Latest revision as of 10:36, 29 January 2023

The Director Manual (DM) has been written as a resource and guide for club and tournament directors. Directors (and those wishing to become directors) are encouraged to review the manual for helpful advice, guidelines, and checklists for creating and running a successful club or tournament.

NOTE: The director's manual may lag behind the website when it comes to changes about policy, fees, and deadlines, so be sure to check the appropriate web pages on this site for the latest accurate information.

Please contact the Publications Committee for suggestions to improve the DM.

Current version

• The current version of the Director Manual is available as a pdf, epub or mobi (Kindle) document.

Errata as of January 29, 2023

In Section A.1.A.b., the first row of the full seven round Round Robin schedule by Berger Table pairings should read:

In Section A.2.B, Replace the 2nd Paragraph with:

Spread may also be used to determine whether a player should be Gibsonized - the default threshold is 1,000 points of spread per round remaining. Directors can use different spread thresholds for Gibsonization but must announce the thresholds before the tournament begins.

Examples of spread-based Gibsonization with the 1000 point threshold in a 12 game tournament:

• Player A is 9-2 +1500 and Player B is 8-3 +500, Player A may be Gibsonized.
• Player A is 9-2 +1499 and Player B is 8-3 +500, Player A may NOT be Gibsonized.
• Player A is 9-1 +2500 and Player B is 7-3 +500, Player A may be Gibsonized.
• Player A is 9-1 +2499 and Player B is 7-3 +500, Player A may NOT be Gibsonized.

Previous versions

• The 2013-07-13 edition of the Director Manual (formerly the Director's Manual), is available as a pdf download.
• The 2011-09-29 edition of the Director’s Manual, the last under this name, is available as a pdf download. This edition was updated to contain the latest tournament sanctioning requirements and deadlines, removes mention of a Club sanctioning fee, and fixes a few other minor things.
• The 2011-08-07 edition updated tournament sanctioning requirements, added sections on handling Director Calls and Incidents, and expanded the "Director's Responsibilities" section.
• The 2009-11-09 edition included mostly minor changes, primarily dealing with the transition from NSA to NASPA, with a few other corrections.
• The last revision of the NSA’s Director’s Manual was published by the NSA Tournament Committee on August 13, 2008.

Suggested enhancements

• 2018-06-28 Kieran O'Connor would like the DM to address the topic of what to do when two players have identical ratings but needed to be placed in separate divisions (typically due to fixed division sizes). Possible criteria include: player preference, recency of player rating (more recent rating should be more accurate, and play up), random draw.
• 2018-09-18: Someone suggested to the Rules Committee that when a director is called for a ruling, the person with the complaint should speak first.
• 2018-10-03: Directors who become aware of circumstances concerning specific players that might cause harm to other players, or to the reputation of the association, should share information with the Tournament Committee or Club/Director Committee.
• 2020-03-12: Directors should always make sure that venue contracts include a standard force majeure clause.