CONFEDERATIONSOTHELLO
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Tournament rules

CHANGE HISTORY
Date

Version
0.1

Change Description

Author

02/01/2005

Base Version - EGP

Francesco Marconi

07/04/2022

1.0

EOC rules

WOF Tournament TD

02/02/2023

1.1

05/05/2024

1.2

Confederation Championship
WOF TC
rules
Light update (new section 7 for Divisions) WOF TC

GLOSSARY OF TERMS AND ABREVIATIONS
Term/Abbreviation

CC
WOC
WOF
OCF
BQ
MBS
Papp
LBP

Description
Confederation Othello ChampionshipWorld Othello ChampionshipWorld Othello Federation
Othello Confederation (Europe, Asia-Pacific, etc…)
Brightwell Quotient
Mixed Brightwell System
Official pairing system
Live Broadcasting Platforms (LiveOthello & Flip the Disc)WOF TD explanation about WOF Confederation Championship.
These rules are the recommended regulations for a two-day Confederation
Championship(CC) tournament.
If the Othello Confederation(OCF) decides that some areas of the standard
regulations need to be changed or amended, a new rule document for the CC
specific for that OCF will be added to the CC webpage.
These rules can change from year to year, therefore always check at theConfederation Championship page at worldothello.org.
Url to Confederations Championships
Africa Othello Championship – aoc.worldothello.org
Asia-Pacific Othello Championship - apoc.worldothello.org
Europa Othello Championship - eoc.worldothello.org
North America Othello Championship – naoc.worldothello.org
South America Othello Championship - saoc.worldothello.org
West Asia Othello Championship - waoc.worldothello.org

I. GENERAL RULES AND PLAYING CONDITIONS
1. Organization
The Confederation Othello Championship (CC) shall be held annually to determine theConfederation Champions.
The CC shall be organized under the responsibility of the local Othello Confederation(OCF), part of the World Othello Federation (WOF). The World Othello Federation
Tournament Committee (WOF TC) are the body responsible for these rules.
All CC players tacitly agree to this set of rules.

2. Contestants
2.1. General formula
The CC is one tournament.
Every year an CC will be organized in different nations in the OCF area, location decided
by the WOF TC and the local Othello Confederation tournament committee.
2.2. Confederation Othello Championship tournament
Only one CC for each region (OCF) will be organized each year.
The host and the dates of the CC tournament are decided by the WOF Tournament
committee and the Confederation of the region (OCF).
If necessary, a host and date can be modified before the tournament.
The selection should be done latest one week before the WOC. Latest date December 1st.
The nation allowed to organize the CC must me members of the WOF OCF. WOF
member-list can be found at worldothello.org.
2.3. Tournament director
WOF TC and the local OCF TC select a CC Tournament director team.
The team includes persons from the local OFC TC, WOF TC and the WOC
economy division.
WOF TC and the local OCF TC select an CC host federation.
The CC Tournament Director Team shall be responsible for the running of thetournament. The tournament director team can appoint assistants to help him with thevarious tasks needed to run the tournament.
The tournament director team is responsible for announcing the CC to OCF members ingood time, for updating the CC webpage with the CC final standings and for sending thetournament results to the WOF rating committee.
2.4. Players
Any player who lives in the confederation area can register to play a CC tournament inagreement with the local federation that organizes it. The CC is open for players whoare citizens in the OCF countries. Non-OCF players cannot participate in the competition.
Non-confederation players who have lived in the confederation at least 6 months within
the last 12 months before the date of the CC, are allowed to play.
WOF Flag Players who are registered for the CC are allowed to attend to the CC.

