The Chillas Rock League has rules that apply specifically to our league. These rules are listed below, and are necessary to ensure the integrity of the league. If you cannot abide by all of these rules, please do not register on this league; if you are already a member, please withdraw or ask to be withdrawn. These rules apply to ALL league members and league staff. There will be NO exceptions, period. If you have any questions, or suggestions for rule changes that would improve the league, please feel free to contact the Admin team.

THIS IS AN ADULTS ONLY LEAGUE.
The Chillas Rock League is exclusively for adult participants. Many of our game rooms are uncensored, and are not appropriate for minors. Children under the age of 18 will not be accepted under any circumstances. Players found to be underage will be booted from the Chillas Rock League. In addition, childish behavior, belittling other league members and disruptive behavior may also get you boxed or booted.

NO DRAMA!
The purpose of this league is to provide fair tournament play to our members in a relaxed atmosphere. Leave your arguments and whining at the door; the other league members are here during their free time, for relaxation, and should not have to be drawn into your arguments and complaints. Players who are found to be misusing the friendly nature of our players or our staff will be disciplined by boxing, or will be removed from the league. Since the rooms we play in are public, occasionally an idiot will wander in to cause trouble. We STRONGLY recommend the use of the mute button in such cases. Arguing with a fool only feeds their need for attention, and disturbs other league members; a member who cannot resist is subject to boxing. If you are having a problem with a specific league member, staff member or league policy, please take it up privately with a member of the Admin team.

THE NUNYA RULE
Another aspect of integrity is confidentiality. Information about league members is protected, and is shared with staff members on a strict "need to know" basis to do their job, otherwise it's NUNYA business. No Chilla staff member will reveal confidential information about one member to another. All staff members are strictly held to this policy, and breach of it is grounds for disciplinary action as determined by the Head Admin.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTORS
Tournament Directors must remain professional and unbiased at all times. If you cannot maintain your professionalism during a tournament, please put yourself on hiatus until such time as personal issues or personality conflicts do not impede the hosting responsibilities which you have accepted. TD's who violate this rule will be boxed and/or removed from the league and/or DQ'd from special events. If a TD can not finish a tournament, they may request that a Head TD finish it for them using the same format as stated in the beginning of the tournament. Formats vary by TD and it is the TD's job to give game specific rules to the players before the tournament starts either in the chat room or via a tournament message.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR REQUIREMENTS
Applications for TD may be sent via the link found under the Tournament Directors link on the Chillas Rock website. Criteria for consideration are a minimum of two months in the league, active participation in league matches and tournaments, a minimum of 50 tournaments as a player with at some in each tournament style (single elimination, double elimination and swiss system), computer literacy, willingness to set and maintain hosting commitments, and a professional attitude. Applicants, if hired, must also be willing to download (if necessary), use, and be visible to Chilla staff and players on Yahoo Messenger, which is the primary means of communication between staff members. Mitigating factors which might lower the requirements to apply as a TD may include previous hosting experience or prior status on the league.

Under no circumstances may an Admin, HTD or TD hold a staff position on another league. This constitutes a conflict of interest, so if you hold such a position elsewhere, do not bother applying for a position on this league.

BOXING AND BOOTING
Only Admins have the power to remove a league member. Any threats against any other member will not be tolerated. Removal is at the discretion of the Admin team only. Threatening other league members will result in YOU being removed. Badgering, harassing or otherwise annoying staff members may result in boot or box.

Boxed members, regardless of any premium memberships will ONLY be unboxed at the discretion of the Head Admin.

CHANGES TO THESE RULES
Rules are subject to change without notice at the discretion of the Head Admin. All league members are responsible for knowing and abiding by current rules as posted before tournament or league match play.

MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

• League membership is limited to adults 18 and over.
• To be accepted as a member of the Chillas Rock league, an applicant must be a permanent member (of more than 30 days duration) of Club Pogo. Should it be determined that a league member no longer has a valid Club Pogo account, they will be removed from the league.
• This is a private league. Application to join is no guarantee of acceptance. Approval for membership is solely at the discretion of the Admin team, and may be refused for any reason.

THE RANKING SYSTEM

• The ranking system used by Chillas Rock is called the "Ladder" because each player has a unique rank or "rung" that represents their standing among other players. The highest ranked player holds the #1 position. Someone ranked #2 is ranked below the #1 player. So, the goal is to "climb" the "Ladder" all the way to the top.
• When you first join you are placed in the "Unranked" category of the Ladder.
• You become "Ranked" after winning your first Ladder match or first round in a tournament.
• When you defeat a higher ranked player you move up 10% of the distance between their rank and your own.
• Your rank on the Ladder does not go down if you lose a match unless your opponent is ranked directly below you.
• When other players beat people above you and jump over you in rank, you slide down.
• To keep the Top 20 active, players in this elite group must play often to keep their spot. A player in the top 20 who does not play within 3 days will slide 5 places in rank, and the 3 day rule repeats until a match is posted or they are out of the top 20.
• Additional special rules exist for players ranked in the Top 10. These rules will be covered in a later section.

