2023 Rules

2023 CTWC – Official Rules

2023 CTWC Schedule                          Regional Tournament Rules

Format:  8-bit Nintendo Tetris (not Tengen).

NES consoles, NES Tetris carts, and NES controllers will be provided for competitors to play. Competitors can use the provided NES controller or bring their own controller. The controller can be any standard unmodified original NES controller, NES “dog bone” style controller, Hyperkin “Cadet” style controller, or “Goofy Foot” style controller. CTWC officials may disqualify any controller other than those listed here (including but not limited to other 3rd party controllers, controllers with turbo features, etc), and any games played with those controllers, at any time.

Qualifying Round

  • The Qualifying Round will determine the seeding of a 48-player Gold tournament (Main Event), as well as a 32-player Silver tournament.
  • Entry fee is $50. The entry fee entitles each player to a live 2-hour qualifying session.
  • Qualifying round will be held on Friday, October 13th in the CTWC area from 12:30PM- 9:15PM
  • Qualifying attempts will be on type A Tetris for highest score.
  • Players will be provided name-tags to affix to their assigned television. At the end of each game for which a player would like to have their score recorded, players must leave their game on the rocket screen and raise their hand to call a judge. (Do not proceed to the highscore screen. If you have maxed-out three times, you could lose a good kicker score this way!) The judge will then snap a picture of the screen and show it to the player for approval. Once player approves the photo, the player may continue on to the next game.
  • We will be using the “multiple maxout rule” from past CTWCs. In this format, points scored in excess of a million points do not count. Instead, the player will be awarded with a “maxout.” Seeding will be determined by most maxouts scored, with ties broken by comparing highest non-maxout score. For instance, if Joe and Bob have 3 max-outs each, and Joe’s highest non-maxout score is 956k, and Bob’s is 922k, Joe will earn the higher seed.
  • When a player’s 2 hours are up, they will be allowed to finish whatever game is currently in progress.
  • The top 48 seeds will compete in the Gold Tournament. Seeds 49-80 will compete in Silver.
  • Note: In a 48-seed bracket, the top 16 seeds effectively earn a “bye” out of Round 0. The bottom 32 seeds must compete in Round 0 to reach Round 1.

48-seed Gold Tournament

Gold Tournament Rounds 0 and 1 will be completed on Saturday, and Rounds 2-5 (Top 16) will take place on Sunday.

  • All matches in the Gold Tournament will be best-of-five.
  • All matches must be played on level 18.
  • All games will be set to a level 39 super killscreen.
  • Before each game, the judge will roll dice to determine the piece sequence.
  • The players will set their games to the rolled sequence and push start simultaneously at the prompt of the judge.
  • The player with the highest score wins. If one player tops-out and the other player already has a higher score, the game is finished. If one player tops-out and the other player has a lower score, that player will continue until they either top-out (having lost) or exceed the other player’s score, winning the game.
  • Players may ask for an update on their opponent’s score from the judge at anytime. Judges will promptly inform players of the score needed to overtake their opponent in the event their opponent tops out with a higher score.
  • “Mullening” (continuing to play once the victor has been determined) can be cut off at any time by judges or CTWC officials.
  • Bad sportsmanship will not be tolerated. Players are allowed to talk to each other and the judges, but making loud noises, wild movements, or using insensitive or harmful language could result in disqualification.
  • Live commentary will be audible to the players. The commentary may provide information, but may also be a distraction. It is up to each individual player if they want to wear headphones or ear plugs. Players should never rely on commentary to find out if they won a game or not. They should keep playing until the judge has confirmed the result.
  • If a NES console or TV freezes, loses power, or otherwise becomes unplayable, both players will be stopped by the judge and the games will be reviewed. Considering the scores, line counts, and piece stacks of each player at the time of the malfunction, along with any other circumstances deemed relevant, tournament officials will decide to either have players replay the game or, in very rare cases where a player is deemed to have amassed and insurmountable lead, award a win to the player who had the higher score at the time the malfunction occurred.
  • If a NES console or TV experiences a momentary glitch, interference, or visual disruption, the affected player must attempt to make the judge aware of the problem and must keep playing to the best of their ability. After both players have topped out, the affected player may request an official review. This is the only time a review can be requested. If a review is not requested, the results of the game will be accepted and can’t be subsequently changed for any reason. If a review is requested, considering the scores, line counts, and piece stacks of each player at the time of the malfunction, along with any other circumstances deemed relevant, tournament officials will decide to either accept the results of the game or have players replay the game. Under no circumstances will a win be awarded to a player who was trailing at the conclusion of the game.
  • Final Rankings will be determined by, in order of importance, 1.) round advanced to, 2.) games won in losing match, 3.) combined score of the two losing scores in the losing match (this eliminates the possibility of being penalized for winning a game with a very low score).

32-Seed Silver Tournament

Silver Tournament Rounds 1, 2, & 3 will be completed on Saturday. Rounds 4-5 (Top 4) will take place on Sunday morning.

  • All matches in the Silver Tournament will be best-of-three until the Semifinals and Final, which will be best-of-five.
  • All other rules are the same as Gold.

