Rules & Guidelines - Cyprus Esports Organization

Conduct 6 Tournaments 7 Matches 6 Fair play 5 Teams 4 Lounges 5 Penalties 5

How we treat each other on the site, in matches, at the lounges and at events.

In short

Respect everyone: players, hosts, staff and viewers. Many of them are young.
Compete hard, lose well. No harassment, hate, threats or doxxing, anywhere CESO is.
Keep names, avatars and posts clean, and post only what you have the right to post.
See something wrong? Report it. We look into every report.

1. Respect everyone

These rules apply everywhere CESO is: on the site, in matches and their chat or voice, at the lounges, at events, and on our social channels and Discord.

No harassment, bullying, threats or stalking, and never share someone's private details (doxxing).
No discrimination or slurs about race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or age.
Trash talk stays about the game. Personal attacks are not banter.
Treat hosts, admins and lounge staff with respect. They keep the events running, often as volunteers.

The full rule: Terms, Everyone 5.

2. Names, avatars and profiles

Your nickname, avatar, bio, team name and logo must be fine for a 14-year-old to see: nothing sexual, hateful, violent or offensive, and no drug or gambling references.
Do not pretend to be another player, a streamer, a CESO staff member or an organisation.
Use your real name in the name field; it is shown on your profile (Privacy Policy). Your nickname is yours to choose.
Upload only pictures you have the right to use. Do not post photos of other people without their permission.
We rename or remove names and pictures that break these rules (Terms, Everyone 6).

3. Chat, voice and posts

No spam, scams, malware or links to them.
No sexual content, nothing that sexualises minors, and nothing that promotes violence, terrorism, self-harm or hatred.
No advertising, selling or recruiting for paid services without our permission.
Keep match chat about the match. Do not flood a channel or keep messaging someone who asked you to stop.

4. At the lounges and events

Follow the staff's instructions and the venue's posted house rules (Lounges 3).
Respect other people's space, seats and equipment. No shouting at other players or at the screen in a way that bothers others.
Being photographed: if you would rather not appear in event photos, tell the staff (Terms, Gamers 10).
No weapons or illegal drugs. Staff may ask anyone who is unsafe or disruptive to leave.

5. Reporting a problem

During a match: use Report a problem on the match page. It goes to the host and the tournament's admin (Matches 5).
Anything else: use the Contact form or write to info@ceso.cy. Say who or what, where (a link helps), and what happened. Screenshots help.
We keep the name of whoever reports confidential, and we tell you what we decided.
If someone is in danger, call 112 first.

6. Looking out for younger players

Members can be as young as 14. Do not ask anyone for personal photos or private contact details, or to move a conversation somewhere private.
Nobody may offer a young player money, items or game time in exchange for anything.
Report anything that worries you straight away. We act on it, and we tell the police when a child may be at risk.

Joining, paying, leaving, formats, start times and prizes.

In short

Read the tournament page, especially its Rules tab, before you join. Joining means you agree to them.
You can leave for a full refund until the tournament starts.
Be ready at the start time. Late players can lose their match.
Prizes are fixed and paid in full before a tournament is published.

1. Before you join

Each tournament page shows the game, platform, format, match length, start time, venue, entry fee, prizes and its own rules (the Rules tab). Read them: they add to these guidelines, and they win where they are stricter.
Check you are eligible: old enough for the game's age rating (PEGI), able to be at the venue or online at the start time, and, for team events, with enough team-mates.
One account per person. You play every match yourself, on your own account (Fair play 1).
Questions about a tournament go to its host before you join.

2. Joining and paying

Solo: press Join. Any entry fee is taken from your CESO Wallet straight away, and you get a receipt.
Teams: each player signs up first, then the captain picks the roster and joins. The fee is split across the roster (Teams 3).
Entries are sold by CESO, including for tournaments that community hosts run (Terms, Gamers 1).
A tournament may be full, or close sign-ups before it starts. CESO may refuse an entry that does not meet the rules, with a full refund.