3. Playing conditions
3.0 Budget– The CC Tournament Direction creates a budget and contact the WOF cashier. The CC isplanned to be a player tournament, so an entry fee is decided based at the currency in the hostcountry. The CC organizers are encouraged to look for local sponsors.
3.1. Tournament room
(as WOC) – The host federation shall endeavour to provide the contestants with goodplaying conditions. The tournament room shall be quiet and well lit. (Indirect lighting ispreferred because direct light reflects off the shiny surfaces of the playing discs, making
it difficult to distinguish their colour).
3.2. Consultation(as WOC) – During the course of the game, a player may not consult any notes, use any
unapproved electronic device, or exchange information of any kind with another person(with the exception of a tournament official or their opponent), with the exception ofrequesting a spectator to summon a tournament official to resolve a dispute. All cases ofabuse shall be referred to the head tournament director who will exercise common sense
judgement on what penalty (if any) is necessary.
During the first two days of the tournament (excluding playoffs and finals), once thepairings of a round have been announced and until the end of their game, players may
not consult any unapproved electronic device. To enforce this rule, all players should bein the playing room before the pairings are announced.
3.3. Smoking(as WOC) – It is strictly forbidden to smoke in the tournament room.
3.4. Electronic devices(as WOC) – No unapproved electronic devices (mobile phone, laptop, smartwatch…)
should be used by the players or spectators in the tournament room. If present, theymust be switched off.
If a device is on, and may disturb players, the player who own the device may lose thegame. The CC TD will take a decision before next round starts.
3.5 Clearing the board- To prevent noise in the playing room when games are in progress, players should not
clear the board when their game is finished. All boards should be cleared and set up withthe starting position between the rounds or just before the start of the games.
3.6. Spectators(as WOC) – Spectators are permitted in the tournament room at the discretion of thetournament director. Spectators and other contestants are permitted to observe a gamein progress but must not interfere in any way with the conduct of the game. Observers
must refrain from making any comments on the game, or in any way distracting theplayers or the table judge (in particular, use of flash photography is prohibited during thecourse of a game). However, if a spectator detects any irregularities in the game, he may
mention them to the tournament director or one of his assistants.
At the tournament director’s discretion, the tournament room and various games may bebroadcast live (video, webcams, online). The tournament director should ensure that any
broadcast or equipment does not disturb the players or interfere with the games.

3.7. Othello Live Broadcasting Platforms (LBP)
Mobile phones brought into the tournament room must be switched off. However, if thetournament director gives a person permission to be a Live-broadcasting Platform(LBP)
operator (for example to broadcast at LiveOthello or Flip the Disc), such person may use
his/her smartphone, tablet or computer.
A player cannot refuse to play a TD decided game with LiveOthello or Flip the Disc.
A player may be allowed to use his/her smart phone to broadcast his/her own game to a
LBP. If someone is interested in doing so, the player must inform the tournament director
before the tournament starts.
Also, before each game, the player must ask whether his/her opponent agrees tobroadcast the game to a LBP or not. If the opponent denies, the game cannot be
broadcasted by any of the two players.
A player who gets approval to broadcast their games by both the tournament director
and his/her opponent, can broadcast only his/her own games, and cannot broadcast
other players’ games.
No other programs than Live Othello and Flip the Disc can be used.

II. TOURNAMENT FORMAT
1. Playing system
There will be two days of tournament play. *The aim of the first day and the morning of the second day of competition is to play aqualification tournament, where four players are qualified for the finals to play in theafternoon of the second day: a final for the first place, played between the first two
players of the final ranking, and a playoff for the third place, played between the third
and the fourth player of the final ranking.
The final for the first place is a best of three-game match, the playoff for third place is asingle match.
* There can be local differences depending on the number of participants, some CC
tournaments might only last one day.
2. Tournament system
The tournament is structured such that two players qualify for a final and two more
players for a playoff.
The exact procedure of the tournament system depends on the number of players asshown below:

Num. of Players
4 or lessTournament system
The tournament is played with a triple Round robin;
In the second Round Robin the players swap colours with respect totheir previous game against each other;
At the end of the third round robin:
the first two players in the IFRL are qualified for the final;
the third and fourth players in the IFRL are qualified for the playoff.

5-6

The tournament is played with a double Round Robin;
In the second Round Robin the players swap colours with respect
to their previous game against each other;
At the end of the second round robin:
the first two players in the IFRL are qualified for the final;
the third and fourth players in the IFRL are qualified for the playoff.