ACCOUNT RULES
Since your Ladder account is where all your records are kept, we have some special policies regarding it. These are very important and you should pay close attention to them.
 
E-mail Address:

• Your E-mail address must be kept current on the Chillas Rock website, as it is the only way we have of contacting you. Use the 'User Editor' or 'My Account' links if you need to change it.
• If your E-mail address is found to be invalid your account will be removed.

Ladder Names and Passwords:

• Your Ladder name should closely match your Club Pogo name. If multiple players use a single Club Pogo name, both Ladder names should resemble the Club name, with enough variation to enable our TD's to differentiate between the two players.
• If your Ladder name is found to be abusive towards another user your account will be removed.
• If your Ladder name is found to be too similar to an existing user's nickname you will have to choose another.
• You are only allowed to change your Ladder name once per week.
• It is illegal to share your password with any other user for the purpose of registering for a tournament, reporting a loss, or for any reason. MyLeague software is configured to detect such actions; if you are discovered using another user's password both of your accounts may be removed.

Inactivity

• If you haven't played a match or tournament in 60 days you will be automatically removed for inactivity in order to keep the Ladder as dynamic as possible and give everyone a chance to move up.
• Removal for inactivity is completely automated. No exceptions are made to this rule. Our players want an active league full of opponents who can be easily found.
• MyLeague offers optional Gold, Platinum and Diamond Membership programs. One of the benefits to these programs is the fact that you cannot be purged for inactivity. This program is recommended for frequent travelers or those in the military. Signup information can be found by using the 'Membership Info' link on the left hand side of the page.

Multiple Users

• We only allow a set number of accounts from one location. If this number is exceeded your accounts will be investigated and possibly removed. We have an automated security system to keep track of this information, and all new account info is logged.
• It is illegal for one person to have multiple accounts. Only one account is allowed per person, period.
• It is illegal for more than one person to use or share the same league account. You are more than welcome to each participate in the league, but you will have to create separate accounts for each individual playing. Multiple people can share a Club Pogo name, but your Ladder name must be unique and only used by you.

EXPECTED BEHAVIOR
As a member of the Chillas Rock league, you are representing all of us when you are chatting in rooms, and playing in tournaments and Ladder matches. Because we rely heavily on the support of Pogo for the games that we play, it's part of your duty to be responsible in your behavior so that you don't give the Ladder (and other players) a bad name.
 
Cheating

• It goes without saying that we won't stand for cheating of any kind. This includes, but is not limited to, breaking rules, using modified executables, reporting false results, or otherwise tampering with Ladder rankings.
• There will be no autoplay, card counting or other enhancement programs allowed during a tournament, period. Autoplay is a direct violation of Pogo rules and any player found to be using autoplay will be reported to Pogo as well as booted from the league. There are no exceptions to this rule.
• At no time may a false win or loss be claimed in a tournament or individual match. Reporting any sort of fraud will result in immediate expulsion from the league. All logs of all matches are checked on a daily basis by a staff Admin, and league staff members spot check stats frequently during tournament play.
• Reports of cheating should be made to the Admin team, who will thoroughly investigate the allegation. Such will be held in strict confidence to maintain the integrity of the league and will be on a 'need to know' basis only to make the determination of fairness in play.

Abuse

• If you encounter another league member behaving in an unacceptable manner in chat the best thing to do is just ignore them. We are an adult league, playing for the most part in uncensored chat rooms, and we are not arbiters of public behavior – we are a gaming league. That being said, if you notice one particular user being abusive repeatedly, please let the Admin team know. Please be sure to include all pertinent information, such as the offender's username, and a brief explanation, or better yet a screen shot, of the problems that you encountered.
• There are many players available to challenge. It is illegal to continually harass one specific player for a Ladder match. If you need a match with a specific person and are having a problem getting it let us know via the 'Support' link rather than harassing that individual, and we will help you resolve the conflict.
• We encourage you to try to solve problems on your own before bringing it to the Admin team or the MyLeague staff, but not to the point of creating hardship to yourself or harassing other users. We have one of the best support staffs available on the Internet. If you have a problem we are here to help you.
• It is illegal to abuse or harrass another league member. If you are observed being abusive in chat it could result in penalty. Depending upon the extent of the abuse you might not always receive a warning in these cases. It is important to remember that two wrongs do not make a right. In other words, if you are being harrassed by another league member, ask for assistance. Do not take matters into your own hands or return the abuse, or you could find yourself in trouble as well.

