How do I contact the WCO Team?
Email: strategobondnederland@gmail.com
Forum: Send a direct message to any (preferably all) WCO Members.

Discord: Send a discord message to:
Losermaker: losermaker
Morx: graymeeple
ORCA: texaspete09
Nortrom: lightwing91
sevenseas: sevenseas7c

https://discord.com/channels/11294236302...5079249920

What are the Clock settings used in the WCO?
Max duration for a game: 60 minutes
Buffer time: 16 minutes, 4 seconds
Free time per move: 4 seconds

How can I play a game with the WCO Bronstein Settings?
From the main screen click on Custom Game (below Stratego and above Training). Select Create Game.
Check that the Timer is on Bronstein 16:04 and the Game Mode=Original.
Now you can use the Battle Code to give it to someone else to join your game or use the Copy Link to paste it into an email or into a Forum Message.
It looks something like this: https://play.stratego.com/?room_id=ABC1D

How do draw claims on time work?
If your personal buffer time exceeds the remaining net playing time (Max duration - elapsed time), you may claim a draw in case you are to move and are capable of making at least one legal move.
Example: you have 12 minutes left on your personal clock and the Game Clock only has 11:50 minutes left. You can now claim a draw, because you can stop moving and the Game Clock would run out before your personal time would.

How can I ask for a Draw in the Game?
Stratego Online now has a button to request a Draw. It will light a little flag for the opponent showing the draw request. The opponent can Accept or Reject your Draw Request.

How are the pairings done?
Pairings are made using the Swiss pairing system. Meaning you will be matched against someone who has roughly the same amount of points. For a victory you get 6 points, a draw gets you 3, while losing a game will get you 1 point. Each round, the pairing software will attempt to match you against an opponent with similar score.

How do i get the Classic Piece Set?
The Classic Piece Set will be unlocked for the players during the WCO registration. When they are unlocked for you, you can turn them on from the Settings screen in the game.
Select Classic Icons in the Settings Screen to start using them after they are unlocked.

How do I Create a WCO Game?

Creating a Custom Game on Stratego Online

Because the WCO is using the Bronstein Clock, one of the players has to create a Custom Game from the Main Screen. The button for this is below the Stratego Button and above Training.
If you click this as the first player select CREATE GAME.
The screen should now show a CUSTOM GAME with settings for TIMER (Bronstein 16:04 for WCO games) and GAMEMODE: Original
In the top left there is a Battle Code, for instance ABC1D. Please post this code in the forum thread so your opponent can join your game

Note: there is also an option to create a full game link with the button next to the BATTLE CODE, which works great if your opponent is on the PC but is less handy for players using Android or IOS.
You could send both of these to the opponent for convenience. This link looks something like this: https://play.stratego.com/?room_id=ABC1D
The last 5 characters are the Game ID.

Joining a Custom Game

From the Main Screen select CUSTOM GAME.
Click JOIN EXISTING
Type the GAME ID in the ENTER BATTLE ID... field and press ENTER button

You will now automatically join the game that your opponent created.

Register now!

Goals/mission statement
The WCO (World Championships Online) has been held 6 times prior already on the former Stratego.com site. The WCO aims to simulate the thrill of competition from live play through the use of the same pairing system and format. This enables players from all over the world to play against each other in a competitive scene.

Definitions
Site/Platform : https://play.stratego.com/
Forum : https://stratego-online.com/
Registration : The act of successfully filling in and submitting the registration form here
Participant/Player : Only after registration & approval from the WCO Team.

WCO Team
Morx, Losermaker, ORCA, Broken Clock, Nortrom
This team is responsible for organising the WCO. The WCO Team will apply the rules, but is only the sole party whom may interpret the rules, as well as decide not to apply them in extreme cases.

Registration process
Player reads & understand & agrees to the rules.
Player registers via the registration form here
Players ensure they have an active Forum Account  with Private Messages enabled on  https://stratego-online.com/
WCO Team reviews all registrations.

