From time to time there are disputes at an event following a ruling given by an arbiter or maybe because an arbiter has been unaware of friction between players. In the event of an appeal the appellant must pay to the organiser a deposit of £20 which will be returned if the appeal succeeds.
The organiser will appoint an appeal committee consisting of three people, an arbiter who has not been involved in the original decision or dispute, the organiser or other responsible person from the organisation and an independent person who has had no involvement with the dispute or the appellant. In a junior tournament this could be a parent of another competitor preferably not from the same section.
This committee will question the arbiter(s) and competitor(s) involved in private and, in the case of a junior competitor, the competitor’s parent if they so wish in order to establish the facts. They are unlikely to want to question bystanders. Minutes must be taken recording the points in the dispute including individuals’ perceptions and the conclusion reached and reasons for that decision. The decision must take full account of FIDE laws of chess and keep in mind the need for natural justice.