Nice Guy Rule:

• Please note that behavior guidelines apply for all methods of communication. This includes chat, E-mail, message forums, instant messengers, etc. Treat other members with the same respect you expect to receive!

TOURNAMENTS

• Most league matches are typically held via the tournament format. Winning a round of a tournament by beating your opponent is the equivalent of a Ladder match. Tournament matches are reported to the league by the hosting TD (Tournament Director).
• This is a multi-game Ladder. Ladder members are responsible for making sure they are in the correct tournament and in the correct room. Members who have signed up and checked-in for a tournament but are not in the room at least 5 minutes prior to tournament start time, may be withdrawn by the hosting TD.
• All Tripeaks players will refresh before each tournament begins unless otherwise instructed by the hosting TD. Once a tournament has started, do not refresh again unless instructed to do so by the TD.
• The staff is very aware that there may be disconnections due to unforeseen circumstances that are beyond your control, however, wins must be verifiable via your profile so if you leave the room, play an extra hand, get disconnected or refresh your stats before instructed to do so, you will be disqualified from the current round and possibly the entire tournament. The TD has final discretion on DQ's for all the players in their tournaments. TD's that abuse their powers of DQ may be boxed and/or removed from staff. Players who argue with the final decision of the TD may be boxed and/or removed from the league. Please be aware that TD's own their tournaments, and appealing to an Admin on a decision made by a TD during a tournament will not help you.
• After refreshing for a tournament, under NO circumstances may a tournament entrant begin play until s/he is specifically instructed to do so by the TD, and will only play those hands necessary to determine a round or tie breaker. Any entrant who has played additional hands or who it has been determined began play before instructed, will be DQ'd from that tournament. Any player who continually violates this rule will be removed from the league.
• After playing a tournament round and being defeated, you must not resume play or leave the tournament room until the next round has begun, or until you are released by the TD. Any player who continually violates this rule will be removed from the league.
• The rules are determined for each individual tournament by the TD hosting the event. If you click on the link for a specific tournament you will see a summary of that tourney, including a 'Rules' link where you can find out the specific rules for that event. Rules and table settings (where applicable) may also be listed on the main tournament page, and it is the player’s responsibility to read and understand the rules prior to the start of play.
• Players who are 'no shows' for a tournament, or who, for whatever reason, go away from their keyboard and do not respond to calls from the TD are subject to being DQ'd from that tournament, with loss(es) posted to their account. Repeat offenders will be boxed or booted from the league.
• At the completion of a tournament, the wins/losses will be verified. No entrant should return to regular play until they have been given leave to do so by the TD. Violation will result in DQ for the tournament. Continual violations may result in boxing and/or removal from the league.

LADDER MATCHES
A one on one contest between league members outside the bounds of a tournament is called a Ladder Match. Ladder matches can be held in any game, or for competition of any kind, with the agreement of both parties. The loser of a Ladder match reports the loss directly to the league, by using the Report Loss box or link on the league page.

When you are in a chat room trying to find a Ladder match, you should be courteous and respectful to other people in the room. Repeatedly asking for a Ladder game tends to annoy people very quickly. This could make them not want to play you, and make it harder for you to move up the Ladder.

Whether you are the one looking for a match or the one being asked to play there are some guidelines that need to be followed. Violating these could result in penalties. If you notice anyone violating these rules please feel free to contact The Admin team, or MyLeague staff using the 'Support' area.
 
Playing a Match:

• Once you have found an opponent and you are ready to start your match, there are some rules about the match to keep in mind.

Failure to Finish Match:

• Once you start a match you are responsible for completing it. If you have to leave before the game is finished for any reason it is considered a loss and you need to promptly report it.
• Although it does not happen often it is possible that you or your opponent may be disconnected from the game or the Internet entirely before your match is finished. If one player was clearly losing at the time of disconnect then that person should be a good sport and report the loss. If there was no clear winner at that point in the match, and it is not a game that allows you to continue, then a rematch is suggested.

Opponents:

• You are not allowed to play Ladder matches against people who live in the same household as you. You can play friends and relatives who do not live with you, but you should not limit your Ladder matches to friends and relatives alone. Remember, the idea of the Ladder is to see how you stack up against players from all over the world--not across the street.
• You are not allowed to report losses to anyone who plays from the same computer as you do…ever. Our security software will detect this activity if it is attempted and participating accounts will be penalized or removed.

Sportsmanship:

• The same rules that apply to behavior in chat (covered previously in these rules) also apply during tournaments and Ladder matches. If we receive complaints about the behavior of a player, steps will be taken to deal with the problem.
• It is illegal to play in more than one Ladder match at a time. This slows down game play for everyone.

Reporting the Match:

• Once your game is completed the loser of the match is responsible for reporting it as soon as possible. Here are some things to remember regarding reporting your losses.
• Report Immediately: The loser of the Ladder match reports. Losses are to be reported immediately after a game is completed... before any further Ladder matches are started. Not reporting promptly will result in penalty.
• Problems Reporting: If you have a problem and cannot report your own loss, immediately contact the Admin staff, who will report it for you.

