Division (U13) Hokushinetsu Block

• Tournament Name
Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division (U13 Division)

• Game Software to Be Used
Game Title:
Puyo Puyo eSports for Nintendo Switch™

• Tournament Overview
The Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship is a national Esports tournament composed of players who have made it through their regional qualifiers and earned the right to represent their prefecture. This tournament is designed to determine the top esports prefecture as determined by various competitive events and divisions.
The Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division is a tournament for players who reside in Japan,and who meet all of the necessary conditions. The tournament will proceed according to the outline detailed below.

1. Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Online Regional Qualifiers
→The Online Regional Qualifiers (Score Attack) will include eight blocks in total, made up of seven regional blocks plus one Saga Prefecture (the host prefecture) block.
These matches will be used to determine the representative players from each prefecture.

2. Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Regional Finals
→ Offline (in-person) tournaments will be held at seven Aeon Mall stores throughout the country in order to determine the representatives for each prefectural block.
The Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Local Regional Qualifiers will also be held on the same day.
* The Saga Prefecture block is exempt from these qualifiers. Players from this block will automatically advance to the Championship Finals.

3. SAGA 2024 Culture Program of Saga National Sports Festival and National Sports Festival for People with a Disability Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Championship Finals
→ The Championship Finals will be held on Saturday, December 14, 2024 and Sunday, December 15, 2024
in order to determine the top player in the nation from the pool of prefectural representatives.

• Sponsors, Supporting Companies, In Cooperation With
Sponsors: Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Executive Committee
(Japan esports Union, SEGA CORPORATION)
Supporting Companies: I-O DATA DEVICE, INC., PUMA Japan K.K.
In Cooperation With: Tekwind Co., Ltd., Harman International Japan Co Ltd

• Entrance Qualifications
Entrants who meet the requirements listed below will be eligible to participate in the U13 Division tournament.
- Be a student enrolled in an elementary school at the cutoff time for entry.
- Reside in Japan and be able to communicate in Japanese (there are no restrictions on the entrant's nationality).
- Have the permission of a parent or guardian in order to participate in the tournament.
- The Entrant and parent or guardian must agree to the Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division (U13 Division) Terms of Entry.
- Be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times for the duration of the tournament.
- Be able to follow the instructions provided by Sega and/or the event staff.

• Awarding of Puyo Puyo RANKING POINTS
Puyo Puyo RANKING POINTS will be given out based on each participant's Championship Finals entry and final results.

* The points awarded will be based on each participant's final results upon the conclusion of the Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA - Championship Finals.
* Participants must register for Puyo Puyo Camp in order to receive the points. (https://puyo-camp.jp/)
- All participants must register via the external website in order to receive the points.
Register here →https://puyo-camp.jp/events/15240
- The points will not be awarded if the registration deadline is missed, regardless of the reason.
- The points will be awarded to players who actually participate in the tournament. Participants who do not attend the tournament or quit during tournament play will not receive the points.
* An X (formerly Twitter) account is needed to register for Puyo Puyo Camp.
In the event that there are age restrictions for creating an account, entrants must adhere to X's Terms of Service
and be sure to have a parent or guardian register and manage the account on their behalf.

• How to Enter the Tournament
Participants must register with a prefectural block.
As the host for the tournament, Saga Prefecture has been given a special exemption for the Regional Finals.
Entrants from Saga Prefecture are able to advance straight to the Championship Finals.

• Entry Deadline
Sunday, September 1, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.
1. The representatives for each prefecture shall be contacted by Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
2. Entrants should reply to the event staff with their intent to enter the tournament by Sunday, September 8, 2024.
3. Once we have obtained the information for all of the representative players, it will be published on a dedicated website.
* Entrants who have not received a message from the event staff by Wednesday, September 4, 2024,
have not been selected for participation in the tournament.
* There will be no adjustments to the rankings based on entrant withdrawals.

