A tournament is a type of competition in which competitors are ranked according to their performance in a series of matches. This form of competition is common in team sports, racket and combat sports, some card games and board games, and competitive debating.
Tournaments can take many forms, from small local tournaments or weekly events at gaming shops to massive esports competitions with thousands of attendees. The key to a successful tournament is to create an environment where players enjoy themselves and feel confident that they will not only have fun but also improve their gameplay.
For most people the most important thing is ensuring they are attending the right type of tournament for their budget and level of experience. In the beginning it is usually better to start with small local tournaments (often called “locals”) that are running or about to begin. In this way a player can build up their experience and skills without risking too much money. For most new players this is a safe and comfortable way to get into the tournament scene.
Locals are often run at game shops, bars and community centers and are typically inexpensive to enter. They are the first step for most newcomers to the game and an excellent opportunity to meet fellow competitors and learn from them. They are also an ideal way to see if you want to continue with the competitive scene in general.
The structure of a tournament is the set of rules that determine how players compete against each other. Generally, the structure is designed to ensure that the overall ranking of competitors accurately reflects their true strengths and weaknesses. This is achieved by providing a set of criteria that every match must fulfill to be considered a valid part of the tournament. In addition, the tournament should exclude meaningless matches for one or both participants, tactical results and collusion by two or more competing teams at the expense of third parties.
It is also important to consider when it is a good time to play a tournament. If a person’s life is currently filled with stress then it probably is not a smart idea to force themselves to play in a tournament that will require a lot of energy and nerves.
The table below displays an overview of the available parameters that can be adjusted in order to find a tournament that suits a particular player. The tournament search can be filtered by distance, level, gender and more. Clicking on a tournament will display more details. You can also filter the results by adding a start or end time to your search. When searching by start or end time, the search acts as an upper bound; a tournament that meets or exceeds this value will be displayed in your results.