Requirements to participate
Usage of the forum (for matchmaking messages)
Familiar with game interface.
Be able to communicate in English for match arrangement (translating services are allowed).

Match arrangement process & communication
Each round the WCO Team will make and publish the pairings for the upcoming round. The WCO Team will send direct messages via the forum to the players matched against each other. The players will then communicate via the direct message to schedule & play the game.

After the game, please take a screenshot of the result and report back in the designated direct message.

Ranking
Games played in the WCO will count for the ISF online ranking as found at https://greg.kleier.net/
If you are an user that already has a online rating from the past, for instance from tournaments played at Stratego.com you can claim this rating during the signup for the tournament.
Just refer to your old username. We will try convert the old display names to the ones used on Stratego Online. For instance if you were called AlwaysRight in the past and are now called Barbarian, we will aim to get you as Barbarian in the ranking. New players without a previous rating start at 600.

Round duration
Each round lasts two weeks (+- 14 days) unless otherwise communicated.

Limitations
All games are to be played on the play.stratego.com platform. Games played on an other platform, live or otherwise will be considered as unplayed.

Match arrangement done via different communication channels (such as Discord) are difficult/impossible for the WCO Team to follow. Match arrangement via the direct message initiated by the WCO Team will be used as main source to judge issues/disputes.

Scoring
A victory gets you 6 points, a draw will get you 3 points and a loss will get you 1 point. In case of unsporting behavior, or with little to no effort to play effort the WCO team reserves the right to give 0 points for a game. Those points will be subtracted at the end of the tournament if this is the case.

No-show, drop out, warnings/yellow card, etc
Players who do not show up in time (max. 15 min later than the agreed time) have a one-time grace per tournament where their opponent may not immediately claim a victory. Any no/late show after that can lead to an immediate claim of victory. In case the one-time grace is used but there is little time left to reschedule, the WCO team can still decide to adjudicate the result of the game.

Players who display unsporting behavior or do not show up for their game(s) or make little to no effort may be subject to a warning, a yellow card or a red card. A red card means immediate forfeit & disqualification for the rest of the tournament. A yellow card is a serious warning that a player needs to improve his/her behavior. A warning is a friendly reminder or instruction.

Disputes
These will be handled by the WCO Team in the match direct message. In case there is an issue or dispute, try to gather as much evidence (e.g. Screenshots) as possible. Baseless claims are hard to judge.

Technical issues, participant/site
In case there is a technical issue where the platform is at fault which causes issues during a game, we will most likely issue a replay of the game. Exceptions could be that one player is so far behind that a replay would be unfair. This is to be judged by the WCO Team

In case there is a technical issue for one of the players, there is little we can do. An opponent may or may not grant a replay. We expect fair judgement from players whether a replay is justified. The WCO Team reserves the ultimate right to issue a replay.

Behavior
The WCO Team expects fair play, sportsmanship and good behavior from the players, both inside and outside of the game.

Video
It is allowed to make a video recording of the game for your own purpose. If you want to publish and/or stream this you need written consent from your opponent, preferably in the match direct message.

Prizes
The top 3 players will receive free entry to the live WC 2024 main event (Classic Seniors/Juniors). a physical medal and a certificate. Our sponsor Jumbo has promised a
Jumbo Stratego 65th Anniversary to the new World Champion Online. Other rewards (for example ingame medals, avatars etc) may also apply. We will update this section when more is known. Prizes may not be exchanged for cash or other prizes.

Side events
During the WCO we will organise several fun side events such as predicting the result of matches. More info will follow during the WCO.

Sign up period & Start
Only registrations successfully submitted before Saturday, 3rd of February 2024, 18.00 GMT will be taken into consideration. The first round is set to begin Monday, 5th of February 2024.

Lets have a great time!
Your WCO Team,

Morx, Losermaker, ORCA, Broken Clock, Nortrom



Register now!