The entrant's registered prefecture must be one of the following locations:
1) Residence  2) Place of school or work  3) Birthplace (hometown)

- If the above locations for the entrant are in different prefectures and are also assigned to different prefectural blocks, then as a special exception, the entrant may register to enter a maximum of two blocks.
* All entrants must check in by the required time on the day of the Online Regional Qualifiers.
* The check-in time is scheduled to be one hour before the start of each tournament.
- Entrants may be asked without prior notification for documentation proving that their registered location (1, 2, or 3 above) is correct.
* If the event staff can confirm the location to be accurate, then no official proof needs to be submitted.
* Entrants who are unable to prove the validity of their location may be disqualified from the tournament at the event staff's discretion.
- Pro players (JeSU Pro License holders) may not enter any other block. (They may only enter their dedicated block).
- "3) Birthplace (hometown)" definition: a prefecture where the entrant has lived at least once in the past.
* The entrant's parent or guardian must register for entry on the entrant's behalf.
The parent or guardian must accompany the entrant for the duration of the tournament.
* We recommend that the entrant's parent or guardian agree on limits to playing time, so that elementary and junior high school students do not play the game excessively when preparing for the tournament.

• Participation of players without Japanese nationality or permanent residency
Participants without Japanese nationality or permanent residency are welcome to enter the tournament as long as they agree to the conditions listed below.
Regardless of nationality, players who are currently living or staying within Japan and meet all of the entry requirements may participate in the tournament, but the following conditions will apply:
- Financial assistance for the associated transportation and accommodation fees will be calculated from the address in Japan where they are currently staying.
- Tournament prizes cannot be shipped overseas.
* Entrants may be asked without prior notification for documentation proving that their registered location is correct.

• Participants with a disability/color blindness
Please see here for more information.
- A request for all participants
The event staff may make adjustments to the match format or procedure if they deem it necessary to provide additional support to accommodate players with disabilities or other special circumstances.
* This may include online participation, use of a wheelchair, etc.

Our goal is to provide a fair and open competition to all players, so we appreciate everyone's understanding regarding this matter.

• Entrance Fee
Free
* When attending the online tournament, all associated costs, including the fees, communication charges, etc. and software, game console,
and peripheral costs required for the online game platform, are the responsibility of each participant.
* Transportation and accommodation costs
Regional Finals: Subsidies will be provided to assist with the cost of public transportation to the tournament venue.
Championship Finals: Subsidies will be provided by the event's designated travel agency to assist with the cost of round-trip transportation and accommodations at the tournament venue.
* The subsidy amounts shall be determined by a standardized formula. They cannot be adjusted according to the particulars of each individual participant.
* Subsidies shall be provided to a one parent or guardian in the same amount.
Any other people accompanying the participant will not receive any subsidies.

• Number of participants

• Regional Finals Event Date/Location

• Local Regional Qualifiers
The Online Regional Qualifiers can be attempted again at the Regional Finals venue via the Local Regional Qualifiers.
This tournament is open to any eligible participant for same-day entry.
- The participant must register for a prefecture that is included within an available block.
- A total of two participants may advance to the Regional Finals from each Local Regional Qualifier.
- Players who have already been selected to represent their prefecture may not enter this tournament.
- Pro players (JeSU Pro License holders) may not enter this tournament.

• Basic Regulations

 Format Details by Tournament

Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Online Regional Qualifiers

Event Format: The Score Attack results from CHALLENGE > Official Challenge will be submitted.
Tournament Format: The time limit will be set to 2 minutes, with the participants competing for the highest scored earned from clearing Puyos.

When entering the tournament...
- Participants should take a photo of the score results screen and submit their score photo and score total with their application.
- Participants can update their application as many times as they like during the entry period.
* We recommend that participants use a Nintendo Switch™ for these qualifiers, but they may play the game on any platform.
However, please note that the Regional Finals will require the use of a Nintendo Switch™ console.

Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Local Regional Qualifiers (same day as the Regional Finals)

Event Format: The tournament is scheduled to be held offline (in-person).
Tournament Format: The Score Attack mode included within CHALLENGE Mode > Official Challenge will be played twice, with the highest score being recorded. The Official Challenge time limit will be set to 2 minutes, with the participants competing on the highest score earned from clearing Puyos.
Out of the participants, the top two players will be given the right to participate in the Regional Finals that are scheduled to be held on the same day.
* In the event that multiple participants have the same score, the two with the highest total scores from the two attempts will advance.
If the total score is also the same for multiple players, the participants will compete one time only via CHALLENGE > Official Challenge,
and the participants that earn the highest score will advance.

