1. General Provisions.

1.1. Matches are conducted according to the Rules of the Game of Table Hockey, approved by the International Table Hockey Federation (ITHF) - http://ithf.info/stiga/ithf/rules.asp.

1.2. The preliminary seeding of players for the even distribution of players into groups in the first stage of the competition is done according to the "snake" principle, based on the ITHF world ranking - http://www.stiga.trefik.cz/ithf/ranking/index.aspx.

2. Competition Formula.

2.1. Group and League Matches

2.1.1. In the first stage, players are divided into equal groups according to the seeding results.

2.1.2. The number of groups is determined based on the number of players.

• If the number of players does not exceed 20, one qualification group is created. Participants play in two rounds;

• If the number of players is 21-30, one qualification group is created. Participants play in one round;

• If the number of players is 31-45, two groups are created. Participants play in one round. The top 12 from each group move to the top league, others to the first league;

• If the number of players is 46-60, two groups are created. Participants play in one round. The top 12 from each group move to the top league. Players who finish in places 13-21 in the groups move to the first league, those in 22nd place and below move to the second league;

• If the number of players is 61 or more, three groups are created. Participants play in one round. The top 8 from each group move to the top league. Players who finish in places 9-14 in the groups move to the first league, those in 15-20 move to the second league, and those in 22nd place and below move to the third league.

2.1.3. Players in each group play in a round-robin system. Players in the top, first, and second leagues play in one round in a round-robin system.

2.1.4. For a victory in a match, a player is awarded 3 points, for a draw — 1 point, and for a loss — 0 points.

2.1.5. In case of a tie between two players, the following additional criteria are used to determine their ranking:

a) Result of their personal match;

b) Goal difference in all tournament matches;

c) Number of victories in the tournament;

d) Number of goals scored in the tournament;

e) A tiebreaker match.

2.1.6. In case of a tie between multiple players, the following criteria are used:

a) Results of their personal matches (mini-tournament);

b) Goal difference in all tournament matches;

c) Number of victories in the tournament;

d) Number of goals scored in the tournament;

e) A mini-tournament tiebreaker.

2.1.7. If in the group tournament in the first stage more than 50% of a player's results are technical, the results of matches involving this player are annulled.

2.1.8. Players who move to the top league retain the points accumulated in matches against other players who have also moved to the top league. In the first and second leagues, the results of group tournament matches are not counted.

2.1.9. Based on the results of round-robin tournaments in the top, first, and second leagues, the final positions from 13th place and lower are determined.

2.2. Playoffs

2.2.1. All playoff series are played to the best of four wins by one of the opponents.

2.2.2. If the number of players does not exceed 20, the top 8 players in the qualification group move to the playoff stage.

2.2.2.1. The quarter-final pairs are formed as follows:

I pair: 1 — 8;

II pair: 2 — 7;

III pair: 3 — 6;

IV pair: 4 — 5.

2.2.2.2. The winners of the quarter-finals play for positions 1 to 4, forming the semifinal pairs as follows:

V pair: I — IV;

VI pair: II — III.

2.2.3. If the number of players exceeds 20, the top 16 players in the qualification group (for 21-30 players) or the top league move to the playoff stage.

2.2.3.1. The 1/8 final pairs are formed as follows:

I pair: 1 — 16;

II pair: 2 — 15;

III pair: 3 — 14;

IV pair: 4 — 13;

V pair: 5 — 12;

VI pair: 6 — 11;

VII pair: 7 — 10;

VIII pair: 8 — 9.

2.2.3.2. The winners of the 1/8 final pairs will play for positions 1 to 8, forming the quarter-final pairs as follows:

IX pair: winner of I — winner of VIII 1/8 final pair;

X pair: winner of II — winner of VII 1/8 final pair;

XI pair: winner of III — winner of VI 1/8 final pair;

XII pair: winner of IV — winner of V 1/8 final pair.

2.2.3.3. The winners of the quarter-finals will play for positions 1 to 4, forming the semifinal pairs as follows:

XIII pair: IX — XII;

XIV pair: X — XI.

2.2.4. The winners of the semifinal pairs meet in a match for first place. The players who lost in the semifinals will play for third place.

2.2.5. For players who were eliminated at the same stage of the playoffs, the final ranking is determined as follows: the player with the best result in the top league (for up to 30 players — in the qualification group) takes the higher place.