Format, eligibility and conduct
Competition format
Season 1 decided the field. The eight duelists with the best Season 1 record were invited to Season 2. There is no entry fee at any point and no buy-in to compete.
Season 2 is a single round robin over seven rounds: every duelist meets every other duelist exactly once. A match is best of three games. Nobody is eliminated during the season, so the table is final only after round seven. The top two contest the final over two legs, decided on aggregate games won.
Eligibility
- A duelist must have completed at least five Season 1 rounds to be eligible for an invitation.
- A duelist competes under one handle for the whole season. A change of handle mid season requires administration approval and is recorded in the season table.
- Both final legs are played in person at Ashgrove Hall. A duelist who cannot attend a leg forfeits the games of that leg.
- Members of the tournament administration and the commentary team may not compete.
Match laws
- Each game has a fixed turn allowance. A duelist who exceeds the allowance forfeits that game.
- A match begins within ten minutes of its published start time. A duelist not seated after fifteen minutes forfeits the first game.
- A pause may be called for a hardware or software fault only. The administration may extend or end any pause.
- A game compromised by a confirmed fault is replayed from the opening position unless both duelists and the administration agree otherwise.
- Results are provisional until the administration confirms them at the close of each round.
Ties
- Two duelists level on record are separated by their head to head result, then by total games won, then by the earlier round in which each recorded a first victory.
- Three or more duelists level are separated by the record among only those duelists, then by total games won.
- A final tie level on aggregate after leg two is settled by one deciding game on the night, with the opening seat decided by lot.
Conduct
Duelists and their seconds are expected to treat opponents, officials and the audience with respect. Cheating, unauthorised assistance, deliberate disconnects, result manipulation of any kind, harassment and discriminatory language are grounds for game forfeiture, match forfeiture, or removal from the season. The administration may act on conduct away from the table where it affects the competition.