Zone Masters Rules

Requirements for Membership The Ranking System Account Rules
Challenges Playing a Match Reporting the Match
Tournaments Administration Staff Top Ten
Expected Behaviour Fill in the Blank Playing a ZM-Match
Unreported matches Incomplete matches Ladder stats
Resetting stats Disputes/Complaints
Requirements for membership •All nominees must have an advanced skill level and secondly they must be of good sound character and conduct themselves in a sportsman like manner. Any deviation from these criteria may lead to suspension or removal from the ladder.
•To become a part of the ZoneMasters ladder you should include a nomination from an existing member on the signup form. Only members who have been on ZoneMasters ladder for 1 month are eligible to nominate new players.
•Your membership must be approved by the administration before your it becomes active. •The new member must play a match within 7 days of being accepted or they will be automatically dropped from the ladder.
The Ranking System This League has a simple ranking systems. The concept was adopted from the ranking system used on the official Case's Ladders. We call it a "Ladder" because each member holds a unique rank or "rung" that represents their standing among other members. The highest-ranked member holds the #1 Ladder position; for example, someone ranked #2 is ranked below the #1 member. The goal is to "climb" the Ladder all the way to the top!

• When you first join, you are placed in an "Unranked" category on the League.
• You become "Ranked" after winning your first League match. (Unranked members may play each other, and the winner becomes ranked at the bottom of the League.)
• When you defeat a higher-ranked member, you move up in rank 49% the distance between their rank and your own.
• Example: If you are ranked #50 and you beat the #1 ranked member, then your new rank would be 25.

• Your rank on the League does not go down if you lose a match unless your opponent is ranked DIRECTLY below you.
• Example: If you are ranked #5 and the #6 ranked member defeats you, then your new rank would be #6.

• When members ranked below you are victorious against members ranked above you, it's possible the member will jump over you in rank and you will move down one rung. This depends on the ranks involved.
• Example(per 50% rank gain): You are currently ranked #7. If the #10 ranked member defeats the #1 ranked member, then #10 will advance to the #5 rung and you will fall to the #8 rung.

Account Rules • League Names • If your League name is deemed offensive or contains profanity, your account may be removed.
• If your League name is deemed abusive towards another member, your account may be removed.
• You can edit your League name, email address, password and scheduling details by using the 'Profiles' tab and choosing the 'Edit my profile'

• Inactivity • In order to keep the League as dynamic as possible, your account will be automatically deactivated if you are inactive for 255 days. You may apply to the administration to have your account reactivated.

• Multiple Accounts • Only one account is allowed per person. There are no exceptions to this rule.
• It is forbidden for more than one person to use or share the same account.
• Multiple accounts from the same location will be investigated and possibly removed.
Challenges A challenge is defined as a request for a match with a higher-ranked member. Whether you are the challenger or the one being challenged, there are some rules that must be followed. Violating these rules may result in penalties. If you notice anyone violating these rules, please contact the Admin staff.
• Chat • The best way to find League matches is to announce in chat that you are looking for a League match so that other members will know you are interested in League-play. You can also directly challenge a specific member in chat.

• Formal Challenges • Most Leagues permit the use of Formal Challenges. A complete overview of the Formal Challenge system can be found here.

• 3 time(s) Per Day • You may play the same member 3 time(s) per day. However, you may play as many different members
as you would like on any given day. A "ZM League" day begins at 12:00 a.m. Pacific Time. • Verify Information • We recommend you ensure a potential opponent is also a member of the League before starting your match. You can do this very easily by searching for your opponent using the 'Members' link on the top menu.
Playing a Match Once you are ready to start playing a League match, there are some guidelines governing game play that you should keep in mind.

• Opponents • You are not allowed to report losses to another member that also plays from the same computer as you. Our security software will detect this activity if it is attempted, and participating accounts may be penalized or removed.

• Sportsmanship • The same rules that apply to behavior in chat (covered in a later section) also apply during matches.
Reporting the Match Once your match is completed, the loser of the match is responsible for reporting the loss immediately. You can report your matches using the 'Report Loss' button located on the 'Standings' tab. Please note the 'Report Loss' link should only be used for League matches and not for tournament matches; you should consult the TD with any questions regarding reporting tournament matches. If you have any problems reporting a loss, you should contact the Admin staff and request assistance.

• Reporting the Loss • In one-on-one matches, the loser of the match reports the loss to the winner.
• In partner matches, each member of the losing team reports a loss to both partners of the winning team. At the end of the match, you would either gain two wins or report two losses.

• In "free for all" matches (matches in which multiple opponents are competing against each other without partners), each loser of the match must report a loss to one overall winner.
• When playing matches with more than one opponent, it is important for losses to be reported in the proper order if rank will be affected by the order of report. You must report to the better-ranked opponent first in those cases. It is your responsibility to make sure you report in the correct order when necessary. Not doing so may result in penalty.

