PGETC – Consolidated & Modernized Rules
1. Championship, Scope and Season
1.1. The Pandanet Go European Team Championship (PGETC) is organized by the European Go Federation (EGF).
1.2. National teams representing EGF member countries may participate, subject to the applicable eligibility rules.
1.3. The championship consists of online league play, followed by special final rounds for the top four teams of the A League, normally played over the board at the European Go Congress.
1.4. The winner of the A-League final is the European Team Champion for one year.
1.5. A season normally runs from the autumn of one calendar year until the following European Go Congress.
1.6. The project leaders publish the exact dates for each season, including the dates of league rounds and finals.
2. Organisation and Responsibilities
2.1. The PGETC is administered by the project leaders, league managers, team captains, the appeals/arbitration body, and the technical support personnel appointed for the competition.
2.2. Each team must nominate a captain and a proxy who can act for the captain.
2.3. Each league has a league manager appointed by the project leaders.
2.4. The league manager publishes the schedule and match information, records results, maintains the league table, and makes first-instance administrative decisions.
2.5. A separate Appeals Committee handles final appeals from administrative and disciplinary decisions. The EGF Executive Board appoints three members and two reserves from different EGF member countries before each season. Members must be impartial and independent of the parties involved; reserves or ad hoc members replace conflicted or unavailable members.
2.6. The project leaders coordinate the overall championship and publish decisions, schedules, league structures, and administrative deadlines.
3. Seasonal Propositions and Approval
3.1. The EGF Executive Board approves the Seasonal Propositions prepared by the project leaders before each season. The Seasonal Propositions form an annex to these Rules.
3.2. Seasonal Propositions specify the schedule, deadlines, league structure, fair-play arrangements and other seasonal or technical details, and must not contradict these Rules.
3.3. Approved Seasonal Propositions must be published by the roster deadline.
4. Teams and Player Eligibility
4.1. Teams are national teams and use the name of the country they represent.
4.2. A team consists of at least 6 and at most 12 players at the beginning of the season.
4.3. Professional and amateur players of any gender may participate.
4.4. Players must be citizens of the country represented by the team.
4.5. A player holding multiple citizenships may represent only one country in a given season, but may represent another eligible country in a later season.
4.6. In exceptional circumstances, a roster change may be approved by the project leaders. An approved replacement may participate only after the project leaders have confirmed the change.
4.7. The project leaders decide on and publish the exact date of the applied rating list.
4.8. The board order remains fixed for the season, regardless of later rating changes.
5. Team Captains
5.1. The national Go organization nominates the team captain.
5.2. The captain represents the team in all administrative matters. The captain does not have to be a player, but must satisfy the applicable nationality requirement.
5.3. The captain communicates with the league manager and project leaders.
5.4. The captain confirms participation by the published deadline and submits the team roster by the published roster deadline.
5.5. If the captain is unavailable for a required deadline, the nominated proxy acts on the captain's behalf.
5.6. Before a player may appear in a lineup, the captain must obtain the player's signed Player Statement (attached below this document) confirming compliance with these Rules and the applicable Fair-Play Guide. The statement stays with the Team Captain.
5.7. For players under 18, the Statement must also be signed by a parent or legal guardian. The captain keeps all Statements securely and confirms compliance by the roster deadline.
5.8. Statements are provided only to designated officials when necessary. A Statement does not replace legally required consents. Knowingly making a false Statement is a disciplinary matter.
6. League Structure and Promotion / Relegation
6.1. Leagues are hierarchical and are designated A, B, C, and so on, with A as the highest league.
6.2. A league normally contains between 5 and 12 teams; the project leaders determine the actual structure for each season.
6.3. For leagues of 7–12 teams, the normal format is a single round robin. For leagues of 5–6 teams, the normal format is a double round robin.
6.4. The league champion, except in A League, is promoted to the next higher league.
6.5. The last-placed team, except in the bottom league, is relegated to the next lower league.
6.6. Promotion/relegation play-offs are used where the published season format requires them.
6.7. If a team withdraws, the project leaders determine the resulting league structure under the published promotion/relegation principles.
7. Schedule and Match Arrangement
7.1. The project leaders publish the season schedule and league structure by the deadlines announced for that season.
7.2. Captains should contact each other no later than 10 days before the scheduled match date to confirm the default time or agree to another permitted date.
7.3. The agreed date and time, and the planned board order, must be communicated to the league manager no later than 3 days before the match, unless the project leaders announce a different deadline.
7.4. At least three of the four games should normally start together. One game may be played separately if it is announced within the required deadline.
7.5. A match may be moved earlier within the permitted scheduling window. Games started after the final permitted start time are not valid unless the league manager has expressly approved an exception.
7.6. If the captains cannot agree on another date, the published default date applies.
7.7. Official match times are published with an unambiguous time zone taking into account any daylight-saving changes.
8. Match Format and Game Settings
8.1. A standard league match consists of four boards. A promotion/relegation deciding match must use five boards where the season format specifies this.