3. Leaving and refunds

Before the start: press Leave (or Withdraw your team sign-up) and the fee goes back to the parts of your wallet that paid it.
After the start: no refund for leaving, a no-show or a disqualification.
Cancelled tournament: every entry fee is refunded.
If you cannot play after all, leave before the start. It frees your place for someone else.

4. Start times and being late

Be at the venue, or online and reachable on CESO, by the start time, ready to play.
Matches are played in the order the bracket sets. Stay close between rounds: your next match can start as soon as the players are ready.
Unless the tournament's rules say otherwise, a player or team that is not ready 15 minutes after their match is called loses it as a no-show (Matches 4).
If the host is not there within 30 minutes of the start, tell CESO. The host's no-show rules are in Terms, Hosts 7, and you are not left out of pocket.

5. Formats

Single elimination: lose once and you are out.
Double elimination: your first loss drops you to the lower bracket; a second loss and you are out. The winners of both brackets meet in the grand final.
Round robin: everyone plays everyone; the table decides the placings.
Time trial: the host records each of your attempts, up to the maximum tries the tournament allows. Your best time counts.
Match length: a single game, or best of 3, 5, 7 or 9, as the tournament page says. The host can change one match's length before it is played, for example to make the final longer.
The bracket and seeds are set when the tournament starts. They are not changed after that, except to correct a mistake.

6. Prizes

Prizes are fixed before the tournament is published and do not depend on the number of entries. Entry fees never pay the prizes of the same tournament.
Coin prizes are paid as Trophy Coins when the tournament finishes. In a team event, a coin prize is split evenly across the team's roster.
A prize can be held while a dispute or investigation about it is open, and taken back if it was won by breaking the rules.
The details: Terms, Gamers 4.

7. Which rules apply

The tournament's own rules (its Rules tab) and the game publisher's rules for community competitions add to these guidelines.
Where they say more, follow them. Where they conflict with the Terms of Service, the Terms win, unless the other rule protects you more (Terms, Everyone 2).
If a rule is unclear, ask the host before your match. During the event, the assigned admin decides.

Playing a match, results, no-shows, problems and corrections.

In short

The host starts each match and reports its result. Players never report their own matches.
Keep your evidence (screenshots, match IDs, replays) until the tournament ends.
Something wrong? Press Report a problem on the match page straight away, before the next round.
Only the tournament's assigned admin can correct a result, and they never play in it.

1. Before your match

Open your match page from the tournament or from Matches. It shows your opponent, the round and the match length.
Have your game, account and equipment ready. At a lounge, use the PC the host gives you.
Agree the game settings the tournament's rules set. If the rules do not cover something, ask the host before you start.

2. Playing

The host presses Start when both sides are ready. From then on the match is live.
Play until one side has won the match length (a single game, or best of 3, 5, 7 or 9).
A disconnect, crash or hardware fault: stop and tell the host at once. The host decides whether to pause, replay the game or carry on, following the tournament's rules. Playing on and complaining afterwards does not count.
No coaching or outside help during a game, unless the tournament's rules allow it.

3. Results

The host reports the score on the match page. Both players get a notification, and the bracket moves on.
Nobody reports or corrects a match they play in: not players, not hosts, not admins, not CESO itself (Terms, Gamers 2).
Check the reported score. If it is wrong, report a problem straight away (section 5).
Keep screenshots, match IDs or replays until the tournament has finished. They settle disputes.

4. No-shows and forfeits

No-show: a player or team that is not ready 15 minutes after the match is called, unless the tournament's rules give another time, loses the match. The host records it as a no-show loss.
Forfeit: a player or team that gives up, or is disqualified, loses the match. The host records it as a forfeit loss.
Either counts as a 1-0 win for the opponent, and the bracket moves on.
No-shows and forfeits after the start are not refunded (Tournaments 3). Repeated no-shows can lead to a ban from future tournaments (Penalties 2).

5. Reporting a problem

Press Report a problem on the match page. Only the two sides of a match can, and only while the tournament is running.
Say what went wrong in a sentence or two, and which side you think won. It goes to the host and the tournament's assigned admin.
Do it during the match or straight after it, and before the next round starts. Once the tournament has finished, its results can no longer change on the site; write to us instead (Terms, Everyone 7).
Keep playing your next matches unless the admin tells you otherwise.