• Unreported Matches • If your opponent does not report their loss within one hour after completing the match or prior to starting another match, you should click on the "Contact Admin" link and then use the "Unreported Match" form.
Tournaments The rules for a Tournament are determined by the Tournament Director hosting the event. You will find a summary of each individual Tournament, including a Rules page, if you follow the link for that specific Tournament.
Administration Staff The current administration staff are Double_Mikey (Mike), _1_lil_redhd (Caryl) and cindybel (Cindy). For technical issues contact Cindy.
Top Ten The purpose of the League is to climb to the top and the competition for the rungs in the Top Ten is high.

• Inactivity • Members in the Top Ten must play a League match at least once every 5 days; otherwise, you will be automatically dropped five rungs and your inactivity counter is reset. There are no exceptions to this rule.

.When a player reaches Rank #2 , they are to be permitted to compete against Rank #1 for the TOPDOG title.

.Player in #2 position has to post a FORMAL CHALLENGE by scheduling their match using the Warp Gammon scheduling form so that the administrators of the ladder can both view the attempts to schedule matches and accurately make decisions regarding an unplayed match. First select your opponent from the drop down list. Once the match has been played the winner should report this on the Warp table to clear the selection for the next top dog opponents. It is strongly advised that both players schedule their match from the very FIRST day.within 2 days (48 hours) after reaching the #2 spot on the ZoneMasters ladder.

.Player in #1 position has 1 day (24 hours) to respond to the FORMAL CHALLENGE or the player in position #1 will be runged 25 places.

.TOPDOG match must be completed at first available opportunity but not later than 5 days of reaching the #2 position on the ladder.

.In the eventuality that a Topdog match is NOT played within the five (5) day time limit, the ladder administrators will make a decision as to exactly what action will be taken according to the correspondence received, and the effort made by each player to complete the match within the deadline.

.Format for TOPDOG matches is 1 match of 15 points.

.The loser of the entire match needs to post ONLY 1 loss on ladder page.

.Loser of TOPDOG match has to report IMMEDIATELY and has to add under comments “TD match”.

.Loser of Topdog match will be dropped 50 rungs on the ladder.

.If it is clear that this match was not played due to the lack of effort by just one of the two players, the decision may be taken that this player alone will be runged. The Ladder co-ordinators decision is final and undisputable.

.IMPORTANT:
The TOPDOG player in #1 position CAN NOT PLAY players ranked in position #3, #4 or #5. If rank #1 does play these positions BOTH players will be dropped 25 rungs.

IMPORTANT for TOP 11 RANKS
15.Top 10 players should announce in the lobby if they want to play a ZM match.

16.Top 11 players are NOT allowed to play same opponent more than once per day. If they play a second match in one day both players will be dropped 25 ranks. 17.Any top 10 player who is inactive for more than 5 days will be runged automatically. This is a “MyLeague” rule and done automatically by them. We have no control over it.

Fill in the Blank Although we have tried to be as detailed as possible, we can't cover every aspect of gaming in our rules. Please be advised that just because something is not stated in our rules and policies, then that does not mean it is allowed. Use common sense. If it is something that will adversely affect other members and you might think twice about it, then it's probably against the rules. The Admin staff will have the final say in such matters. If you have a specific question please feel free to contact us via E-mail.
Auto-boot and auto-purging •There is an inactivity auto-boot mechanism on this ladder.
•Any ladder player who is inactive for more than 270 days will be permanently deleted from this ladder.
•New members must play a match within 15 days of being accepted or they will be automatically dropped from the ladder.
Incomplete matches •Zonemasters has a fairly laidback approach towards incomplete matches, as most would agree, there are many things in everyday life which take precedent over a simple zonemasters match. If either you or your opponent are not able to finish match, politely ask if you could finish later, and try to reschedule a finishing time / date.
•The player leading in match points should then post "incomplete match" at Forum INCOMPLETE MATCH board. This post will serve as a reminder to both yourself and your opponent that you have an unfinished match to complete.
•Once the match is completed, it is asked of the person who originally posted "incomplete", to add the mention, "YES" in the "match completed" column, or simply delete the post from link entirely.
Ladder stats Rank gain for a win: 49 %
Max matches/day between SAME users: 3 (matches)
Number of days before winning and losing streaks reset: 7 (days)
Minutes players must wait between each match report : 2 (minutes)
Days of inactivity allowed before players deleted: 90 (days)
Days new player has to play their first match before removal from ladder 7 (days)
Days of inactivity allowed before drop top ten players: 5 (days)
A top player is defined as a player less than: 11 (rank)
Days top players must wait before playing same user again: 1 (days)
Highest rank that is allowed to utilize formal challenge system: 2 (rank)
Days between formal challenge by same users: 3 (days)
Days players have to complete formal challenge: 5 (days)
Resetting stats •Premium members can reset their stats under "Profiles/Edit my profile".
•Account/stats can be reset ONLY to 0 wins 0 losses and LAST rank
Disputes/Complaints •If there is any dispute between two players during a match try to contact one of the ladder. administrators DoubleMikey, _1_lil_redhd or cindybel.
•For complaints please use the “Contact Administrator” button under "Help" on main ladder page.
•For suggestions, whining or bitching, jokes, news, etc please use the forum.

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