Entrance Qualifications
- Be enrolled as a student in an elementary school at the time of the qualifiers.
- Reside in Japan and be able to communicate in Japanese (there are no restrictions on the entrant's nationality).
- The registered prefecture must be one of the following locations:

1) Residence  2) Place of school  3) Birthplace (hometown)

- Have the permission of a parent or guardian when participating in the tournament.
- Both entrant and parent or guardian must agree to the Championship Finals Terms of Entry.
- Be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times for the duration of the tournament, and any subsequent tournaments.
- The entrant cannot have been named as a prefectural representative following the Online Regional Qualifiers.

Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Regional Finals

Event Format: The tournament is scheduled to be held offline (in-person).
Tournament Format: Single elimination tournament
Victory Conditions: First player to 5
Determination of Tournament Bracket: Drawn randomly on the day of the tournament.　
• Playing side
The participants are able to select their playing side (left or right) for the match. Please toss a coin, play a round of rock-paper-scissors, or agree upon some other method to decide who gets the right to choose their side. Once the playing sides have been determined, they cannot be changed for the duration of the match.
• Quitting the game
If a participant presses the HOME Button or otherwise quits the game during a match, that player will be declared the loser of the current set, with the other player being awarded 1 set. The match will then continue.
• Hardware or software issues
If a participant experiences unavoidable hardware or software issues, the event staff will attempt to rectify the situation. If the issue occurs during a match, the event staff will analyze the match's progress at the time of the incident and decide how to proceed.
• Player absence
If a participant is absent from the match, the event staff will declare the other player the winner by default.
Regarding livestreaming over the internet: The event organizers have no plans to livestream this tournament online.

Culture Program of Saga National Sports Festival and National Sports Festival for People with a Disability
Inter-Prefectural Esports Championship 2024 SAGA: Puyo Puyo Division - Championship Finals

Event Format: The tournament is scheduled to be held offline (in-person). Tournament Format/Victory Conditions:
A lottery will be held to divide the 20 participants from the regionals and this tournament into four blocks (A, B, C, and D) of 5 players each.
The top player in each block will advance to the Championship Finals (First-to-5)
* One pro player (JeSU Pro License holders) will be assigned to each block at random.
* The rankings will be determined by the players with the most match wins in each block.
In the event of a tie, the player with the greater win differential (wins - losses) will be given the higher ranking. If multiple players have the same win differential...
Two players are tied: The winner of a direct match-up will be given the higher ranking.
Three or more players are tied: Another league match will be held, and the first two players to win 1 set will be given the higher ranking.

Championship Finals: Single elimination tournament (First-to-10) - The semifinals shall serve as the first round of the tournament and will consist of a match between the first-place player from one block and the second-place player from another. There will be no match held to determine third place.
* If it is determined that the tournament is unable to proceed according to the format explained above once the details of the Championship Finals have been finalized,the event staff reserves the right to make changes to the tournament without prior notice.
Awards: Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 players.
* The champion will be awarded the right to enter the planned "PUYO PUYO GRAND PRIX FINAL" tournament sanctioned by SEGA.
Other: All participants in the Championship Finals will receive special tournament uniforms embroidered with their representative prefectures as well as their player names. (They will be able to wear the uniforms on the day of the tournament.)

• Playing side
The participants are able to select their playing side (left or right) for the match. Please toss a coin, play a round of rock-paper-scissors, or agree upon some other method to decide who gets the right to choose their side. Once the playing sides have been determined, they cannot be changed for the duration of the match.

• Quitting the game
If a participant presses the HOME Button or otherwise quits the game during a match, that player will be declared the loser of the current set, with the other player being awarded 1 set. The match will then continue.

• Hardware or software issues
If a participant experiences unavoidable hardware or software issues, the event staff will attempt to rectify the situation. If the issue occurs during a match, the event staff will analyze the match's progress at the time of the incident and decide how to proceed.

• Player absence
If a participant is absent from the match, the event staff will declare the other player the winner by default.
Regarding livestreaming over the internet: The tournament is scheduled to be livestreamed over the internet.