

1. Each team is allowed to use any rating list from January through August of the current year. The ratings shown on this page will all be from August though - sometimes resulting in a seemingly higher rating average than would legally be allowed.

2. When a team uses a player rated above 2600, that player only counts as 2600 when determining a lineup's legality. However what is shown on this page will be the actual average which of course might be higher.

If there is a tie during the regular season as to the finishing order for playoff positioning, the following rules will be used (for instance if two teams are tied for second place with seven match points each). Tiebreak #1 is of course the first tiebreak with the lower ones being used only if all the above tiebreak procedures also result in a tie.

1. Total Team Game Points. Thus winning a match 4 - 0 will give you more tiebreak points than winning a match 3 - 1.

2. Average rating of opponents throughout the season, using the August rating list of that season.

3. Head to Head Results. If you have beaten the opposing team 1.5 - 0.5 during the regular season, you will get the higher seeding.

4. Total Match Points versus Divisional Teams. Thus if Team A went 4.0 - 2.0 in Divisional Matches while Team B went 3.5 - 2.5 then Team A would have the better tiebreaks.

5. Total Game Points versus Divisional Teams

6. Total Game Points from Board 1

7. Total Game Points from Board 2

8. Total Game Points from Board 3

9. Total number of team wins. Thus if one team has a total of twenty five points, with twenty of these points being from wins, whereas another team has a total of twenty five points with only nineteen being from wins, the team with twenty wins has the better tiebreaks.

10. An Armageddon blitz game between chosen members of the teams

If there is a tie between three teams in both match points and game points, we will use the above rules to decide the order amongst the teams. The last resort will be an online blitz game between chosen members of the teams.

If there is a tie during the regular season as to the finishing order for playoff positioning, the following rules will be used (for instance if two teams are tied for second place with seven match points each). Tiebreak #1 is of course the first tiebreak with the lower ones being used only if all the above tiebreak procedures also result in a tie.

1. Total Team Game Points. Thus winning a match 4 - 0 will give you more tiebreak points than winning a match 3 - 1.

2. Strength of Schedule; the team whose opponents have the highest combined record wins the tiebreak.

3. Average rating of opponents throughout the season, using the August rating list of that season.

4. Head to Head Results. If you have beaten the opposing team 1.5 - 0.5 during the regular season, you will get the higher seeding.

5. Total Match Points versus Divisional Teams. Thus if Team A went 5.0 - 3.0 in Divisional Matches while Team B went 4.5 - 3.5 then Team A would have the better tiebreaks.

6. Total Game Points versus Divisional Teams

7. Total Game Points from Board 1

8. Total Game Points from Board 2

9. Total Game Points from Board 3

10. Total number of team wins. Thus if one team has a total of twenty five points, with twenty of these points being from wins, whereas another team has a total of twenty five points with only nineteen being from wins, the team with twenty wins has the better tiebreaks.

11. An Armageddon blitz game between chosen members of the teams

If there is a tie between three teams in both match points and game points, we will use the above rules to decide the order amongst the teams. The last resort will be an online blitz game between chosen members of the teams.

If the regulation match is tied 2 - 2, the following tiebreak procedures will be take place after a ten minute break:

1. The fourth boards from each team will play each other. The team that won on the highest board during the original match will choose their color for the first game. If all regulation games were drawn, the lower rated team gets to choose colors for the first tiebreak game. The time control will be three minutes with a three second increment. The loser of this game will be eliminated, and the winner then faces Board Three of the opposing team.

2. This process continues with the next higher board on each team continually replacing any player of their team who gets eliminated.

3. If a game ends in a draw, both players are eliminated, except if at least one team is using its Board One in which case there is no elimination on a draw, instead colors reverse, and the game is replayed until there is a decisive result.

4. Colors will switch every game for the teams in all circumstances.

5. This process repeats itself until all four players from one team have been eliminated. Thus in order for your opponents to win the match, every one of your team members must be eliminated.

Click here for the Playoff Bracket

Final 2009 Regular Season Standings

Eastern DivisionWLGame PointsOpps Avg RatingOpps Record
@ - Baltimore4.55.518.5/40 (46%)240038.5 - 47.5 (45%)
@ - Boston7.52.523.5/40 (59%)240139.5 - 46.5 (46%)
X - Carolina2.08.013.5/40 (34%)241041.5 - 44.5 (48%)
# - New Jersey8.02.026.0/40 (65%)240243.5 - 42.5 (51%)
@ - New York5.05.022.0/40 (55%)240548.5 - 37.5 (56%)
X - Philadelphia4.06.017.5/40 (44%)239840.5 - 45.5 (47%)
X - Manhattan3.56.517.0/40 (43%)240245.5 - 40.5 (53%)
Western DivisionWLGame PointsOpps Avg RatingOpps Record
@ - Arizona6.04.022.5/40 (56%)239948.5 - 37.5 (56%)
X - Chicago4.06.018.5/40 (46%)240543.5 - 42.5 (51%)
X - Dallas3.56.517.0/40 (43%)241244.5 - 41.5 (52%)
@ - Miami6.04.022.0/40 (55%)240043.0 - 43.0 (50%)
@ - San Francisco6.53.522.5/40 (56%)240342.5 - 43.5 (49%)
# - Seattle7.52.523.5/40 (59%)239241.0 - 45.0 (48%)
X - Tennessee2.08.016.0/40 (40%)240541.5 - 44.5 (48%)

Opponent Record Column only counts match results against other teams

@ = Clinched Playoff Berth
# = Clinched Division Title
X = Eliminated from Playoff Contention

Total game points are used as the first tiebreak. To see the rest of the tiebreak procedures click here.

Playoff Procedures:

The top four teams from each division qualify for the playoffs. Results are calculated by total match points.

In the Quarterfinals the first place team in each division plays fourth place while the second place team plays third place. First place gets draw odds and chooses colors while second place gets to pick between draw odds and color choice while third place gets the other advantage.

The Quarterfinal winners from each division play in the Semifinals. In the Semifinals, if the difference in seeding between the two teams is at least two then the higher seed gets both draw odds and color choice while if the difference in seeding is only one, then the higher seed picks between draw odds and color choice with the lower seed getting the other advantage.

The Championship Match consists of the Semifinal winners. In the Championship Match the team with the better regular season record chooses colors, and if the match ends up tied, it goes to a Blitz Tiebreaker.

Standings by Year

2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005