7-8

The tournament is divided in two parts, Part One and Part Two, plus
a final and a playoff;
Part One is played with a Round Robin system of 7 rounds; at theend a IFRL is generated;
Part Two of the tournament is played with a Swiss system of 4 rounds
from the IFRL generated in Part One;in case two players play again in Part Two, they reverse their colours
from the game they played in Part One;at the end a new IFRL is generated;the first and the second players of the final IFRL of the Top List are
qualified for the final;
the third and fourth players of the final IFRL of the Top List are
qualified for the playoff;

9-10
See Section 5 formore information
on semi-finals forthis system.

The tournament is played with a Round Robin of 9 rounds;
the 4 top players in the IFRL will play semi-finals on two games (1stagainst 4th, 2nd against 3rd); the winners of the semi-finals go to
the final; the losers go to the playoff;
the 6 following players in the IFRL will play two games with a Swisssystem and a new internal IFRL is generated; the points and thediscs of the second IFRL are added the points of the first IFRL and a
final IFRL is generated;
the players of the list of 6 will always follow in the final ranking thefirst four players.

11-12

The tournament is played with a Round Robin of 11 rounds;
the first two players in the IFRL are qualified for the final;
the third and fourth players in the IFRL are qualified for the playoff.

12 or more

The tournament is played with an unmodified Swiss system;
the first two players in the IFRL are qualified for the final;
the third and fourth players in the list are qualified for the playoff.

3. Building of the Individual Final Ranking List (IFRL)At the end of a round system, the officials will draft the Individual Final Ranking List
(IFRL) following the procedure set out below:• A list is first drawn up of players being arranged in order of number of points scored in
the tournament;• In case of tie, it shall be resolved by ranking the players in descending Mixed Brightwell
System (MBS) (see appendix A);• If two or more players are still tie, it shall be resolved by ranking the players indescending discount order;• Further ties shall be resolved by any random equitable means (flip of an Othello disc,pulling numbered tokens from a closed bag, or similar);Any players not qualified for the final or the playoff and having the same number ofpoints are declared equal;4. Pairings
4.1. for the Swiss system
The Swiss System is used when it is not the case each player will play all other players.
In other words, if there are N players and there are to be fewer than N-1 rounds (Neven) or fewer than N rounds (N odd). The following rules should be followed, in
decreasing order of priority:a) Two players who have already played against each other cannot be paired together
again.
b) The two players paired together should have the same number of points. If this is notpossible, the difference should be minimal.
c) Players should tend to play black and white the same number of times during thetournament. If this is not possible, the difference should be minimal.
d) A player who has already ‘floated up’ should ‘float down’, and a player who has
already ‘floated down’ should ‘float up’.
e) Players should alternate colours from round to round.
4.2. for the Round Robin system
The Round Robin system is used when each player will play all other players. If there are
N players, then this will take N-1 rounds (if N is even) or N rounds (if N is odd).
To implement this, if N is even: we imagine a large rectangular table, with N/2 chairs oneach side. Initially, the players sit down (and each plays against the player oppositehim). Thereafter, one `reference' player stays fixed forever, while the other N-1 players`rotate' as one circle of N-1 people.
If N is odd, we add a Bye and proceed as for N even.
4.3 Pairing system
It is preferred that the Flip the Disc system should be used. PAPP pairing system should
be used if Flip the Disc is not available. The PAPP pairing program and latest players-list
can be downloaded at WOF website, worldothello.org.

5. Semi-finals main CC (9-10 players)
Only in the case of a tournament with 9 - 10 players do the first four players playsemi-finals to qualify for the final (the winners) or the playoff (the losers).
The semi-finals are according to the following rules:
The higher-ranked player in the IFRL shall have choice of colour for the first game of thematch. Each player shall be awarded one point for each win and half a point for eachdraw in the match. Colours shall be reversed for the second game.
At the end of two games the player having more points in the match shall be declared
the winner. If the two players have the same number of points, the total number of discs
in the two games shall be used to determine the winner. In case of a further tie thehigher ranked player in the IFRL shall be declared the winner.

