TUG OF WAR COMPETITION

RULES & REGULATION

Version Released 20 January 2024

Competition Categories & Age Group:

1. Each team should be comprised of 2 students and 1 advisor.

2. Teachers may work with more than one team.
3. Team members must be from the same school.
4. 35 teams will compete in Secondary School Category.
4. 15 teams will compete in Primary School Category.
5. Each team must register according to their age group.

Category Age
Secondary School 13 – 17 Years Old
Primary School 12 Years Old and Below

General Rules:
All rules and regulations are subject to change with prior notice.

Regulation on Material Used

➢ Primary and Secondary Category will use LEGO® MINDSTORMS®

robotics base.
➢ Teams need to use LEGO® MINDSTORMS® sets of NXT or EV3 only
for the controller, motors, sensors and connector cables to assemble the
robots. Modification of any original parts is not allowed. Violation of this
rule may result in disqualification.
➢ Only LEGO® branded elements can be used to construct the remaining
parts of the robot.
➢ Teams must compete using their own robot. Sharing robot is not allowed.
Violation of this rule may result in immediate disqualification.
➢ Teams should prepare and bring all the equipment (software, portable
computers, batteries, extension wires, etc) that need during the tournament.
 ➢ Batteries used during competition can be 6 pieces of AA batteries or
Lithium batteries of LEGO® MINDSTORM® NXT or EV3. Other power
supply devices which are not authorized by the organizer are not allowed
to be used.
➢ Screws, glues, tapes, or other adhesives are NOT allowed to fasten any
component of the robot.
➢ Teams should bring enough spare parts. In the event of accidents or
equipment malfunction, the tournament is not responsible for any
maintenance and replacement of equipment.
➢ There won’t be any assembly time during competition. Please pre-built
your robot prior to the competition.
➢ Teams are allowed to pre-program the robot or store the program in the
laptop before competition.
➢ It is the responsibility of each team to ensure that all materials used comply
with basic safety standards.

Regulations of Concerning the Robots

➢ Weight Limit:
The weight of the robots must between 1 Kilogram (kg) to 2 Kilogram
(kg) only.

➢ Control Options:
Robots can be controlled by using only one controller powered by 6
pieces of AA batteries or one Lithium battery of MINDSTORMS® NXT
or EV3. Use of radio communication, remote control and wire control
systems to control the robot is disallowed.

➢ Bluetooth and Wi-Fi function:

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi function on NXT or EV3 must be switched off.

➢ Programming:
Please allow 5 seconds idle (wait block for 5 seconds) after a program
start running.
 ➢ Robot Dimension:
Your robots must fit perfectly within the 100% confines of the designated
arena, with measurement maximum area 30 x 30 x 30 cm as illustrated in
Figure 1.

➢ Hook Requirement:
Teams are required to incorporate a hook at the front of the robots
designed to attach to a 40 cm rope.

Competition Event

➢ Participants must wear suitable athletic clothing that does not pose a
safety risk to themselves or others.
➢ Jewelry, accessories, or any other items that may cause harm or injury are
not allowed during the competition.
➢ Participants are expected to adhere to the principles of fair play, respect for
opponents, and good sportsmanship.
➢ Unsportsmanlike conduct may result in warnings, point deductions, or
disqualification.
➢ Participants must report any pre-existing injuries or health concerns to
event organizers before the competition.
➢ The decisions of the event organizers and referees are final.
➢ Teams may appeal decisions only if there is clear evidence of a procedural
error or rule violation.
➢ The event will be overseen by qualified referees and officials designated
by the organizing committee.
➢ The schedule, including match timings and breaks, will be provided to
teams before the start of the competition.
➢ Before each match, both competing robots will be inspected by the judges
to ensure that the robots are conforms to all regulations. Upon successful
inspection the robot will be allowed to compete.
➢ Teams will be given 1-minute preparation time prior to a match.
➢ When the start button is pressed, the robots will stand motionless for 5
seconds prior to moving. Flashing lights, sounds or displays will be allowed
during these 5 seconds. An early start will result in a loss of that match
(may be verified by judgers). If the team’s robot starts pulling
 before 5 seconds finish, the round will be awarded to the opponent’s robot.
➢ The robot that pulls the marker to its line wins.
➢ If, after 1 minute, no robot has crossed the centerline, the round is to be
considered a draw.
➢ In the case of a draw, where neither robot is successful in pulling the other
across the line, the winner is determined by holding a tie-breaking round.
In this round, the winner will be decided by the position of the marker on
the string, i.e. the team with the marker closest to their line wins.
➢ Reset will be called in the event of any technical issue during the match ex.
rope or hook damage.

