In-Person Tournaments


For in-person tournaments a team needed to meet 2 specific dates:


  • registration deadline: the date by which you let the officials running the tournament know if you will be competing
  • tournament date: the date when you will compete


There is also an optional Prep Pre-Check deadline.  This is the date that your team must submit their online forms if they want them reviewed by the appraising staff prior to the tournament.  


Virtual Tournaments


With the advent of virtual tournament, there are more dates a team needs to meet (only supported for the 2020-21 season).  They include:


  • the Team Challenge submission deadline
  • when your Instant Challenge can be first viewed and when your solution to this challenge is due
  • if your team is doing the Improv Challenge as its Team Challenge, when your challenge unknowns are released and when after that your solution is due
  • when the winners of the tournament will be announced


Virtual Tournament Instant Challenges


Instant Challenge at a Virtual Tournament works as follows:

    • DIHQ releases sets of Instant Challenges on several dates in January - March
    • There will be a different Instant Challenge for each Team Challenge
    • The IC release days are when a team can first see their IC
    • The team then has a few days to solve the IC (4 days in 2020-21 season) and submit a video showing their solution


Virtual Tournament Improv Challenge


The Improv Challenge at a Virtual Tournament works as follows:

    • DIHQ releases sets of unknown for the Improv Challenge on several dates in January - March
    • The Improv release days are when a team can first see their unknowns
    • The team then has a few days to solve the Improv (4 days in 2020-21 season) and submit a video showing their solution




Because there are more dates, for a virtual tournament we talk about a tournament timeline.  For the tournament director setting up a tournament, we also need to consider:

  • how long the Appraisers have to view and score the teams
  • time set aside for a dialog process
  • time for the Appraisers to nominate awards


The Resource Area has a fairly simple method for creating a tournament timeline.  


  • you choose the day of your tournament
    • for a virtual tournament this is the day of the Awards Ceremony
    • for an in-person tournament this is the traditional day teams show their solutions
  • you determine how many days you want to set aside for Appeals (Dialogue process)
    • this is a quiet time before tournament day set aside for dealing with issues
    • this can also be used for awards if you like
  • you determine how many days TC appraisers have set aside to score the team
    • this is the same for all TC rooms including Improv
    • you likely base it on the the TC room with the most teams
  • you determine how many days to set aside to see that the TC solutions are ready to be appraised
    • we refer to this as prep
    • this is the same for all TC rooms including improv
  • if IC is virtual, you determine how many days IC appraisers have set aside to score the team
    • this is the same for all IC rooms
  • if IC is virtual, you determine how many days to set aside to see that the IC solutions are ready to be appraised
    • we refer to this as prep
    • this is the same for all IC rooms
  • If IC is virtual, you pick an IC session so that the Appraisers finish appraising before the Appeal period starts
  • you pick an Improv session so that the Appraisers finish appraising before the Appeal period starts