TOURNAMENT FORMAT: As was the case last year, this year's tournament consists of a double-elimination Preliminary Stage followed by a single-elimination Knockout Stage: the latter will begin at the end of the round of games in which either a) only one player remains undefeated and untied, or b) two players remain undefeated and untied and there are eight or fewer players with one loss. For more information about the tournament format and other rules and guidelines, click on the relevant links at the top of the page.

Each round in this year's tournament will be expected to last no more than two-and-a-half weeks. The default method is that all games should be played via email, either via text exchange - the default option - or via CyberBoard or VASSAL, although games can also be played on VASSAL in real time if both players are willing and able to do so.

END-OF-GAME REPORTING: When you finish your game, all players will be expected to make sure either you or your opponent reports all of the following pieces of information to the GM:

• The game number of your game (as shown in the pairings for the current round)
• Which side each player was
• What the final bid was (and who made it)
• Who won the game
• How many turns the game lasted before it finished
• What the final POC margin was (after the bid) when the game finished, even if before the end of eight full turns
• Whether to the best of your knowledge you and your opponent had ever played each other in an AREA-rated game before this one