Game Format

➢ Best of 3 Format:

o Each match will be played in a best-of-three sets format, with the declared
winner being the team that secures victory in 2 out of the 3 sets played.
o Only 1 minutes maximum given to each team to secure their point in a set.

➢ First Stage of Competition (Elo Ranking System):

o At the commencement of the competition, each team will be assigned an

initial point total of 10 points.
o The first stage comprises 5 rounds of matches, where teams earn 3 points
for a win and 0 points for a loss.
o After each round, the rankings will be updated based on the teams' Elo
ranking.
o In rounds 2 to 5, teams will face opponents with similar skill levels, and
pairings will be adjusted for each round according to the updated Elo
rankings.
o Following the completion of 5 rounds, the final leaderboard will display
each team's current Elo ranking, and the top teams will advance to the
knockout stage.
o The top 16 and 8 at the Secondary level and Primary level will proceed to
the knockout stage.
 ➢ Final Stage (Knockout):

o The knockout stage will follow a standard knockout format.

o There will be some additional rules that must be followed. The additional
rules are written on the last page of these rules & regulations.
o Prizes will be awarded to the champion, 2nd place, and 3rd place teams.

Regulations on Playing Field

➢ Participants must be positioned behind a clearly marked box line (Arena),

ensuring fair play.
➢ A short break will be provided between rounds for participants to check
technical stuff for their robots after a round.
➢ Teams must be ready to resume play for the next round promptly after the
designated break.
➢ Referee will signal the start and end of each round.
➢ Participants must obey the referee's commands promptly.
➢ False starts or premature pulling may result in a warning or
disqualification.
Regulations on Behavior & Attitude

Behaviors listed below are prohibited and may result in disqualification:

➢ Causing damage to the competition playing fields, models, or robots of
other teams.
➢ Using dangerous items or displaying behavior that disrupt the competition.
➢ Using inappropriate words or behaving inappropriately towards other
teams, audience, judges, or the tournament.
➢ Creating situations which judges deem unacceptable or interfering.
➢ Bringing food or drink into the designated competition area.
➢ If any of the rules mentioned in this document are broken or violated, the
judges can decide on one or more of the following consequences. Before, a
team or individual team members may be interviewed to find out more
about the possible violation of the rules:
i. A team may be given a time penalty of max. 15 minutes. In this
time, teams are not allowed to do any changes on their robot and
program.
ii. A team may not be allowed to participate in one or more rounds.
iii. A team may get a score reduction in one or more runs.
iv. A team may not qualify for the next round of the tournament (e.g. a
tournament format with Top 16, Top 8 etc.).
v. A team may not qualify for the final or disqualifies completely from
the tournament immediately.
Tournament Rules

➢ The judges have the utmost authority during the tournament. Their
decisions are final and shall not be changed. As such, they may not change
their decision even after viewing the competition.
➢ When a team is considered disqualified by any judge, the robot of the team
concerned must quit the match immediately, and the team will get no score
for the match.
➢ The tournament has the right to revoke the qualification of any team if the
team violates the rules.
➢ Any communication devices and methods are strictly restricted while the
competition is in progress. Anyone who is outside the competition area is
prohibited from talking or communicating with the contestants in the
competition area. Violation of this rule may result in disqualification.
However, under certain circumstances and with permission from the
judges, an urgent message can be conveyed through a tournament staff.
➢ If the competition is delayed due to electricity breakdown, unavailability
of Playing Fields/models or difficulty in determining the scores, the judges
may hold a return game, and the contestants shall not raise any objection.
➢ The tournament has the right to photograph and videotape the event and
the right to reproduce, modify and use the photographs and video tapes for
various media.
➢ If there is any inadequacy or alteration in the rules, the final decision shall
be announced by the judges at the tournament. The judges have the utmost
authority to amend the rules and regulations.
➢ Penalties may be imposed on a team if there is any violation to the rules.
Figure 1: Arena Landscape

• Length of fields: 150 CM

• Width of fields: 40 CM

3 cm

8 cm 25 cm

30 x 30 x 30 cm
30 x 30 x 30 cm

Figure 2: Rope with Hook

3 cm

Figure 2: Rope with Hook

• Type of string: 2mm PVC Coated Wire

• Length of string: 40 CM
• Type of Hook: 1 ½ inch Swivel Claps Trigger Hook
• Shape and size of the hook might vary.
Additional Special Rules:

➢ This is only applied for teams that Qualify to the quarter final.
➢ Teams failing to adhere to the supplementary rules risk disqualification
starting from the quarter-final stage.
➢ During the game begin, each team will have some other organizer
challenges in the arena while fighting each other. Below are the details:

1) A supplementary friction element on the surface will intensify the force

dynamics during the confrontation with opponents.