6. Corrections and decisions

The assigned admin decides disputes and corrects results. They are a CESO admin who is not playing in the tournament.
When the host asks the admin for a correction, the matches that depend on that result are put on hold until the admin decides, so nobody plays a match that might change.
The admin's decision settles the match so the event can go on. You can still ask us to review it afterwards, and if we find a mistake that changed a placing or a prize, we correct the records and pay what is owed.

Cheating, accounts, match fixing, betting and bugs.

In short

Your account, your hands, your matches. No account sharing, boosting or smurfing.
No cheats, scripts, macros or exploits. Run the anti-cheat when a tournament asks.
Never fix a match, throw a game or bet on a match you play in.
Found a bug? Report it, do not use it.

1. Your own account

One person, one CESO account. A second account to enter a lower bracket or collect bonuses again (smurfing) is not allowed.
Play your own matches. Letting someone else play for you, or playing on someone else's account (boosting), is not allowed, on CESO or on the game account you compete with.
Do not share or lend your password. It also signs you in to the lounge PCs.

2. No cheating

No cheats, hacks, scripts, macros, bots, or modified software or hardware that gives an advantage.
No ghosting or stream sniping: watching a live broadcast of your own match to learn what the other side is doing.
No disrupting your opponent: network attacks, threats, or deliberately disconnecting to reset a game you are losing.
If a tournament requires anti-cheat software, run it for every match.

3. No match fixing or betting

Never agree a result in advance, lose on purpose, or split prizes in exchange for a result.
Do not bet on a CESO match you take part in, and do not pass inside information to people who bet.
Never offer or accept a bribe. If someone asks you to fix a match, tell us. We keep your name confidential.

4. Bugs and exploits

If you find a bug in a game or on CESO that gives an advantage, coins or prizes, report it and do not use it.
Using a bug on purpose is cheating, and we reverse whatever it gained (Terms, Gamers 11).
Found a security problem on the site? Write to info@ceso.cy, do not test it further, and do not look at other people's data.

5. Checks and reports

Admins may ask to see your screen, replays, game account or anti-cheat logs when a result is questioned. Refusing can count against you.
Suspect cheating? Report the problem on the match page, or write to us with what you saw.
Where a game publisher's rules require it, we may share cheating findings with that publisher.
What happens to cheaters: Penalties 2. The full rule: Terms, Gamers 3.

Creating a team, captains, rosters and the split entry fee.

In short

Anyone can create a team and becomes its captain.
For a tournament, each player signs up, then the captain picks the roster and joins.
The entry fee is split across the roster, and so is any coin prize.
The captain answers for the team's name, logo and behaviour.

1. Creating a team

Any member can create a team (your avatar menu, then Create Team), and becomes its captain.
The team's name and logo follow the same rules as nicknames and avatars (Conduct 2). We rename or remove ones that do not.
Do not create fake teams, or teams to enter the same tournament twice.

2. The captain

The captain invites and removes members, accepts requests to join, picks rosters and registers the team for tournaments. Their choices bind the team.
The captain confirms that every player on a roster is eligible and has agreed to play.
The captain is the team's contact for hosts and admins, and answers for how the team behaves at events.

3. Rosters and the split entry fee

1. Every player who wants to play signs up on the tournament page.
2. The captain presses Select Roster & Join and picks the roster from the players who signed up, at least the minimum the tournament sets.
3. When the captain confirms, each player on the roster pays their share of the entry fee from their own wallet.
Before the captain confirms, a player can withdraw their sign-up. If the team leaves before the start, each player gets their own share back.
A coin prize is split evenly across the roster; anything left over from the split goes to the player who paid the most towards the entry (Terms, Gamers 4).
Only players on the confirmed roster may play for the team in that tournament.

4. Joining and leaving a team

You join a team when you accept the captain's invitation, or when the captain accepts your request.
You can leave a team at any time. Some changes are blocked while the team is registered in a tournament that is running.
Playing for two teams in the same tournament is not allowed.

Your lounge account, booking a PC and the house rules.

