Each 2012 FRC Regional or Qualifying Event Competition and the 2012 FRC Championship will be played in a tournament format. Each tournament will consist of three sets of Matches called “Practice Matches,” “Qualification Matches,” and “Elimination Matches.” The purpose of the Practice Matches is to provide each team a chance to run its Robot on the playing field prior to the start of the competition Matches. The purpose of the Qualification Matches is to allow each team to earn a seeding position that may qualify them for participation in the Elimination Matches. The purpose of the Elimination Matches is to determine the event Champions.

The Practice Matches will be played on the first day of each competition. The Practice Match schedule will be available as soon as possible before Practice Matches start. Practice Matches will be randomly assigned with each team being assigned an equal number of Matches.  At some events, additional Matches may be available on a standby basis. Each Practice Match will be conducted as a “competition Match” with approximately two minutes for set up, two minutes and fifteen seconds of regular game play (including operations), and one minute to clear the field.

The Qualification Matches will consist of a series of Matches, with an Arena reset between each Match. The Qualification Match schedule will be available as soon as possible, but no later than 1 hour before Qualification Matches are scheduled to begin.

The Field Management System (FMS) will assign each team two Alliance partners for each Qualification Match played using a predefined algorithm.

All teams will play the same number of Qualification Matches except if the number of team appearances (number of teams multiplied by number of Matches) is not divisible by six; in that case the FMS will randomly select some teams to play an extra Match. For purposes of seeding calculations, those teams will be designated as Surrogates for the extra Match. If teams play a Match as a Surrogate, it will be indicated on the Match schedule, and it will always be their third Match.

Qualification Points are awarded to each team at the completion of each Qualification Match and are dependant on the final score:

• Each team on the winning Alliance will receive two (2) Qualification Points.
• Each team on the losing Alliance will receive zero (0) Qualification Points.
• In the event of a tied score, all six teams will receive one (1) Qualification Point.
• Additional Qualification Points will be awarded to each team on an Alliance equal to any Coopertition Points earned.

The total number of Qualification Points earned by a team throughout their Qualification Matches will be their Qualification Score.

The total number of Coopertition Points earned by a team throughout their Qualification Matches will be their Coopertition Score.

A Surrogate receives zero Qualification Points.

A team is declared a no-show if no member of the team is in the Alliance Station at the start of the Match; a no-show team will be disqualified from that Match.

During the Qualification Matches, teams can be individually disqualified in a Match. A disqualified team will receive zero Qualification Points.

All teams in attendance will be seeded during the Qualification Matches. If the number of teams in attendance is 'n', they will be seeded '1' through 'n', with '1' being the highest seeded team and 'n' being the lowest seeded team.

The FMS will rank all teams in decreasing order, using the following sorting criteria:

At the end of the Qualification Matches, the top eight seeded teams will become the Alliance Leads. The top seeded Alliances will be designated, in order, Alliance One, Alliance Two, etc., down to Alliance Eight.  Using the Alliance selection process described below, each team will choose two other teams to join their Alliance.

Each team will choose a student team Representative who will proceed to the Arena at the designated time (typically before the lunch break on the final day of the Competition) to represent their team. The team Representative for each Alliance Lead is called the Alliance Captain.

The Alliance selection process will consist of two rounds during which each Alliance Captain will invite a team seeded below them in the standings to join their Alliance. The invited team must not already have declined an invitation.

Round 1: In descending order (Alliance One to Alliance Eight) each Alliance Captain will invite a single team. The invited team Representative will step forward and either accept or decline the invitation.

If the team accepts, it is moved into that Alliance.

• If an invitation from a top eight Alliance to another Alliance Lead is accepted, all lower Alliance Leads are promoted one spot and the next highest seeded unselected team will move up to become Alliance Eight.

If the team declines, that team is not eligible to be picked again and the Alliance Captain extends another invitation to a different team.

• If an invitation from a top eight Alliance to another Alliance Lead is declined, the declining team may still invite teams to join their Alliance, however, it cannot accept invitations from other Alliances. 

The process continues until Alliance Eight makes a successful invitation.

Round 2: The same method is used for each Alliance Captain's second choice except the selection order is reversed, with Alliance Eight picking first and Alliance One picking last.  This process will lead to eight Alliances of three teams.

Of the remaining eligible teams, the highest seeded teams (up to eight) shall remain on standby and be ready to play as a Backup team.  If a Robot from any team in an Elimination Match becomes inoperable the Alliance Captain may have the highest seeded Backup team join the Alliance.  The resulting Alliance would then be composed of four teams, but only three teams will be permitted to continue with tournament play. The replaced team remains part of the Alliance for awards but cannot play, even if their Robot is repaired.

The original three-team Alliance shall only have one opportunity to draw from the Backup teams.  If a second Robot from the Alliance becomes inoperable, then the Alliance must play the following Matches with only two (or even one) Robots.  It is in the best interest of all teams to construct their Robots to be as robust as possible to prevent this situation.

• Example: Three teams, A, B and C, form an Alliance going into the Elimination Matches. The highest seeded team not on one of the eight Alliances is team D.  During one of the Elimination Matches, team C’s Robot becomes inoperable.  The Alliance Captain decides to bring up team D to replace team C.  team C and their Robot may not play in any subsequent Elimination Matches.

In the case where a Backup team is called up to the winning Alliance, there will be a four-team Champion Alliance.

