A tournament is an event with multiple participants, wherein at least three competing individuals are involved in a game or sport. More specifically, the word can be used both in the sense of single elimination and in the sense of multi-elimination competition: in the former, one contestant can be eliminated when all the other contestants are still standing; in the latter, there are more than one elimination rounds, each concluding with the last remaining contestant. Tournaments have different rules depending on what the tournament is: some have age limits, others have restrictions on the number of games played or the location of the tournament (e.g., the top four players in a region are required to face off in another region). Tournaments can be organized by private organizations or by the government.
A tournament can have a single winner; a tournament may have multiple knockout games, with the first round consisting of teams only; a tournament may have a consolation cup, offering a small prize to the winner; or a tournament may have no winner or loser, but just a consolation prize, which may not be awarded to the teams participating. The point system used for awarding tournament prizes is based on the relative merits of the teams participating. The actual amount won or lost during the tournament does not affect the value of the prize; what does affect it is the likelihood of the team winning the tournament and its placing relative to the other teams. Sometimes, a team that wins a tournament may be eliminated in the same year as another team that finished with the same score, so that to give an extra incentive to the teams, the tournament’s outcome is often adjusted upward (to make it easier for the favorite to win the next year).
Tournaments can have many different levels of competition, from beginner teams, who only consist of members who have never competed before, up to professional teams, whose members are known to compete in the world’s most prestigious tournaments. The structure of a tournament varies according to the nature of the competition it hosts. In a skill-cement tournament, a set number of balls with a specific color are presented to the competitors. The competitor with the most balls at the end of the allotted rounds wins. In a puzzle tournament, the competitors are asked to complete a large number of mazes in order to be eligible to win. Competitors who successfully complete the puzzle are not necessarily given the final prize, rather, they are given a commemorative plaque that includes information about their performance.
A large number of people play intramural games; these people usually play intramural competition regularly. Intramural tables are very similar to intercollegiate tables, in that both have teams of players, and the teams have been established beforehand to compete against each other. However, intramural competitions differ in that instead of being divided into teams, players are allowed to converse amongst themselves, and can adjust the difficulty of the game at will. Players have a great deal of freedom, and can decide whether they want to play a simple game or a game of advanced strategy, depending upon how much time they have to spend working on their problem. Many people spend many hours perfecting their strategy, and this style of playing is not only highly competitive, but can be extremely enjoyable as well.
Tournament type competitions involving academic disciplines are often referred to as Sports Events. There are many different types of sports events; although swimming and softball are two of the most popular sports event types. An academic tournament can be a simple competition between teams of varying degrees of ability; however, it can also be an academic contest, involving teams of all levels of academic achievement. These tournaments are a lot of fun, and can often produce some fantastic sports drama.
Finally, there are Tournaments and Intercollegiate Tournaments. Tournaments can take several forms, from pure eliminations, to simulated heats, and even games within specific formats, such as baseball vs. cricket. Intramural and intercollegiate tournaments tend to be more structured than a pure elimination tournament, and there are usually fixed teams or formats which must be followed. However, there are no ties in these tournaments; if a team wins, they have only themselves to thank for their victory.