In short

Your CESO nickname and password sign you in to every lounge PC. Log out when you leave.
Book a PC from the lounge's page. Cancel for free until 24 hours before.
Look after the equipment, follow the house rules and the staff.

1. Your lounge account

Sign in to any lounge PC with your CESO nickname and password, or with a code sent to your phone or email.
Playing time is charged from your CESO Wallet at the lounge's posted prices, for as long as you are signed in.
Log out when you leave. Time used while you are signed in is charged to you, even if someone else is playing.
Never let anyone else play on your account.

2. Booking a PC

Bookings are paid in full from your CESO Coins when you book.
Cancel for free until 24 hours before the start. After that, only staff can cancel, and a booking you do not show up for is not refunded.
Arrive on time: your booking ends when it says, even if you start late.
If we cannot give you the PC you booked, you get another PC or a full refund (Terms, Gamers 8).

3. House rules

Each lounge posts its own house rules. Follow them and the staff's instructions.
Keep the noise down and headsets on. Respect other players' space.
Keep your belongings with you. CESO is not responsible for lost items unless the loss was our fault.
Staff may ask anyone who breaks the rules to leave. Time already used is charged; the rest of your balance stays in your wallet.

4. Equipment

Do not install software, change settings, unplug or open PCs, or tamper with peripherals.
Tell staff straight away if something is broken or not working.
You pay for damage you cause on purpose or by carelessness, but not for normal wear.

5. Age ratings

Games carry PEGI age ratings. Staff may refuse a game above your age, and may ask for proof of age.
Members under 18 are welcome. A parent or guardian is responsible for supervising how they use the lounge (Terms, Everyone 3).

What happens when a rule is broken, and how to appeal.

In short

People, not machines, decide penalties, in proportion to what happened.
A first, minor slip usually means a warning. Cheating, fixing and threats can mean a ban straight away.
We always tell you what we decided and why, and you can appeal within 6 months.

1. How we decide

A CESO admin who is not involved reviews what happened: the reports, the evidence, and what you tell us.
We weigh how serious it was, whether it was on purpose, whether it happened before, and any harm caused.
During a tournament, the assigned admin can act at once so the event can go on. A wider penalty, such as a ban, is decided afterwards.

2. A guide to penalties

What usually happens. The admins can go lighter or stricter for good reason.

Late for a match: a no-show loss for that match (Matches 4).
Unsporting behaviour, offensive language: a warning; repeated, a forfeited match or disqualification.
Offensive name, avatar or team name: renamed or removed, and a warning.
Repeated no-shows: a ban from tournaments for a time.
Harassment, hate or threats: disqualification and a suspension; serious cases, a ban of the account.
Account sharing, boosting, a second account: disqualification, results removed, and the extra account closed.
Cheating, match fixing, betting on your own match: disqualification, results and prizes removed, and a ban.
Using a bug for coins or prizes: what was gained is reversed; on purpose or repeated, a suspension.
Damage at a lounge: asked to leave and to pay for the damage.

3. What a penalty can be

A warning; content removed or a name changed; a forfeited match; disqualification from a tournament.
Results, rankings, badges or XP removed; prizes held or taken back.
Features restricted, such as tournaments or the Shop; a suspension for a time; or a ban of the account.
Money CESO owes you is still paid out, except anything gained by breaking the rules (Terms, Everyone 11).

4. Appeals

We tell you what we did, why, how long it lasts and how to appeal.
Appeal within 6 months, by replying to our message or through the Contact form. Someone who was not involved in the decision reviews it, and we reverse it if it was wrong.
A result settled during a tournament can be reviewed afterwards too; if a mistake changed a placing or a prize, we pay what is owed.
You can also use a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body, or the courts (Terms, Everyone 7).

5. Hosts and staff

The same rules apply to hosts and staff, and some apply more strictly, because members rely on them.
A host who does not turn up to run their tournament has their account restricted and surrenders that tournament's money (Terms, Hosts 7).
Staff who misuse their access can lose their role (Terms, Staff 8).

Not sure about a rule, or want to report someone? Write to info@ceso.cy or use the Contact form. During a tournament, ask its host or admin on the match page.