6. Categories
6.1 Categories
In CC several different categories can be organized. A category must have a minimum of
6 players to be called as a category. If a category does not have enough players, thiscategory can be merged with another category. The Youth category does not need tohave 6 players. It is up to the CC TD to decide if a category might have less than 6
players.
6.2. Different category
Categories can Youth, 50+, 60+, female, debutants.
The tournament direction needs to decide all the special categories for each CC based on
the number of players.
6.3. Individual Final Ranking List for categories
There are no semi-finals or finals organized for the categories. The prizes for categories
will be based on the players’ positions in the main tournament standings.
7. Divisions
7.1 Rating Divisions
In the CC several divisions based on WOF ratings can be organized. A division must have aminimum of 6 players. The tournament direction decides how to breakdown the divisions
for the CC based on the number of players and the rating differences between players.
7.2 Semi-finals and finals.
The rating divisions should have semi-finals and finals at the end of the preliminary
rounds. Both the semi-final and the final should be one game only. The draw-win system
will be used for those games. The highest rated player in the semi-final and final chooses
colour or draw-win.

8. Withdrawals
If a player withdraws from the tournament, he may not re-enter. In particular, he may
not qualify for the finals. A player who has withdrawn will not be considered for the
purposes of pairing rounds after his withdrawal, and instead a dummy player called “BYE”
will be introduced into the pairing process. See also Appendix A for the effect of awithdrawn player on the calculation of the MBS.

III.

FINALS

1. Best of Three-Game final
The higher-ranked player in the IFRL shall have choice of colour for the first game of thematch. Each player shall be awarded one point for each win and half a point for eachdraw in the match. Colours shall be reversed for the second game. If a player wins boththe first and second game of a match, then that player shall be declared the winner anda third game shall not be played.
Choice of colour for the third game, if necessary, shall be awarded to the player having
the greater number of discs in the first two games. In the case of a tie, the higher ranked
player in the IFRL shall have choice of colour.
At the end of three games the player having more points in the match shall be declared
the winner. If after three games the two players have the same number of points, thetotal number of discs in the three games shall be used to determine the winner. In caseof a further tie the higher ranked player in the IFRL shall be declared the winner.
2. Playoff for Third place
The third and fourth players in the IFRL will play a single playoff game for third place.
This game will be scheduled to start at the same time as the first game of the final. The
higher ranked player in the IFRL shall have the choice of colour or draw win (see IV.9).

