Rules

General

• Once you register you’ll get a direct link to the tournament ladder where you can spectate or enter to start coding.
  
• The tournament for Asian players starts Sunday , August 1 at 8:30AM (Beijing time) and ends Tuesday, August 31 at 5:00PM (Beijing time).
• The final day to register for the tournament is August 31 at 5:00PM (Beijing time).
• You’ll find more directions and all the methods and properties you’ll need to set up your units once you join the arena.
• Once the tournament ends, submissions will be locked for a final ranking and verification period.

Scoring

• In each arena your code will play constantly in the background against other players to determine how strong it is.
• The number of points you earn for a match are determined by a Bayesian calculation predicting how likely you were to win that match. So if you beat a player ranked higher than you, you gain more points. Beat a player lower than you, gain fewer points. Lose to a weaker player, lose more points. Lose to a stronger player, lose fewer points. Your code will play on both the red and blue teams.
• You can test your code against any player and improve your strategy until you win, but remember: no points are scored until you submit your latest code and it starts to automatically play matches against other players.
• Final rankings will be determined based on the red side of the leaderboard, should red and blue rankings differ.

Prizes

• Prizes will be awarded to those who achieve top place in their bracket based on their placement within the leaderboard. For example, if you place 1st among other 1-3 graders, you win the 1st player prize for the Grade 1-3 bracket listed in the Prize section.
• If you have submitted code more than once, we will only count your highest submission when distributing prizes. 
  
• We will work with winners to distribute their prizes in a timely manner after the tournament has concluded and all winners are verified. Please expect delays if you reside outside of the United States due increased shipping times.

Verifying Potential Winners

• We may ask players to identify themselves so that we can detect duplicate entries.
• All players eligible for prizes agree that refusing to provide us with identifying information may lead to ineligibility for prizes.

Eligibility

• Have a CodeCombat account? Great. If you don't, no problem!
  Participants must have a free or paid CodeCombat account to participate AND register for CodeQuest 2020. You can register for an account before or after you register for the tournament.
  
• Are you in grades 1-12 or of equivalent age/grade?Awesome!
  CodeQuest is open to all kids in public, charter, private, or home schooled students of equivalent age/grade. Don’t fall into those age ranges but still want to compete? You can still join the fun!
  
  Prizes will be awarded to the top ranked players in each bracket - so everyone has a fair chance of scoring points:
  
  
  • Grades 1-3
  • Grades 4-6
  • Grades 7-12
  • Open (No age restrictions)
• Are you in the US or not in one of the the countries listed below? If so, you're free to register for CodeQuest 2020!
  The tournament is not open to people in the following countries or states that prohibit participating or receiving a prize (they are free to play in the arena, but cannot receive a prize): Brazil, Quebec, Italy, Cuba, Sudan, Iran, North Korea, and Syria.
  

  FAQ

  Can my classmates, friends, family members, and pets join too?
  To be eligible for prizes, your code should be your own, individual work.
  ‍
  However, you are free to invite your friends, classmates, and family to join and compete against your army, even your pets. If Fido can code, Fido can compete, sadly Fido can’t compete for prizes : )
  
  
  Do I have to pay anything?
  You can play for free!
  
  ‍However, to play for prizes there is a one time $5 fee which is only to cover the costs of verifying age eligibility.
  
  Paying the fee will not increase your chances of winning.
  Do I have to submit anything?
  To be eligible to win prizes you only need to submit your code, the $5 fee, and be registered for the tournament.
  
  If you are one of the top players in your bracket throughout the tournament, we’ll ask if you would like to submit a recording (with your parents permission) or picture so we can showcase you and your strategies during the Live Awards Celebration.
  
  

Submission Rights: We reserve the right to use your submission, username, and any recording or image you submit to us during the tournament for marketing and promotional purposes when talking about CodeQuest.