ClineCON establishes a new standard of excellence for game cons in Pittsburgh. While the emphasis is on wargames, a variety of other genres are represented. Twixt is a very sharp and deep abstract. We hope to attract players from around the world.

On Saturday the 18th there will be two preliminary sessions of three hours each, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. You need attend only one of these sessions. 45 minutes prior to each session will be a demo and discussion of the tournament format, including instruction on how to use the Chronos clocks which will be provided. After that, all players will play three rounds with a time control of 25 minutes per player with a 30 second delay per move. If you choose to leave before all three rounds are completed, please tell the TD (Tournament Director) before you go. The times given below for the start of each round are estimates only. Because of the delay for each move, some games may take longer than 60 minutes to complete, and a session might take more than three hours. Most Twixt games finish quickly even without a clock. If all games of a round finish early (which is likely,) then the next round will start early.

If you enter the first session, you may, if you wish, withdraw from the tournament and re-enter for the second preliminary session. If you do this, your results from the first session will not be taken into account, although they will affect your AREA rating. Each prelim session will be three rounds, using a Swiss system to determine the pairings. Each won game will give you a score of one point, and a drawn game during the Swiss portion is worth half a point.

A list of the 16 players with the best scores from the two sessions will be posted on the wall. Of those 16, the top 8 who show up on Sunday for the elimination session will play. This session will be three rounds and three hours long. Details about the tie break system used to determine the top players, as well as the criteria for determining pairings, are available here.

For the first Swiss session only, a player may leave after the first round, to be paired for the second and third rounds of the second session. Or, you may leave after the second round of the first session, to be paired in the third round of the second session. The fundamental limitation is, you may play only three games in your bid to qualify for the elimination session, and the opponents for these games must be determined according to Swiss system pairings. Be warned that rounds in the second session may begin sooner than at the time designated for them, if the previous round finishes early.

In the first Swiss session only, if both players in the third round agree, they may postpone their game, to be completed any time before the second Swiss session ends, as long as a GM or assistant is available to officiate.

Only AREA ratings are at stake here. There will be no cash prizes. I will bring a prize for the highest placing finisher who is not me.

This year David Bush will be TD, with assistants to be designated.

Feel free to write to me with any questions about the tournament. My email is twixt@cstone.net and conventional address is 148 Discovery Lane, Lexington VA 24450. DO NOT send any money to this address! See the ClineCON link at the top of this page for information about entry fees.

The pie rule will be used. Suppose the set uses red and black pieces. After red makes the first move, the 2nd player has the option to swap sides if desired. This is indicated by turning the pieces box end for end (or swapping the piece boxes if they are separate) and only then pressing the clock if you are using one. As a matter of etiquette, please do not remove a pile of pieces from the box until the swap decision has been made. If sides are swapped, the player who moved first as red is now black, and makes the next move. Sides may be swapped only once per game. If the 2nd player chooses not to swap immediately after the first move, then sides may not be swapped at all that game. This is called the pie rule because it is like when two people want to share the last of the pie fairly. One person cuts the pie into two slices, and the other chooses which slice to eat. This makes the game much more balanced and interesting.

Link removal is also allowed; you may on your move remove as many of your own links as you wish, prior to adding any. This rarely happens, but sometimes you need the "elbow room" to avoid a draw or even a loss.

The complete official rules are available here.

Once you place a peg in a hole, you have committed to playing there on your move. If you are using a clock, then once you press your button, you have committed as well with respect to how your links will be arranged for that move. If there is no clock, then if it is not obvious, indicate to your opponent as a matter of courtesy when you are finished arranging your links. The time control for these games will be 25 minutes per player, with a 30 second "Bronstein" style delay per move. Details about the Bronstein delay and using the digital clocks are available here. Basically, it means you will always have at least 30 seconds to make your move.

Please be courteous to your opponent and other players. That means don't talk unnecessarily, nor otherwise do anything deliberately distracting. Don't touch the board until you make your move.

Players should sit opposite each other across the table. The lighter color border rows should be on the "top" and "bottom" edges relative to the players' perspectives, and the darker color borders should be on the left and right. The lighter color moves first.

Non-commercial sets may be acceptable to play on, as long as they are close to the same size as the 3M/AH sets, and present the game clearly and accurately. Diagonal guide lines may be permitted. Either player may insist that an unmodified commercial set in good condition be used instead, if one is available.

You may propose a draw if you believe the position is drawn. The proposal should be made at the moment you complete your move and press the clock (if you are using one.) The opponent may then accept or make a move (which is tantamount to declining.) Do not disturb the board of an agreed draw until a GM or assistant takes a look at it. We may require the players continue, if it is not clear that the position is drawn. We may also adjudicate a game as a draw if it is clearly drawn.

If a draw occurs during the elimination session only, if enough time remains, the players will play a repeat game with the other player moving first. The time control will be adjusted if necessary, to provide at least 50 minutes for each remaining round. In that case, subsequent rounds which were delayed by a repeat game may use a slightly faster time control of 20 minutes per player (with a 30 second delay.) A game where the pairing is not affected may proceed on time with the standard 25 minute + 30 second delay time control. Each player will have at least 20 minutes with 30 seconds delay per move to play a repeat game. If there is insufficient time, or if the second game is also a draw, the player with the lower seed value will advance. If the final championship game is a draw, and less than 45 minutes remains, either finalist may insist that the champion be determined by tiebreak.

Anyone who arrives more than 15 minutes later than the beginning of that session may not be allowed to play, at the GM's discretion. A player who arrives less than 15 minutes after the first round has started will be paired with an opponent if one is available, using an adjusted time control to finish the game on time (if a clock is available.) If no opponent can be found, a late entrant will receive a half-point bye for the first round. Otherwise, involuntary byes are one-point byes. Each round will begin as soon as all the games of the previous round are finished, and the pairings are determined. Twixt games tend to finish quickly, so the entire session might complete with an hour or more to spare. As clocks from completed games become available, they may be placed by the GM on unfinished games. The time control will be adjusted for the time remaining in that hour. A 30 second Bronstein delay will be used if the clock is digital. You may request a half-point bye for the first round, as long as you do so more than 10 minutes before the first round begins, and you show up on time for the second round, which may begin sooner than an hour after the first round begins.

We encourage feedback from the players. Please tell us what worked, and what didn't. Would you prefer a single Swiss session? More preliminary heats? A faster time control? Slower? Was the Bronstein delay more helpful, or more confusing?

Some sets and clocks will be provided, but we encourage you to bring your own. Analog clocks are acceptable, but either player (or the GM) has the right to demand a digital clock be used, if one is available.

Since the TD intends to compete in this tournament, there will be two designated assistants who will serve to resolve any possible dispute. If there is a dispute about a game the TD is playing, an assistant who is not involved in this game will render judgement. All the protocol details on this website will be printed out as a reference.