This page declares the official rules and regulations for the 2004 Portland Open Tetris Tournament. This document must be posted on the Tournament Grounds the day of the event. Tournament competitors shall be made aware of this document and be strongly encouraged to read it, and Tournament Judges shall be empowered to enforce these rules.
Basic Tournament Play: All play for the Solo Competition will take place on the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and the "blue label" Tetris cartridge (need the actual version and company info for the cart --ed.). Play will consist of two rounds: the Qualifying Round and the Elimination Round. All competitors shall play the "A-Type" game and proceed until the playing space (hereafter referred to as the "bin") has overflowed, or the player voluntarily forfeits. A tournament official (the "judge") will monitor the game and the playing area and record the official score, line count, and tetris count (a "tetris" is defined as clearing 4 lines with one piece). Qualifying Round games shall begin at level 7, and Elimination Round games shall begin at level 0.
Qualifying Round: Each competitor must play one qualifying game, and will be allowed to play an additional qualifier if desired. Qualifying games will start from level 7, and each player's scores will be recorded by the judge. The eight competitors with the highest scores will advance to the Elimination Round. Should a competitor wish to attempt a second qualifier, the highest score acheived shall be recorded as their qualifying score.
Elimination Round: Players will be placed into an eight-person, single elimination tournament bracket. Each player is given a ranking based on their scores in the Qualifying Round, and matched thusly: 1st place vs. 8th place, 2nd vs. 7th, 3rd vs. 6th, 4th vs. 5th. Players will then again play one game simultaneously with their opponent, starting from level 0. Players in direct competition will not be allowed to witness their opponent's results or any game play until they have finished their own game. Once both players have completed their games, the scores will be revealed, and the player with the higher score will advance to the next bracket.
Pausing Rules: Pausing the game will only be allowed to remedy a direct distraction to the player, and the game must resume once the distraction is removed. The judge shall be empowered to enforce this rule and levy any appropriate penalties for flagrant misuse of the Pause. Judges shall give the competitor one verbal warning before penalizing the player.
Basic Tournament Play: All play for the Head to Head Competition shall take place on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Games will proceed until one player's bin has overflowed. Bracketing and optional Qualifying Rounds shall be determined by judges on the event day based on the number of competitors.
Basic Tournament Play: All play for the Doubles Competition shall take place on the Nintendo 64 (N64) and the "The New Tetris" cartridge. Two players ("partners") shall set up to one side and play a 4-way multi-player game against another set of partners until both players of one team have been eliminated from the game. Bracketing and optional Qualifying Rounds shall be determined by judges on the event day based on the number of competitors.