Battle.net Tournaments

Brood War Tournament Regular Season Finals
The regular season finals will be run as a head-to-head, single elimination tournament.

After the close of Regular Season play, Brood War Tournament Officials will select the top sixteen (16) ranked Starcraft: Brood War Ladder players, plus ten (10) alternates, to advance to the Regular Season Finals. The top sixteen (16) Starcraft: Brood War Ladder players in the Regular season will be selected and seeded by their ladder rankings. These sixteen (16) Starcraft: Brood War Ladder players will then be placed into a single elimination tournament tree. In the event of a tie, the applicable tied players will participate in a three (3) game playoff to determine the final seeding and who will advance to the regular season finals.

All matches during the Regular Season Finals will follow a head-to-head, single elimination format. The winner of each round will be the player who wins 2-out-of-3 matches against his or her opponent that round. At least one Brood War Tournament Official will be present during all such games and will moderate matches, observe matches and ensure that players are using the correct match and map settings. Brood War Tournament Officials will issue official maps to all competitors before match play begins.

Should any of the top sixteen (16) ranked Starcraft: Brood War Ladder players be unable to enter into and compete in the regular season finals competition, or should a single player hold multiple slots amongst the top sixteen (16), the top ranked alternate will be inserted into that player's slot.

Brood War Tournament World Championships
The World Championship shall be run as a head-to-head, single elimination tournament.

The 1999 World Championship event finalists will be made up by the top eight (8) Regular Season Finals finishers from both Season 01 and Season 02. These top sixteen (16) players from the applicable Regular Season Finals will be seeded by Blizzard Entertainment in its sole discretion. These sixteen (16) players will then be placed into a single elimination tournament tree, consisting of only a winner's bracket. Thereafter, the losing players from the semi-finals bracket of the World Championship will play a three (3) game match to determine third and fourth place.

All matches during the World Championships will follow a standard, head-to-head, single elimination format. The winner of each round will be the player who wins 2-out-of-3 matches against his or her opponent that round. At least one Brood War Tournament Official must be present during all such games and will observe matches, moderate matches and ensure that players are using the correct match and map settings. Brood War Tournament Officials will issue official maps to all competitors prior to the start of match play.

Blizzard Entertainment reserves the right, in it sole discretion, to hold the World Championship over the Internet and/or as a live event. If the World Championships are held as a live event, the finalists will be required to travel to the World Championship location to compete. If applicable, the finalists will be provided with round trip coach airfare, hotel accommodations and other reasonable travel related expenses. If the finalist is a minor, the minor's parent or legal guardian must accompany the minor to the World Championship event. In the event that the finalist refuses or cannot attend the World Championship event on the designated date(s), he or she will not be allowed to compete in the World Championship event and the next highest qualifier will be selected as an alternate.

Should any of the top sixteen (16) players be unable to compete in the World Championships, or should a single player hold multiple slots among the top sixteen (16) players, the top ranked alternate will be inserted into that player's slot or additional slot(s) respectively.

Ranking
Battle.net automatically ranks all players during the Regular Season. To view the latest rankings, click on the LADDER button in any Starcraft: Brood War chat room. Full details on the Battle.net Ladder ranking system can be found at http://www.battle.net/ladder/ladderfaq.shtml.

Approved Maps for Brood War Tournament Play
Round I: Regular Season
Starcraft: Brood War maps with the LADDER icon next to their names are the only maps used to calculate official standings during the Brood War Tournament. No other maps are eligible. New maps or gameplay modifications may be added by Blizzard Entertainment, in its sole discretion, during the course of the season and will take effect immediately upon their introduction.

Round II: Regular Season Finals
Starcraft: Brood War maps with the LADDER icon next to their names and specified as Regular Season Finals maps are the only maps to be used during the Regular Season Finals. No other maps are eligible. In each round, the higher ranked player will choose the map for the first game and the lower ranked player will choose the map for the second game. The Starcraft: Brood War Tournament Official will randomly select the map for the third game. The Starcraft: Brood War Tournament Official will use the following guidelines to choose the map for the third game: (i) each player will be allowed to name two maps which they do not want use in competitive play (hereinafter "Disallowed Maps"); (ii) the remainder of the maps not specifically disallowed by the players will be placed into a random drawing to be executed by the Starcraft: Brood War Tournament Official; (iii) the game will then take place on whichever map prevails; and (iv) if both players opt for every approved map to be included in the random draw, then there will be no maps thrown out. New maps or gameplay modifications may be added by Blizzard Entertainment, in its sole discretion, during the course of the regular season finals and will take effect immediately upon their introduction.

Round III: World Championships
Starcraft: Brood War maps with the LADDER icon next to their names and specified as World Championship maps are the only maps to be used during the World Championships. No other maps are eligible. In each round, the higher ranked player will choose the map for the first game and the lower ranked player will choose the map for the second game. The Starcraft: Brood War Tournament Official will randomly select the map for the third game. The Starcraft: Brood War Tournament Official will use the following guidelines to choose the map for the third game: (i) each player will be allowed to name his or her Disallowed Maps; (ii) the remainder of the maps not specifically disallowed by the players will be placed into a random drawing to be executed by the Starcraft: Brood War Tournament Official; (iii) the game will then take place on whichever map prevails; and (iv) if both players opt for every approved map to be included in the random draw, then there will be no maps thrown out. New maps or gameplay modifications may be added by Blizzard Entertainment, in its sole discretion, during the course of the World Championships and will take effect immediately upon their introduction.