IV. CONDUCT AND SCORING OF INDIVIDUAL
GAMES
1. Time limits
Digital clocks will be used to time all tournament games. If not enough of them areavailable, analogue clocks will be used in addition. During the qualification tournament
each player shall have 25 minutes to complete all his moves in each game.
For the final and the playoff for third place, each player shall have 30 minutes per game.
If for any reason these time limits cannot be applied, games should never be played withless than 25 minutes for each player per game.
2. The table judge(as WOC) – Whenever possible, the tournament director shall assign one of thetournament officials to be the table judge for a tournament game. The table judge shallbe responsible for making a transcript of the game, broadcasting the game if applicable,
observing the rules of Othello and ensuring the smooth running of the game.
Before the beginning of the game, the table judge shall make sure that both players haveenough discs to complete the game. It is the official’s duty to regulate the clock andplace it on the right of the player with the black discs (unless both players agree to dootherwise). During the game, the table judge should attempt to make a transcript of thegame without requiring the contestants to announce their moves. The record keeping
process must never be allowed to interfere with the player’s concentration.
If, during the game, a player is left without discs, the table judge shall arrange for a
sufficient number of discs to be transferred from the player’s opponent. To do that he isallowed to stop the clocks for the time required.
If a tournament game does not have a table judge assigned to it, both players shall be
responsible for taking a transcript of the game. If other assistance is required, either
player may stop the clock and summon the tournament director, or a designatedassistant.
3. Objects on the board(as WOC) – No objects of any kind may be placed on the board with the exception of
those Othello discs forming the position and the one Othello disc used by the player tocarry out his move.
4. The move(as WOC) – A player cannot make a move on his opponent’s time. If a player does so,
his opponent can summon the tournament director who shall do whatever is necessary(like adjusting time up or down for the players). If a player forgets to press his clock
after his move, his opponent is allowed and encouraged to tell him to do so. No
spectator, apart from the table judge, the tournament director or one of his assistants,
can warn a player that he has forgotten to press his clock. If this happens, thetournament director should expel the spectator from the tournament room and can
impose a penalty on the spectator as listed in section V.2.
A player commits himself to a move if he touches the board with his hand or with a disc,with the apparent intention of moving to a given square. In this case, provided the player
has a legal move to that square, he must move to the first square he touches, and maynot change his mind and move instead to a different square, even if his opponent
authorises him to take back his move. The purpose of this rule is to prevent an indecisiveplayer from distracting his opponent or obstructing his opponent’s view of the board. A
player shall not be bound by this rule, if in the opinion of the table judge, he touched thegiven square unintentionally.
Once a player has committed himself to a move, he is bound to turn over all of thecaptured discs. He must do this using one hand only, and then use the same hand topress his clock (even if his opponent passes afterwards). If, having played a move, aplayer forgets to press his clock; the table judge should tell him to do so. A player mustacknowledge that he has to pass by pressing his clock.
5. Illegal Moves
5.1. Procedure(as WOC) – The table judge is present to enforce the rules of Othello. An error in theplay of a move which has just been played but not yet answered may be brought to theattention of the table judge by either player, by the tournament director or by one of his
assistants (but not by a spectator who shall summon the tournament director who will
decide what to do). Once the table judge (or the tournament director, or one of his
assistants) notices, or is informed of such an error, he shall adopt the following
procedure:a) Restart the clock of the player who committed the error.
b) Correct the error himself, andc) Restart the clock of the player whose turn it is to move.
If no table judge is present at a table, an error in the play of a move which has just been
played but not yet answered may be signalled by either player. The following procedure
shall then be adopted:a) Restart the clock of the player who committed the error.
b) Have that player correct the error, andc) Restart the clock of the player whose turn it is to move.
5.2. Accepting the position(as WOC) – Only the most recent move is subject to challenge. When a player commits
himself to a new move, he tacitly accepts the board position as it is, and neither he nor
any official can later seek to correct a previous error.
5.3. Unreadable position(as WOC) – The players must play their moves and centre the discs so that the positionis clearly readable. If, in the opinion of the table judge, the position becomes unreadable,
he should take any action to correct it (including stopping the clocks and playing throughthe transcript). He may also invite the tournament director to impose some penalty on
the offending player. If no table judge is present, either player can call the tournament
director or one of his assistants if there is any dispute concerning the position.
6. Time Defaults(as WOC) – A player forfeits the game unless he can make his final move, flip all theappropriate discs, and stop his clock before the flag on his clock falls. If a player’s flag
falls, he loses the game and his opponent is awarded a win regardless of the position of
the board. Both players are given two extra minutes. The game is then continued withthe true final score standing, save that the nondefaulting player is guaranteed at least a33-31 win. If the defaulting player’s flag falls a second time, the game is scored 64-0. Ifthe flag of the non-defaulting player falls after having been given two extra minutes, theplayer who first defaulted loses the game with a 31-33 score.
7. Defective Clock(as WOC) – If, in the course of the game, the clock in use is found to be defective, thetable judge, or the players, if no table judge is present, shall summon the tournament
director, who will take whatever action he deems appropriate.
8. Scoring(as WOC) – At the end of the game, if both players have completed their moves in theallowed time, the winner is the player with the greater number of discs of his colour on
the board at the end. The official score of the game will be determined by counting up
the discs of each colour on the board, counting empty squares for the winner. In theevent of a draw, the score will always be 32- 32. If one player defaults, the scoring iscarried out as in IV.6 above. A player should not resign a game before it is finished, if hedoes, the official score shall be 64-0 in favour of his opponent. Once a game is finished,both players should sign a transcript sheet thereby showing they agree on the final scoreand hand it to a tournament official.
9. Choice of Colour or Draw Win(as WOC) – When a player has the option to choose his colour for the game or a draw
win he has the choice of either: a) Deciding the colour himself and if the game is a draw
his opponent shall be declared the winner. or b) Allowing his opponent to choose hiscolour and being declared the winner in the case of a draw. When a player can choose hiscolour for a game, he must announce his choice to the tournament director and his
opponent at least five minutes before the start of the game.

