Tournament rules & terms
Octile is operated by [Company name], [registered address], India.
1. Who can play
Anyone with an account and a verified date of birth. Players under 18 need a parent or guardian to approve their account before entering any event with prizes. Some events have age or rating limits, shown on the event page.
2. Entering and withdrawing
You enter by registering on the event page before registration closes. If an event has an entry fee, your place is held for 30 minutes while you pay and is confirmed once payment succeeds.
Entry fees are non-refundable if you withdraw or fail to play. If we cancel an event (including when too few players enter), every entry fee is refunded in full to the original payment method. Fees cover entry and administration only. They are not a stake and do not fund the prizes.
3. Prizes
Prizes are fixed amounts announced on the event page before registration opens, funded by the named sponsor or by Octile. They never depend on the number of entries. Gold, Silver and Bronze go to the top three after tiebreaks; prizes are not shared. Prizes are paid within 30 days after a fair-play review and verification of the winner's PAN and payout details. Tax is deducted at source (TDS) as the law requires and a certificate is provided. Prizes won by players under 18 are paid to their parent or guardian. Team prizes are paid to the team captain.
4. The draw and time slots
When registration closes, the system pairs players automatically (Swiss, round robin or knockout, as stated) and gives every round a fixed time slot. Each pairing shows your opponent, colour and start time. Swiss pairings follow Dutch-system principles: players meet opponents on the same score, never play the same opponent twice, and colours are balanced.
5. Playing your games
- Be at your board when your round starts. White must move within 5 minutes of the start; Black must reply within 5 minutes of White's first move. Otherwise that player loses by forfeit.
- Clocks start after Black's first move. If your time runs out you lose, unless your opponent cannot possibly checkmate, in which case it is a draw.
- Checkmate, stalemate, threefold repetition, the 50-move rule and insufficient material are applied automatically.
- Knockout games are Armageddon: a draw sends Black through.
- Lost connections are not a reason to replay a game: your clock keeps running.
6. Fair play
You must play every move yourself, without engines, other people, books or any outside help. We analyse games and record signals such as switching away from the game tab. We may disqualify players, withhold prizes, close accounts and keep entry fees where we find cheating. Our arbiter's decisions on results are final, subject to the appeal in section 8.
7. Teams
The captain enters the team with a fixed board order and pays any entry fee. Team matches score 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw; ties are broken by total board points. A missing player loses their board by forfeit.
8. Complaints and appeals
Email [support email] within 48 hours of a game. Our grievance officer, [name], responds within 7 days.
9. No betting
Betting, wagering or staking on any game or event, by players or spectators, is forbidden and will lead to account closure.