8.2. League games are played on Pandanet-IGS without handicap and under Japanese rules.
8.3. The standard online time setting is 60 minutes per player with Canadian byoyomi of 25 moves in 10 minutes.
8.4. White receives 6.5 points komi.
8.5. The home team (the first team named in the match listing) has Black on boards 1 and 3 and White on boards 2 and 4.
8.6. The team lineup must follow strength order: the strongest player plays on Board 1, the second-strongest on Board 2, and so on.
8.7. A violation of the board-order rule normally results in a loss on the affected board, subject to any disciplinary decision under these rules.
8.8. Both captains are responsible for checking the rule set, colours, time settings, komi, and byoyomi before play.
8.9. If an incorrect colour or time setting is discovered within the first six moves, the game should be stopped and restarted with the correct settings. After move seven, the existing settings remain in force. Incorrect komi is to be corrected in the final result.
8.10. The player with Black invites the player with White at the beginning of the game.
8.11. A player loses on time when they fail to complete the required number of moves during a Canadian byoyomi period.
9. Fair Play and Outside Assistance
9.1. Fair play is fundamental to the PGETC. A player must make all playing decisions independently during the game.
9.2. Games must be played on the designated server.
9.3. No outside assistance may be used during a game. This includes a use of AI systems, generative AI, AI-powered search or chat tools, Go engines, remote human assistance, stored games, literature, and any equivalent technology or service.
9.4. Players must comply with the EGF Fair-Play Guide and the Board-approved Seasonal Propositions applicable to the season.
9.5. The Board-approved Seasonal Propositions define camera placement, screen visibility, permitted devices, leaving the playing area and evidence handling. The procedure is platform-neutral.
9.6. Fair-play recordings and screenshots may be accessed only by designated officials and are retained only for the period necessary for a potential investigation and appeal, subject to applicable law.
10. Fair-Play Incidents, Investigation and Appeals
10.1. A player or captain who has a fair-play concern should, where possible, raise it during the match through the designated monitoring channel or with the team captain.
10.2. The opponent should not be pressured, publicly accused, or harassed during play. The match should continue unless an official instructs otherwise.
10.3. After the game, the captains should first attempt to resolve the issue. If unresolved, the matter is submitted to the league manager or designated tournament official.
10.4. The League Manager or designated Fair-Play Official may request the relevant game record, monitor recording, screenshots, logs, written statements or other evidence reasonably necessary to decide the matter or investigate a suspected integrity violation.
10.5. A player or team accused of a fair-play violation is given an opportunity to respond before a final disciplinary decision is made, except where an immediate provisional measure is necessary to protect the integrity of the competition.
10.6. In serious cases, the designated Fair-Play Official may impose a proportionate provisional measure, including temporarily preventing a player from participating, while an investigation is ongoing. A final first-instance decision is made as soon as reasonably practicable.
10.7. The first-instance decision should state the finding, the evidence relied upon, the rule breached, and the sanction imposed.
10.8. A team captain may appeal a reasoned first-instance decision within seven days after notification, unless the Board-approved Seasonal Propositions set a longer deadline. The Appeals Committee makes the final decision on the matter.
11. Integrity and Prevention of Competition Manipulation
11.1. The PGETC protects competition integrity in line with the principles of the Macolin Convention. Competition manipulation means intentionally altering the course or result of a game, board or match to obtain an undue advantage.
11.2. No player, captain, official or other participant may manipulate or attempt to manipulate a competition, including through fixing results, false defaults, undue advantages, coercion or concealing relevant information.
11.3. Suspected competition manipulation must be reported without undue delay to the designated Fair-Play Official or confidential integrity contact. Reports are handled confidentially as permitted by law. Suspected cases are investigated under these Rules and the fair-play procedure and may result in sanctions or referral to the EGF Executive Board or another competent body. Retaliation for good-faith reporting is prohibited.
12. Start Time, No-Show and Connection Problems
12.1. Games should start at the announced or agreed time.
12.2. If a player has not started within 30 minutes of the scheduled time, the responsible team normally loses that board, subject to the league manager's decision in exceptional circumstances.
12.3. If a team does not appear for the match, the applicable board and match penalties are imposed.
12.4. Connection problems should be handled according to the Pandanet server procedures and any competition-specific instructions published before the season.
12.5. A genuine server or internet outage is distinguished from a deliberate failure to connect. Players must reconnect as soon as reasonably possible, and the league manager or designated tournament official may suspend, resume, or otherwise determine the status of an affected game.
13. Match Results, Board Points and Standings
13.1. The team winning more boards receives 2 match points (MP); the losing team receives 0 MP.
13.2. If both teams win the same number of boards, each receives 1 MP.
13.3. A won board normally gives 1 board point (BP); a lost board gives 0 BP.
13.4. A board won by default also counts as a board point unless a penalty rule provides otherwise.
13.5. If both teams leave the same board empty, no board points are awarded for that board.
13.6. The league table is ordered by: (1) match points, (2) board points, (3) board points won on board 1, (4) board points won on board 2, (5) board points won on board 3, and then (6) lottery, unless the project leaders publish a different season-specific tiebreak.
