Tournament Guide - GameBoard

Quick start

In a hurry? These are the only steps you need.

Open the Tournaments window (see Where do I find tournaments?), pick the tournament you want, and press Register.
5 minutes before the start, a check-in prompt appears. Confirm your attendance. This step is mandatory.
Accept the invitation to the waiting lobby, or simply wait and the server will move you there automatically one minute before the start.
When the tournament starts, you are moved to your match table and the game begins right away. Play your turn before the timer runs out.
After every match you return to the waiting lobby automatically. If you won, you wait there for your next match, all the way to the final.

Important

If you register but do not check in before the start, you are removed from the tournament and barred from the next tournament. If you can no longer take part, unregister before check-in opens.

Where do I find tournaments?

The Tournaments window is available in both the Windows client and the mobile app, and you open it slightly differently in each.

Windows client

Press F1 to open the navigation menu and choose Tournaments, or press Ctrl+Shift+T to open the Tournaments window directly. This is the default shortcut, and you can change it in the shortcut settings.

Mobile app

Open the side menu and choose Tournaments.

What the Tournaments window contains

Two tabs: one for upcoming and running tournaments, and one for finished tournaments.
Details of the selected tournament: the game, its status, the start time in your device's time zone, the number of registered players out of the maximum, your check-in status, and the champion's name once it has ended.
Buttons that change with the tournament's status, as shown in the table below.

Available buttons by tournament status
Tournament status	What you can do
Registration open	Register, or Unregister if you are already registered
Check-in open	Check in if you are registered, or Register and check in if you are not
Running or finished	View bracket to see the matches in each round, the status of each match, and who won it

Good to know

The View bracket button is available at every stage. Before the tournament starts there are no matches yet, because the bracket is only drawn at the start.

Tournament stages

Every tournament goes through the following stages in order, and the server moves it from one stage to the next automatically based on the time.

On creation
Announcement and registration

The tournament is announced to everyone online with its name, game, start time and match options, and registration opens immediately. You can register and unregister freely at this stage, as long as there is a free spot.
2 5 minutes before the start
Check-in and the waiting lobby opens

Every registered player is asked to check in. Each registered player who is online sees a prompt asking whether they will take part, with a Check in button. At the same time, the tournament's waiting lobby opens and you receive an invitation to it.
- You can no longer unregister once this stage begins.
- Anyone who has not registered yet can register and check in at once, if there is room.
- If you are offline and have tournament notifications turned on, you get a notification that the tournament is about to start.
1 minute before the start
Automatic move to the waiting lobby

Everyone who has checked in and is online is moved to the waiting lobby automatically, even from another table, and hears a message telling them so.
4 Start time
Kick-off and the bracket draw
- Anyone who did not check in is removed and penalized with a ban from the next tournament.
- Anyone who checked in but is offline at the moment of the start is also removed, without a penalty.
- The players present are ranked by their rating in the game, the bracket is drawn, and first-round matches start right away.
- If nobody shows up, the tournament is cancelled.
During the tournament
Successive rounds

Whenever a match ends, the winner advances to the next round. After a short 5-second break, any match whose two players are both known starts, without waiting for the remaining matches.
After the final
Crowning the champion

The champion's name is announced across the whole server, and they receive the game's crown. The tournament host then leaves the waiting lobby, and it becomes an ordinary chat room.

Bracket and seeding

Tournaments use single elimination: the loser of every match is out and the winner advances, until only one player remains as champion.

Seeding

Players are ranked from strongest to weakest by their rating in this particular game, and ties are broken by a random draw. Seeds are placed so that the first and second seeds can only meet in the final.

Byes and the preliminary round

The bracket size is always a power of two: 2, 4, 8, 16 and so on. If the number of players is not one of these, the top seeds get a bye straight into the second round, and the lower seeds play a preliminary round for the remaining spots.

Example: a tournament with 6 players

The bracket here has 8 slots, so the first and second seeds get a bye, and the other four play the preliminary round.

Preliminary round

Player A (1)
Bye
Player D (4)
Player E (5)
Player B (2)
Bye
Player C (3)
Player F (6)

Semi-final

Player A (1)
Winner of D vs E
Player B (2)
Winner of C vs F

Final

First winner
Second winner

Round names

Tournament messages and the waiting lobby list refer to rounds by familiar names: Preliminary round, then Round of 16, then Quarter-final, then Semi-final, then Final, depending on the number of players.

If you are the only player

If only one player shows up, the tournament is not cancelled. Instead, a bot joins as your opponent.

The waiting lobby

The waiting lobby is a public chat room run by a bot called Tournament Host. Players gather there before and after their matches and follow the tournament as it happens.

Host announcements

A summary of the bracket at kick-off, the start of each round, the result of every match, and a summary of each round's results when it completes.

Live events

Highlights from matches in progress, such as a goal being scored or a player being knocked out, are posted in the chat so you can follow along while you wait.

Private messages for you

At kick-off and after every match that involves you, the host sends you a message only you can see. It tells you your seed, whether you got a bye, and who your next opponent is, or which match they will come from.