PRIZES: TBA

 

2023 CTWC Tournament Schedule

 

Friday Qualifying

  • 12:00PM – PRGE Arcade opens
  • 45 NES stations
  • There are four slots per station: 12:30PM, 2:45PM, 5:00PM, and 7:15PM

Saturday Qualifying

  • 9:00AM – PRGE Arcade Opens
  • 9:30AM – Saturday overflow qualifying slots (limited to special request)
  • 11:30AM – Qualifying Ends. Brackets get filled
  • TBD – Class Picture (after qualifying, before tournament kickoff)

Saturday Brackets

Silver Rounds 1 & 2 (32 single elim.)

  • 12:00PM – Rd. 1 (16 continuous Bo3 matches) ~3hrs
  • 3:00PM – Rd. 2 (8 continuous Bo3 matches) ~1.5hrs
  • 4:30 – Rd. 3 (4 continuous Bo3 matches) ~1.5hrs
  • 6:00PM – Finish

Gold Rounds 1 & 0 (48 single elim.)

  • 12:00PM – Rd. Zero (Block A) ~45 minutes
  • 12:45PM – Rd. Zero (Block B) ~45 minutes
  • 1:30PM – Rd. Zero (Block C) ~45 minutes
  • 2:15PM – Rd. Zero (Block D) ~45 minutes
  • 3:00PM – Break ~30 minutes
  • 3:30PM – Rd. 1 (Block E) ~45 minutes
  • 4:15PM – Rd. 1 (Block F) ~45 minutes
  • 5:00PM – Rd. 1 (Block G) ~45 minutes
  • 5:45PM – Rd. 1 (Block H) ~45 minutes
  • 6:30PM – Finish

Legends Tourney

  • 7:00PM – Tournament begins ~3hrs

Sunday Brackets

Silver Top  8

  • 10:00AM – Pre Show
  • 10:30AM – Rd. 3 (4 Bo3 matches) ~45 minutes
  • 11:15AM – Rd. 4 (2 Bo5 matches) ~45 minutes
  • 12:00PM – Final (1 Bo5 match) ~45 minutes

Gold Top 16

  • 10:00AM – Pre Show
  • 10:15AM – Part 1 ~45 minutes
  • 11:00AM – Part 2 ~45 minutes
  • 11:45AM – Break

Gold Top 8

  • 12:00PM – Part 1 ~45 minutes
  • 12:45PM – Part 2 ~45 minutes
  • 1:45PM – Semis Part 1 ~45 minutes
  • 2:30PM – Semis Part 2 ~45 minutes
  • 3:30PM – FINAL ~1.5 hours
  • 5:00PM – Finish

regional

Official CTWC Regional Tournament Rules

Note: Schedule and Official Rules MUST be posted in an easy-to-find section of the hosting events website.

CTWC Regional Tournaments are played in 4 rounds:

  1. Qualifying Round
  2. Top 8 Round
  3. Semi-Final (Top 4) Round
  4. Final Round

Qualifying Round

During this round, competitors will play NES Tetris A-Type and try to get the highest score possible. The qualifying round will run for a period of time that will be clearly posted at the tournament venue. The qualifying round will determine the seeding.

A designated group of NES machines will be used for the Qualifying Round. Players should line up, wait until they reach the front of the line, then take their place at one of the available NES consoles and start their game.

Each player is allowed to play a single game, starting on level 9 or higher.

When the player’s game is over, they can choose to submit their score to a tournament official or leave the score unrecorded. If they wish to submit their score, they should raise their hand to get the attention of a tournament official. The tournament official will then record their name and score. If the player wants to play another game, they must return to the back of the line.

* If two or more players have identical scores, (as may be the case with multiple players achieving the maximum score of 999,999) then the players’ 2nd-highest scores (and 3rd-highest, 4th highest, and so on as necessary) will be used to determine their positions on the leaderboard. Only officially submitted scores will be considered for tie-breaking purposes. Players must officially submit, at the time the score is achieved, any score that they want to be considered in the calculation of the official leaderboard ranking.

The remaining rounds consist of two player NES Tetris A-Type matches. Before the first game of each match, players will be given 1-2 minutes of “warm up” time. After the warm up time, the player with the higher seed will choose the starting level. The standard available starting level options for CTWC events are typically 15 and 18*. After the first game, players take turns choosing the starting level. When the players are ready, a tournament official will issue a 3-2-1 countdown, at which point the players will simultaneously begin their game by pressing start on their controller. Game play will continue until one of the following scenarios occurs:

  1. both players have topped out
  2. one player has topped out and the other player has a higher score

In either scenario, the player with the highest score wins the game. If both players obtain the maximum score of 999,999, the game will be replayed.

*Some Regional tournaments may allow players to start on levels as low as 9, depending on the anticipated skill level of the competitors and time available. Tournament officials will make this known at the tournament venue in advance.

Top 8 Round and Semi-Final (Top 4) Round Matches

These matches are best-of-3. The first player to win 2 games will advance to the next round.

Final Round Matches

The final match is best-of-5. The first player to win 3 games wins the tournament.

Equipment and Controllers

NES consoles, NES Tetris carts, and NES controllers will be provided for competitors to play. Competitors can use the provided NES controller or bring their own controller. The controller can be any standard unmodified original NES controller, NES “dog bone” style controller, Hyperkin “Cadet” style controller, or “Goofy Foot” style controller. CTWC officials may disqualify any controller other than those listed here (including but not limited to other 3rd party controllers, controllers with turbo features, etc), and any games played with those controllers, at any time.