14. Reporting Results
14.1. The winning captain reports the match result to the league manager as soon as possible and no later than 12 hours after the match.
14.2. The report includes the final score and the names / server IDs of the players who played.
14.3. In a tied match, the captain specified by the published reporting procedure is responsible for the report.
14.4. The league manager publishes the results and updates the league table.
15. Promotion / Relegation Deciding Matches
15.1. The affected league managers coordinate the deciding match with the team captains.
15.2. The deciding match is played on five boards when the season format requires it.
15.3. The lower-league team receives Black on boards 1, 3 and 5.
15.4. The date of the deciding match is included in the season schedule.
16. A-League Finals at the European Go Congress
16.1. The detailed regulations for the A-League Finals are set out in a separate document. Please refer to that document for the applicable provisions.
17. Penalties and Disciplinary Sanctions
17.1. Sanctions for fair-play violations depend on the seriousness of the violation, the evidence available, whether the conduct was deliberate, and whether the conduct was repeated.
17.2. Sanctions may include: (a) a warning or board penalty for a minor procedural fair-play breach; (b) loss of the affected game and an appropriate team penalty for confirmed outside assistance affecting a game; (c) loss of the full match plus a match-point penalty for serious or deliberate cheating affecting the match; and (d) season disqualification and a future-season suspension for repeated or aggravated cheating.
17.3. For severe cheating and manipulation of the competition, sanctions may be imposed on the player and, where applicable under these rules, on the team by the Anti-Cheating and Fair-Play commission of the EGF. An allegation does not by itself constitute a team-level cheating offence.
17.4. A cheating or competition manipulation finding requires a violation of the fair-play rules supported by the evidence considered by the responsible official. An unusually strong move, statistical suspicion, or an opponent's accusation alone does not constitute a cheating finding. Statistical or AI-detection evidence may form part of an investigation but does not automatically establish a violation.
17.5. A fair-play case must be raised within the period published for the season, except where material evidence is discovered later and could not reasonably have been obtained earlier.
18. Communications, Language and Publication
18.1. Communication between teams and organizers should be in English unless both sides agree to use another common language.
18.2. Official deadlines, schedules, league tables, disciplinary decisions, and other competition notices are published through the official PGETC communication channels.
18.3. Where these rules refer to a deadline, the project leaders may publish the exact calendar date and time for the relevant season.
19. Definitions
19.1. Board Point (BP): one point awarded for a won game.
19.2. Match Point (MP): 2 points for a match win, 1 for a draw, 0 for a match loss, before penalties.
19.3. Outside Assistance: any information, recommendation, analysis, person, software, device, or service used to influence a player's move choice during a game, unless explicitly permitted.
19.4. Fair-Play Official: an official authorized person from EGF commission Fair-Play
19.5. Appeals Committee: the three-person body, with reserves, appointed under these Rules to decide final appeals.
19.6. Competition Manipulation: conduct defined in the Integrity and Prevention of Competition Manipulation Section.
19.7. Seasonal Propositions: the EGF Executive Board-approved annual annex to these Rules.
19.8. Player Statement: the written acknowledgement and fair-play declaration required before a player may appear in a lineup (attached below).
19.9. League Manager: the official responsible for the administration of a league.
19.10. Project Leaders: the officials responsible for overall PGETC administration.
20. Source and Drafting Notes
20.1. The supplied ruleset is the primary drafting basis. Its structure and substantive competition format have been retained, but duplicated / misplaced numbering and cross-references have been normalized.
20.2. The current PGETC web page still contains the historical rule text, including a validity clause dating from November 15, 2010, while its fair-play section has been updated to reference the April 19, 2025 no-Skype EGF Fair-Play Guide.
20.3. This means the green material should be treated as new or amended provisions rather than a statement that the EGF has formally adopted those changes.
20.4. Official PGETC rules page: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps/4
20.5. Current PGETC championship page: https://pandanet-igs.com/communities/euroteamchamps
Date: 17.09.2026
Pandanet Go European Team Championship 2026/2027
Player’s Statement
Family Name: _____________________________
Given Name: _____________________________
Date of Birth: DD/MM/YYYY
Country: _____________________________
Pandanet ID: _____________________________
In case the player is a minor, please fill in below:
Parent’s Family Name: _____________________________
Parent’s Given Name: _____________________________
Parent’s E-mail : _____________________________
1. I agree and commit myself to participate in the Pandanet Go European Team Championship, organized by the European Go Federation, and to compete with respect for the Rules of the tournament and the Fair Play Guide. I explicitly agree that I will make all playing decisions independently and will not use outside assistance during my games.
2. I read the technical requirements of the tournament and I confirm that I can use:
a. the Pandanet go server;
b. Jitsi Meet for recording video;
c. possible means of communication with the team leader.
3. In case of any dispute, I will acknowledge the conclusion of the Tournament Committee.
4. I confirm that I am a citizen of the country I represent.
5. I agree that my personal data is used exclusively for the purpose of the tournament and not shared with third parties, according to General Data Protection Regulations.
Date: _______________________________
Signature _______________________________ (of a parent if minor)