Unlike ordinary rooms, the lobby list does not show members. It shows the bracket instead. The first line summarizes the matches in progress, followed by one line per match with the round, the two players and the result. If a match is still in progress, its line shows the current score. When your match ends, you are returned to the lobby automatically. If you are knocked out, you can stay in the lobby to follow the rest of the matches.

During a match

When it is time for your match, the server creates a private table for you and your opponent, moves you both there, and the game starts automatically. You hear a message such as: Your tournament match against so-and-so has started.
The game options are set in advance for each tournament, are the same for all of its matches, and cannot be changed during a match.
There are no host privileges at tournament tables, so nobody can stop the match or kick their opponent. A match only ends with a result or a forfeit.
If the game needs more than two players, the table is filled with helper bots with names like Bot Partner 1. The real competition is still only between you and your opponent.

Turn timer

Each turn in a tournament match has a time limit, usually 30 seconds. It may differ from one tournament to another, or be turned off.

5 seconds before time runs out, you hear a warning.
If time runs out, the server plays a suitable automatic move for you, and the turn passes on.
If time runs out 3 times in a row, you are treated as having forfeited and your opponent wins the match.

The automatic move when time runs out
Type of game	What happens
Dice and push-your-luck games	You lose the turn's unbanked points, and your turn ends
Card games	A pass, a card draw, or the simplest available move
Other games	A pass or end of turn, or a move chosen by the AI

The count resets

As soon as you make a move yourself, the timeout count goes back to zero. What matters is that it does not happen three times in a row.

Forfeits, no-shows and draws

How a match is decided in special cases
Situation	Outcome
You leave the match table yourself	You lose the match by forfeit, and your opponent advances
Your opponent is offline when the match is due	The server waits 60 seconds. If they do not connect, you win the match
You lose connection during the match	When you come back, you are returned to your seat in the same match automatically. If you are gone for more than 20 seconds and your opponent is a real player, a bot plays in your place until you return. If your opponent is a bot, every turn you miss counts as a timeout, so you lose after three
The match ends in a draw	The match is replayed up to two times, and if it is still a draw, the winner is decided by a random draw
All players disconnect from the server	If everyone stays offline for two minutes, the tournament is cancelled
The server restarts during the tournament	No results are lost. Matches that were in progress are replayed after about half a minute, giving players time to reconnect

Do not leave the table

Leaving the match table, even if you are behind, counts as an immediate loss. Stay until the match is over.

Penalties and removal

Penalty for not checking in

Anyone who registered but did not check in by the start is removed from the tournament, and cannot register for any tournament until the next tournament on the server starts. Once it starts, the penalty is lifted automatically, so they can take part in the tournaments after it.

Removal from a tournament

A player may be removed from a tournament for breaking the rules. Their opponent then advances immediately, and the removed player cannot rejoin that tournament.

The champion and the crown

When the final ends:

The champion's name is announced to everyone connected to the server, with a celebration sound.
The champion, if they are a real player and not a bot, receives the game's crown: their name appears next to the game's name in the games list for a set time, usually 24 hours.
While the crown is held, no new tournament is held for the same game, so the champion keeps their title until the time is up.

Notifications

Tournament announcements reach everyone online automatically. To hear about tournaments while you are offline, turn on Tournament notifications in the notification settings of the mobile app. This option is not available in the Windows client. It is off by default. Once it is on, you get a notification in two cases:

When a new tournament is announced.
When check-in opens for a tournament you registered for, so you can come in and check in on time.

You will also find these notifications in your notification list the next time you sign in, whether from mobile or Windows.

FAQ

I registered but my plans changed. What should I do?

Unregister from the Tournaments window with the Unregister button before check-in opens, that is, more than 5 minutes before the start, and you will not be penalized. After that you can no longer unregister, and not checking in means a ban from the next tournament.

Can I join a tournament after check-in has opened?

Yes, as long as the tournament has not started and there is room. Select the tournament and press Register and check in.

I was playing at another table when the tournament started. What happens?

If you checked in, the server moves you to the waiting lobby automatically one minute before the start, and then to your match table when it is your turn to play. Try to finish any other game before the start time.

Why did a player advance without playing?

Because the number of players did not fill the bracket, so the top seeds get a bye into the next round. It can also happen if the player's opponent was removed or forfeited.

I lost connection during a match. Did I lose?

Not necessarily. Sign back in as quickly as you can, and you will be returned to your seat in the match automatically. If you are gone for a while and your opponent is a real player, a bot plays in your place temporarily. If your opponent is a bot, your missed turns count as timeouts, and you may lose after three. Remember that leaving the table yourself counts as an immediate forfeit.

Could I end up playing against a bot?

Yes, in one case: if you are the only player present at the start, a bot joins as your opponent. In games that need more than two players, the table is filled with helper bots, but the competition is still between you and your opponent.

How do I find out who my next opponent is?

The tournament host sends you a private message after every match that involves you. You can also check the bracket list in the waiting lobby, or use the View bracket button in the Tournaments window.

Why can't I register for a tournament?

Possible reasons:

The tournament is full.
You are suspended for not checking in to a previous tournament.
You were removed from this tournament.
The tournament has already started.