Official tournament rules

§ 1. Scope and precedence

1. These Rules set out the general rules for Official Tournaments, i.e. tournaments run and refereed by the Operator of the PlayZeek service, including leagues (§ 15a–15d), and the rules for Team challenges (§ 15e).
2. Capitalised terms have the meaning given to them in the Terms.
3. Each Official Tournament may have its own Tournament Rules in the tournament's "Rules" tab. The Tournament Rules may supplement or modify the rules designated in these Rules as defaults (e.g. times, format, required age, prizes). In all other respects, the Tournament Rules may not conflict with these Rules or with the Terms.
4. These Rules do not apply to Community Tournaments or Custom Brackets.

§ 2. Organiser and referees

1. The organiser of Official Tournaments is the Operator.
2. Matches are supervised by referees appointed by the Operator. Matters beyond a referee's competence are decided by the Operator's administration.
3. Referees and the administration act impartially. Every decision concerning a match is reasoned and visible to both parties.

§ 3. Nature of the competition

1. Official Tournaments are competitions of skill. The outcome of a match is determined by the players' gameplay and the referees' rulings, and prizes are determined solely by final placings in the tournament.
2. Prizes are not drawn at random.
3. Staking money, in-game items or other things of value on the outcome of a match or tournament is prohibited, whether by participants or by other persons, as is organising such bets.

§ 4. Eligibility

1. An Official Tournament is open to a Player who:

• has an Account with a verified e-mail address;
• has linked, in their Player Passport, the game account required by the tournament;
• meets the age requirement set out in the Tournament Rules, which may not be lower than 16 years;
• is not subject to a Penalty in the "tournaments" or "portal" scope.

1. If the tournament has an age restriction, the Player provides their date of birth in their profile, which is not public. The Operator may request confirmation of age before handing over a prize.
2. A Player under 18 years of age may take part in a tournament with a cash or material prize and collect the prize only with the consent of their statutory representative. Before handing over the prize, the Operator asks for a statement from the statutory representative sent via a Ticket in the "Prizes and payments" department (a scan or photo of the signed statement); it may also ask for it before admitting the Player to the tournament.
3. Each player plays on their own Account and their own game account. Playing on another person's account is prohibited.
4. A Player whose Steam account has a VAC ban or Game Ban in the game of the tournament, imposed within 2 years before registration, may not take part in the tournament. The Service flags such a registration and Staff take the decision; the decision may be appealed. The Tournament Rules may relax this rule but may not make it stricter.

§ 5. Registration

1. A Team is registered by its captain or manager. In solo tournaments, the Player registers themselves.
2. Registration requires meeting the tournament's requirements, including roster size.
3. The number of slots is set out in the Tournament Rules. Registrations exceeding the limit are placed on the waiting list in order of registration.
4. If the tournament provides for seeding by ranking, the participant's rating at the moment registration closes counts.

§ 6. Entry fee

1. Official Tournaments are free of charge. The Operator does not collect entry fees.
2. Introducing an entry fee requires a prior amendment of these Rules in accordance with the procedure in § 21 of the Terms.

§ 7. Check-in and waiting list

1. Check-in is mandatory before the tournament starts. The check-in window opens by default 30 minutes before the start, unless the Tournament Rules provide otherwise.
2. Check-in is performed by the captain or manager, and in solo tournaments by the Player.
3. A registration without check-in loses its slot to the first person or Team on the waiting list. A participant from the waiting list must also check in.

§ 8. Roster

1. From the start of the tournament, the Team's roster is locked. It may be changed only by the administration, upon a justified request.
2. The roster for a given match is submitted by the captain or manager within the set time: by default within 15 minutes of the match room opening or of the scheduled match time, whichever is later.
3. A Team that fails to submit its roster within the set time loses the match by forfeit. If neither Team submits a roster, the referee decides. The Tournament Rules may disable the automatic forfeit.

§ 9. Match room (match lobby)

1. For each match, the Service opens a match room with a chat for both Teams and the referee. On the Service the match room is part of the match lobby (chat, readiness, veto, server, result).
2. The content of the match room constitutes evidence in disputes and appeals.
3. Players are not required to record gameplay from their own perspective or to install any additional software.

