Tournament Policy

Article 1 – Tournament Types & Access

🏆 Skill-based: All tournaments on ChessOx are games of pure skill and do not constitute gambling or betting under Indian law.

Article 2 – Player Eligibility

• Age Requirements: Minimum 13 years old. Players aged 13–17 require verifiable parental/guardian consent. Paid cash prize tournaments are restricted to players aged 18 and older.
• Account Requirements: Account in good standing with a verified email and no active fair play suspensions.
• One Account Per Player: Multi-accounting in the same tournament is strictly prohibited and leads to immediate disqualification and permanent account closure.
• Rating Categories: Beginner (<1200), Intermediate (1200–1800), Advanced (1800+), and Open (no rating cap). Sandbagging to enter lower categories triggers immediate forfeiture.

Article 3 – Registration & Withdrawals

• Registration: Open until the scheduled deadline on a first-come, first-served basis.
• Entry Fees: Non-refundable once the tournament starts, except in the event of platform cancellation.
• Withdrawal 24+ Hours Before Start: Player receives an entry fee credit valid for 90 days toward future tournaments.
• Withdrawal <24 Hours / No-Show: Non-refundable and no credit issued.

Article 4 – Formats & Rules

Tournaments use official FIDE-compliant formats and server-validated move logic:

• Formats: Swiss System, Round Robin, Single Elimination, and Arena.
• Time Controls: Bullet (1+0, 2+1), Blitz (3+2, 5+3), Rapid (10+5, 15+10), and Classical (30+30, 60+0).
• Default Time: 2 minutes after round start. If a player does not make their first move within 2 minutes, the game is forfeited.
• Scoring & Tiebreaks: Win = 1, Draw = 0.5, Loss = 0. Tiebreaks calculated via Buchholz, Sonneborn-Berger, direct encounter, and total wins.

Article 5 – Fair Play & Anti-Cheating Penalties

Disconnection policy: If disconnected, players have a 60-second grace period to reconnect while their game clock continues running.

Article 8 – Prizes & Distribution

• Cash Distribution: Credited to wallet within 14 business days following fair play review.
• TDS & Tax: Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) is deducted where required by Indian Income Tax regulations. TDS certificates provided on request.
• Certificates: Digital certificates of participation awarded to players who complete ≥50% of scheduled rounds. Top-3 rank certificates provided in PDF within 7 days.

Article 9 – Disputes & Appeals

Players may dispute technical faults, pairings, or fair play findings:

1. Filing Window: Email tournaments@chessox.com within 48 hours of the tournament ending.
2. Arbitration Review: Acknowledged in 24 hours, decision within 7 business days (up to 21 days for complex anti-cheat audits).
3. Escalation: If unresolved, escalate to the Grievance Officer at help@chessox.com.