Unreported Matches:

• Most unreported matches are a simple case of forgetfulness on the part of your opponent. A simple reminder in chat is usually enough to get the match reported.
• If your opponent has not reported your match within an hour of the match you should ask them to private chat and make a single request that they report. If you don't see them online, send them a friendly e-mail reminder to do so. In most cases this is all that is needed to get them to post.
• If they still have not posted an hour after your private chat reminder and you see them online playing other matches you should follow the "Support" link and submit an unreported match claim against them. MyLeague staff will handle the situation from there for you.
• If you use an e-mail reminder, you should give them 24 hours to post their loss before submitting an unreported match claim against them in order to give them time to receive your e-mail.
• You should never harass another user in chat or interrupt their other Ladder matches in an attempt to get them to report. If your reminder(s) have not been effective, you should let Chillas Rock Staff settle the dispute for you.

Three Matches Per Day:

• You can only play 3 Ladder matches against the same person each day.
• You can play as many different people as you'd like on any given day.

Priority:

• If you have multiple people challenging you at once you should play the person with the highest rank.

First Come, First Served:

• The priority rule for accepting challenges only applies when you have multiple challenges at the same time. If you are challenged by someone you should not go to chat and actively seek someone higher in rank to challenge you, rather you need to accept the first challenger.

Specific Ranks:

• It is illegal to refuse matches based on Ladder rank. You may request a specific rank or range when advertising for a challenge, but you may not refuse a valid challenge simply because the challenger is not the rank you want to play against.

FORMAL CHALLENGES

• Formal challenges are made via e-mail, only to the top 10 players on the Ladder.
• Formal challenges should only be used if you have trouble setting up a match via the normal methods.
• Only league members ranked in the top 50 are allowed to issue formal challenges.
• If you are found to be issuing formal challenges excessively and without first attempting to get a match via the traditional methods you will be penalized.

TOP TEN
Because everyone dreams of being in the Top Ten we have some special rules that apply for these users. This keeps the competition for these slots in high gear. Only players who are ranked in the Top Ten need to worry about these.
 
Top of the Heap:

• Everyone wants a shot at #1; consequently there should be a lot of activity and movement in the top ranks of the Ladder. Remember that rank has priority when it comes to challenges. Keeping that in mind, the number one player should play the number two player as often as possible.

Inactivity:

• Players in the Top Ten must play at least once every 3 days. If the don't they are automatically dropped five rungs and their inactivity counter is reset. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Rank Hounding:

• Players in the Top Ten are expected to be as active after they reach the top ranks as they were before. In other words, if you are playing 20 games a day to make it to the Top Ten and then only play once a week to hold your rank you may be penalized.

Leapfrogging:

• Players in the Top Ten should try to play the person ranked directly below them at least once every three days. If you are found to be avoiding challenges that put your rank at risk your account will be penalized.
• Top Ten players must take challenges in order of rank as with other users.
• Unless you are ranked in the top 50 of the Ladder it is illegal use the Formal Challenge process to request a match from any of the Top Ten players. Even then formal challenges should be reserved for situations in which you have failed in attempts to get a match via the traditional methods. If you receive a mail from a player outside of this range you should reply and gently remind them of the rules.

Waiting Lists:

• Use of waiting lists' is strongly discouraged. If someone asks for a match and you are already playing, simply tell him or her that. Lists only serve to foster discouragement on the part of the users who are constantly told they are being added only to rarely get the promised match. You are not expected to play every person on the Ladder just because you are ranked in the Top Ten. You fought your way up there one rung at a time and so must everyone else.

Fair Play:

• It should go without saying that other Top Ten players who challenge you should be treated with the utmost respect and courtesy. You should do your best to see that challenges of this nature are played as soon as possible for the benefit of both parties. Avoiding or delaying challenges from other Top Ten members will result in penalty.

Image:

• Because everyone has got their eyes on the top ranks of the Ladder we expect the members of this elite group of players to conduct themselves appropriately. This means we will be keeping a closer eye on them than most. You are among the Top Ten players in the world in your chosen game. Set a good example!
• There is a lot of competition and pressure associated with being ranked in the Top Ten. Remember that this is just a game and above all meant to be fun!

FILL IN THE BLANK
We can't cover every aspect of gaming in our rules. We have tried to be as thorough as possible and cover all the basics. However, just because something is not listed doesn't mean that it is allowed. Use common sense. If it is something that will adversely affect other players or the league, and you might think twice about doing it's probably against the rules. The Chillas Rock Admin team and/or the MyLeague staff has the final say in such matters. If you have a specific question please feel free to contact us.