§ 10. Map veto

1. If the tournament provides for a map veto, the Teams take turns banning and picking maps according to the tournament's veto format.
2. A veto move may be made by any member of the Team's roster (including a substitute, coach and manager); the first move made counts.
3. If a Team fails to make a move within the set time, it loses that move and the opponent makes it on its behalf (ban, choice of map, side or server location). If the opponent also fails to make the move within the set time, the system selects the first available item in the pool order set for the tournament. The pool order is shown during the veto.

§ 11. Results

1. After the match, the captain or manager enters the score of each map and attaches a screenshot of the scoreboard. The screenshot is mandatory.
2. The opponent confirms the result or disputes it, stating the reason. Failure to respond within the set time (by default 15 minutes; a reminder 5 minutes before the deadline) means the result is automatically approved.
3. If the Teams enter different results, a dispute arises, which is resolved by the referee.
4. Once approved, a result may be changed only by the administration, with a justification.
5. Trophies and statistics are calculated automatically from approved results and are public.

§ 12. CS2 match servers

1. CS2 matches may be played on match servers rented by the Operator from an external provider.
2. After the veto is completed, the Service assigns a server. Access is limited to players on the match roster, the referee and the administration, verified by Steam ID. The server connect command is visible only to authorised persons.
3. The server transmits the course of the match to the Service: player connections and disconnections (Steam ID and in-game nickname), map and round results, and player statistics.
4. The result sent by the server is confirmed by the losing Team. The winning Team may only dispute it. Failure to respond within the set time means automatic approval. If the map played does not match the veto result, the referee decides.
5. The GOTV broadcast is delayed by 90 seconds.
6. The match server records the match (demo). The recording is kept by the server provider for 14 days after the match and is used only to resolve disputes and protests; the Service does not share it. Demo files submitted by participants as evidence are stored under the match room rules described in the Privacy Policy.

§ 13. Disputes, protests and refereeing

1. A Team may call a referee in the match room at any time during the match.
2. Evidence is submitted in the Protest Log: screenshots up to 8 MB, demo files up to 50 MB, and links. Protest Log entries cannot be edited or deleted.
3. The referee resolves a dispute by taking one of the following decisions: upholding the result of one of the parties, entering the result, ordering a map replay, dismissing the protest as unfounded, or referring the matter to the administration.
4. Every referee decision includes a justification visible to both Teams.
5. Decisions of a referee or of the administration may be appealed in accordance with the Terms. An appeal does not suspend the course of the tournament, unless the administration decides otherwise.

§ 14. Fair play

1. The following are prohibited in particular:

• using cheats, unauthorised software, macros and scripts;
• knowingly exploiting game bugs that give an unfair advantage;
• playing on another person's account, sharing an account, and participation by a person outside the registered roster;
• match fixing, deliberately losing, and agreements on the result;
• watching the match broadcast during play in order to gain an advantage;
• betting on the outcome of a match or tournament;
• abusive behaviour towards players, referees and Staff.

1. For a violation, the Operator may: issue a warning, award a forfeit, disqualify a player or Team from a match or tournament, revoke a prize, cancel results (with loss of placement and trophy and recalculation of the ranking; for a permanent ban – results from the period stated in the decision, at most 365 days) and impose the Penalties provided for in the Terms. Other participants' placements do not move automatically; the administration decides on any correction. Cancelling results is a reasoned decision that can be appealed; an upheld appeal restores the results.
2. If a violation is discovered after a prize has been handed over, the disqualified participant shall return the prize to the Operator.

§ 15. Prizes

1. The type and value of prizes are set out in the Tournament Rules. A prize may be a cash prize, a material prize, an in-game item (skin), or no prize ("for fun").
2. Prizes are handed over once the final result of the tournament has been established, i.e. after all disputes and appeals have been resolved. Each payout is approved manually by the administration; the Service does not pay out prizes automatically.
3. The data required to hand over a prize are collected by the "Prizes and payments" department via a Ticket: first name and surname and bank account number (cash prize) or delivery address (material prize). For a person under 18, also the statement of the statutory representative referred to in § 4 point 3.
4. A Team prize is divided equally among the players who played in at least one match of the tournament, unless the Tournament Rules provide otherwise. The Operator hands over each share directly to the player concerned once they have provided the data referred to in point 3.
5. The Operator is not a withholding agent for tax on prizes. Any tax obligations connected with receiving a prize rest with the winner and depend on the prize's value and nature. At the winner's request, the Operator confirms the value of the prize awarded.
6. A prize not collected for reasons attributable to the winner, in particular due to failure to provide the data within 30 days of being requested to do so, is forfeited.
7. A prize may not be exchanged for another prize or for its cash equivalent, unless the Tournament Rules provide otherwise.

