Advanced rules

01Format

The Advanced category has two parts: a Spike Off that cuts the field to 8 players, then the Top 8 play Open 1v1 battles on the Advanced tricklist.

Part 1: Spike Off

• All players are on stage together (in groups if there are many). The head judge calls a trick, starting with Spike and moving on to harder spike tricks.
• On the count, every player does the trick once. Land it and you stay in; miss it and you are out.
• If every player left misses the same trick, they all stay in and the trick is played again.
• The Spike Off ends when 8 players are left. If more players miss than there are places left, those players go again until exactly 8 remain.

Part 2: Open 1v1, Top 8

• The Top 8 are drawn into a knockout bracket of 1v1 battles: quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third place battle and the final, all on the main stage.
• In a battle, both players play the 15 tricks of the list in order, taking turns trick by trick, with 2 attempts per trick.
• The player who lands more tricks wins the battle. A battle can stop early once one player can no longer catch up.

02Ties

If a battle ends with both players on the same number of landed tricks, it goes to sudden death: the head judge picks a trick from the list, starting with the hardest trick both players landed, and each player gets one attempt. If one lands and the other misses, the one who landed wins; if both land or both miss, the judge picks the next harder trick.

03Entry and check-in

Check in at the registration desk at least 30 minutes before your category starts. Players who are not there when their name is called three times, over about 2 minutes, lose that round or attempt.

Every player can enter up to 3 categories. Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced and Pro Open are levels, so a player can enter only one of them. Game of Ken and Freestyle are the same category for every player, with no levels: anyone can enter them, with or without a level category.

• Allowed: Beginner + Game of Ken + Freestyle.
• Allowed: Game of Ken + Freestyle.
• Not allowed: Beginner + Intermediate (two levels).

04Choosing your level

Choose the level that matches how you really play. You cannot enter a level below one in which you finished on the podium at any kendama contest in the last 12 months. The head judge can move a player up one level before the category starts if the player is clearly above it. Pro Open is open to every player.

05When a trick counts

A trick counts when the judge sees it done as described on the tricklist and the final catch is held still for a clear moment (about one second). Unless the trick says otherwise:

• Every attempt starts with the tama hanging still below the ken.
• Any grip and either hand are allowed.
• Touching the tama or the string with the free hand, or with the body, is a miss.
• Balance tricks (Lighthouse, Bird, Stilt and similar) must be held for 2 seconds.
• Combos (for example Around the World or juggles) must be done without stopping between the parts.

06Kendama and equipment

• Bring your own kendama. Any brand and any standard size is fine; no glued, magnetic or modified parts that make catches easier.
• Bring a spare string. You may switch to a backup kendama only between matches (heats, battles or rounds), never during a match.
• If the string or the kendama breaks during a match, that attempt is played again. You get up to 3 minutes to fix it; only in this case may you go on with a backup kendama.

07Judges

• Each category has a head judge. Each station or match has at least one judge.
• Judges decide if a trick is landed. Their decisions are final, unless they are changed after a video appeal.
• Video appeals: a player can ask for a video review of a call only right after the attempt, before the match goes on. Appeals made later, or after the match has ended, are not accepted.
• A video appeal is decided by the organisers: the call is changed only if both Andrei Bogdan and Radu Vlase validate the appeal. Otherwise the judge's decision stands.
• Only the player can ask the head judge about a call or make a video appeal, calmly.

08Fair play and safety

• Play only in the marked contest areas and keep a safe distance from people around you.
• Respect other players, judges, volunteers and the public. Unsportsmanlike behaviour can lead to disqualification from the whole event.
• Players under 18 need the consent of a parent or legal guardian; players under 14 must have an adult with them at the venue.

09Prizes

1st place: $500; 2nd place: $300; 3rd place: $150; plus kendamas.

• Prizes are handed out at the award ceremony of the category's day. Winners must be present or send someone in their name.
• Cash prizes are paid in US dollars or in Romanian lei at the exchange rate of the National Bank of Romania on the payment day, in cash at the event or by bank transfer within 30 days.
• Any tax the organiser has to withhold under Romanian law is deducted from cash prizes. Winners may be asked for an ID to receive a cash prize. Prizes for minors are handed to the parent or guardian.
• Kendama prizes depend on what our partners provide and may differ in brand and model.

10Changes to the format

Depending on the number of players, the organisers may change the number of attempts, the size of the final or the time limits. Any change is announced at check-in, before the category starts. These rules can be updated before the event; the version on this website is the one that applies.

Full conditions: Terms and conditions.