Excerpt from the FIDE Arbiters' Regulations

4.1.1 FIDE Arbiter Seminar

The FIDE Arbiter seminar is a training session for Arbiters of National level (NA), previously registered as such by their National Federation.

The goal of this first level is to study technical topics and behaviour skills that are a foundation for Arbiters of international level.

The session is concluded by a centrally administered exam with feedback from the lecturer.

Participants who pass the exam are awarded a FIDE Arbiter Norm from the seminar. It is strongly advised, however not mandatory, to attend the FIDE Arbiter Seminar before requesting norms from tournaments.

4.1.1.1 FA Seminar Content

The following topics are studied in FA Seminars:

a) Laws of Chess
b) Use of electronic clocks
c) System of games, tie breaks
d) Swiss system and pairing rules
e) Anti‐cheating guidelines for Arbiters
f) Regulations for the titles of Arbiters
g) FIDE Competition Rules and standards of chess equipment
h) Rating and over‐the‐board titles

When the seminar is in a language other than English, basic English chess vocabulary shall be included into the lectures.

The lectures will also focus on the arbiter’s behaviour in chess event situations, including organisational abilities, relationship with the participants and the public, dealing with conflicts, etc.

4.1.1.2 FA Seminar Duration

Duration of the FA seminar may differ, depending on the strength of the Arbiter of National level curriculum in the host federation:

a) When the NA curriculum already included thorough study of all topics, the minimum duration shall be sixteen (16) hours on at least two (2) days, comparable to a refresher course including an exam.
b) When the NA curriculum didn’t previously teach all of the topics listed in 4.1.1.1 a)-f), the minimum duration shall be as in a) with an additional 3 hours per “new” topic, on at least three (3) days in total.
c) For seminars conducted in a language other than English an additional hour should be included for the introduction of chess terms in English.

4.1.1.3 FA Exam

At the end of the Seminar, the participants can take part in a written examination, the FA Exam.

The objective of the exam is to validate that the participant knows the various FIDE regulations, can apply them and take appropriate decisions in normal chess event situations.

The duration of the FA Exam shall be 4 hours.

The FA exam and marking scheme shall be prepared by the Lecturer, following instructions published by the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission. They shall be reviewed by the Education Team of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission before the seminar, to ensure homogeneity of testing everywhere.

The FA exam shall be marked by a FIDE Lecturer designated by the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission Education Team.

Participants who achieve 80% and above will be awarded one (1) norm for the title of FIDE Arbiter. Only one (1) such norm shall be used in the awarding of the title of FIDE Arbiter.