§ 15a. Season and divisions

1. A league consists of seasons, and a season of divisions (from the lowest: Open, Intermediate, Advanced, Premier; the Operator may rename them). A division is an Official Tournament in league format.
2. The Operator assigns new Teams to divisions with free places based on the ranking, by default to the lowest.

§ 15b. Schedule

1. Each round has a window (by default one week) and a default time.
2. A captain or manager may propose one to three times within the round window in the match room; the time is set when the other Team accepts it.
3. Without agreement 48 hours before the end of the window, the default time applies.
4. Check-in for a league match opens 30 minutes before it; the forfeit rules of § 8 apply accordingly.

§ 15c. Points and table

1. A win gives a Team 3 points, a draw 1 and a loss 0, unless the league rules provide otherwise. A draw is possible in matches with an even number of maps.
2. Ties in the table are broken by head-to-head record, map difference and number of maps won.
3. After the season the two best Teams of a division are promoted and the two weakest are relegated (the league rules may change these numbers). The Operator may adjust promotions and relegations for a valid reason (e.g. a Team's withdrawal), with a reason given.

§ 15d. League roster and withdrawal

1. During the season a limit of roster changes per league week applies (by default one addition and one removal; the week counts from the season start), and a transfer window closing on the date set for the season.
2. Only a player who has been in the Team roster at least 24 hours before the match time may play in a league match.
3. A player who has played for one Team in a season may not play for another Team of the same league in that season.
4. A Team that withdraws before half of the season's matches are played loses all its results; one that withdraws later loses the remaining matches by forfeit. In both cases it is relegated by one division, and the withdrawal counts towards automatic Penalties (§ 15 point 5 of the Terms).

§ 15e. Team challenges

1. A challenge is a match between two Teams outside a tournament, arranged in accordance with § 7 point 5 of the Terms. Either side may cancel an accepted challenge until the match lobby opens.
2. A friendly challenge does not affect the ranking and is played without a referee; a dispute over the result means the match ends without a result.
3. A ranked challenge affects the ranking under the "How the ranking works" rules; at most the first two matches against the same opponent in a week (Monday to Sunday) count towards the ranking, and a forfeit does not change the ranking.
4. In a ranked challenge, a player may play if they have been in the Team roster for at least 24 hours, and the Team must have existed for at least 7 days.
5. A dispute in a ranked challenge is resolved by the on-duty referee called in the match room.
6. § 8–14 (roster, match room, veto, results, servers, disputes, fair play) apply to challenges accordingly.
7. The Operator's match servers are available in ranked CS2 challenges within the limit shown on the Service; in other challenges Teams play on their own servers and report the result with a screenshot.

§ 16. Image and publication of results

1. Nicknames, Team names and logos, results, statistics and brackets of Official Tournaments are public.
2. A match played on a match server may be broadcast via GOTV with the delay specified in § 12.
3. The referee or organiser may assign a streamer and commentators to a match. Their nicknames are shown on the match page. The broadcast crew does not take part in the match room and does not join the match server as a player; it may watch the match via GOTV.

§ 17. Changes to the Tournament Rules

1. The Tournament Rules of a given tournament may be amended before it starts. Registered participants are notified of the change in the Service.
2. After the tournament has started, changes are permitted only for important reasons: technical failure, force majeure, a change in the rules or unavailability of the game or servers, or the need to ensure the integrity of the competition. A change may not put one Team at a disadvantage relative to the others.
3. If a change concerns prizes, a participant who does not accept it may withdraw from the tournament before the change takes effect; such a withdrawal does not count towards automatic Penalties.

§ 18. Final provisions

1. Matters not governed by these Rules are subject to the Terms.
2. These Rules are effective from the date shown with their text. Previous versions are available in the version archive.