V. PRIZES TO THE WINNERS
1. WOC qualification– The WOF TC decide before each CC cycle start how many WOC qualification places
each OCF get for their CC. At minimum the CC champion (1st place) will earn WOC
qualification.
The number of WOC qualification spots can differ from each OCF, depending on numberof countries, players, rated players, activity, and other reasons. WOF TC are responsible
for the WOC qualifications.
Check each Confederations page what regulation it is for this year. It can differ fromyear to year.
2. The CC Champion– The Confederation Champion is qualified to the WOC of the same year. In the WOC
qualification it may be included travel expenses, food costs, visa costs, and hotel room at
WOC. The room can be shared together with other WOC players or WOF staff.
Important to check at each Confederation page which WOC regulations are in use for thecurrent year. It can differ from year to year.
3. The CC Runner up and 3rd & 4th winners– The winners get trophies and some gifts. If WOC qualifications are awarded to theseplayers, this will be announced in good time before the tournament.
4. The CC Division & Category Winners– The CC division & category winners get trophies and/or medals. There can also be local
gifts for players outside the top three in categories/divisions.

VI. ENFORCEMENT OF THE RULES
1. Overview(as WOC) – In order to enforce both the rules of Othello and the CC Rules, thetournament direction (and only they) may impose penalties on a player or on aspectator. In imposing penalties, the tournament director should adjust the severity ofthe penalty to the severity of the offence and never penalize a non-offending player. The
decision of the tournament direction shall be final.
2. Penalties(as WOC) – The tournament direction may impose the following penalties on a player oron a spectator:a) Removing time from an offending player’s clock and/or giving additional time to his
opponent’s clock.
b) Changing the final score of a game to the benefit of the offending player’s opponent.
c) Declaring the game to be a draw or awarding the game to the offending player’s
opponent.
d) Expelling temporarily or definitively from the tournament room a player or aspectator.
e) Expelling a player from the tournament (who shall afterwards be treated as having
withdrawn).

VII. APPENDIX a – The Mixed Brightwell System (MBS)
1. Overview(as WOC) – The Mixed Brightwell System (MBS) is a method of breaking ties in Othello
tournaments run with the Swiss system. It is also applicable to Round Robintournaments, where it is equivalent to disc-count. Essentially this system is acombination of Strength-of-Opposition and disc-count.
2. The Constant C(as WOC) – MBS depends on a constant C, which is a weighting for the relative
importance of Strength-of-Opposition and disc-count. For an CC tournament, assumingthat it is run either as a Round Robin or as an 11 round Swiss system, C will be set equal
to 6.
3. The Brightwell Quotient (BQ)
(as WOC) – After the end of the tournament, the tournament officials will evaluate, foreach player involved in a tie, the BQ. This is calculated as follows:a) If any of the player’s opponents have withdrawn in the course of the tournament,
ignore any such games for the moment. Also, if a player has been paired against “BYE”(or has not played a round), leave out such a game.
b) Calculate the total number of discs scored by the player in all games not covered bya) and add C times the sum of points scored in the tournament by all of the player's
opponents, except those who have withdrawn.
c) For each game against an opponent who has withdrawn, and each bye received (orunplayed round), add 32 plus (C times the player’s own tournament score) to the result
calculated in b). The number resulting is the player’s BQ.
4. Resolving Ties
(as WOC) – If two or more players have the same number of points in the tournament,ties shall be resolved by ranking the players in descending BQ order. If two or more
players have the same number of points and the same BQ, ties shall be resolved byranking the players in descending discount order. Further ties shall be resolved by any
random equitable means (flip of an Othello disc, pulling numbered tokens from a closed
bag,...).

VII. APPENDIX b – This set of rules
The paragraphs that begin with “(as WOC)” in this set of rules, are copied from the WOC
regulation and follows it without any need of decision from OCF TD committee, even if it
could be modified by an WOF tournament committee decision.