The Elimination Matches will take place on the afternoon following completion of the Qualification Matches. Elimination Matches are played in a ladder format as follows:

In order to allow equal time between Matches for all Alliances, the order of play will be:

QF1-1, QF2-1, QF3-1, QF4-1,

Then QF1-2, QF2-2, QF3-2, QF4-2,

Then QF1-3*, QF2-3*, QF3-3*, QF4-3*

Then any QF replays due to ties*

Then SF1-1, SF2-1, SF1-2, SF2-2, SF1-3*, SF2-3*

Then any SF replays due to ties*

Then F-1, F-2, F-3*

 Then any F replays due to ties*

(* - if required)

In the Elimination Matches teams do not earn Qualification Points; they earn a win, loss or tie. Within each bracket of the Elimination Match ladder, the first Alliance to win two Matches will advance.

In the case where the Match score of each Alliance is equal, the tie will be broken by awarding an extra point to the Alliance with the highest number of Foul points granted (the Alliance that played the cleaner Match). If both Alliances have the same number of Foul points, the extra point will be awarded to the Alliance with the highest Hybrid points. If both Alliances have the same Hybrid score, the extra point will be awarded to the Alliance with the most Bridge points. If both Alliances scored the same number of Bridge points, the match is considered truly tied and will be replayed if needed.

All competition attendees must wear safety glasses while in the Arena.

Radio control mode of Robot operation is not permitted in areas anywhere outside the Arena or practice field. Robots must only be operated by tether when not within the Arena or practice field.

A team will only be allowed to participate in a Match and receive Qualification Points only if it has passed Inspection. If it is learned after the start of the Match that a team did not pass Inspection, the team’s entire Alliance will receive a Red Card for that Match.

At each event, the Lead Robot Inspector (LRI) has final decision on the legality of any part or mechanism.

Any Robot construction technique or element that is not in compliance with the Robot Rules must be rectified before a Robot will be allowed to compete or continue competing. Robots must fully pass Inspection before they will be allowed to compete in Qualification Matches.

At the time of Inspection, the Robot must be presented with all Mechanisms (including all Components of each Mechanism), configurations, and decorations that will be used on the Robot during the entire competition event.  It is acceptable, however, for a Robot to play Matches with a subset of the Mechanisms that were present during Inspection.  Only Mechanisms that were present during the Inspection may be added, removed or reconfigured between Matches.  If Mechanisms are changed between Matches, the reconfigured Robot must still meet all Inspection criteria.

Robots will normally be allowed to participate in scheduled Practice Matches prior to passing Inspection.  However, the FTA, LRI and/or Head Referee may determine at any time that the Robot is unsafe, and may prohibit further participation in Practice Matches until the condition is corrected and the Robot passes Inspection.

If a Robot is rejected by Inspectors due to a safety issue or concern related to the Robot’s method of storing energy (see Rule [R01]), the concerned items must be disabled or removed from the Robot before it can compete in a Match.  The team bears the burden of proof that such a rejection is not valid.  Teams should be prepared to provide justifiable test data or calculations during Inspection to support their design.

The Robot Bill of Materials (BOM) must be presented at the time of Inspection.

If a Robot is modified after it has passed Inspection, other than modifications described in [T06], that Robot must be re-Inspected.

FIRST Officials may re-inspect Robots participating in competition Matches to ensure compliance with the rules.

For the safety of all those involved, Inspections must take place with the Robot powered off, pneumatics unpressurized, and springs or other stored energy devices in their lowest potential energy states (i.e. battery removed). Power and air pressure should only be enabled on the Robot during those portions of the Inspection process where it is absolutely required to validate certain system functionality and compliance with specific rules (firmware check, etc). Inspectors may allow the Robot to be powered up beyond the parameters above if both criteria below are met.

1. The Robot design requires power or a charged stored energy device in order to confirm that the Robot meets volume requirements, and
2. the team has included safety interlocks that prevent unexpected release of such stored energy.

The Head Referee has the ultimate authority in the Arena during the competition, but may receive input from additional sources, particularly Game Design Committee members, FIRST personnel, and technical staff that may be present at the event. The Head Referee rulings are final. The Referee will not review recorded replays under any circumstances.

If a team needs clarification on a ruling or score, a pre-college student from that team should address the Head Referee after a field reset has been signaled. An team signals their desire to speak with the Head Referee by standing in the red or blue Question Box which will be placed on the floor at each end of the scoring table. Depending on timing, the Head Referee may postpone any requested discussion until the end of the subsequent Match.

The Head Referee may assign a Yellow Card as a warning of egregious Robot or team member behavior at the Arena.  A Yellow Card will be indicated by the Head Referee standing in front of the team’s Player Station and holding a yellow card in the air after the completion of the Match.  In the first Match that an team receives a Yellow Card, it acts as a warning. 

Once a team receives a Yellow Card, its team number will be colored yellow on the audience screen at the beginning of all subsequent Matches as a reminder to the team, the Referees, and the audience that they have been issued a Yellow Card.

A team will be issued a Red Card (disqualification) in any subsequent Match that they receive an additional Yellow Card.  This will occur after the completion of the Match.  A Red Card will be indicated by the Head Referee standing in front of the team’s Player Station and holding a yellow card and red card in the air simultaneously.  The team will still carry their Yellow Card into subsequent Matches.

If the behavior is particularly egregious, a Red Card may be issued without being preceded by a Yellow Card, at the Head Referee’s discretion. The team will still carry a Yellow Card into subsequent Matches.

Yellow Cards do not carry forward between Qualification Matches and Elimination Matches.  All teams move into the Elimination Matches with a clean slate.

If a team is disqualified during a Match for a reason other than receiving an additional Yellow Card, they will receive a Red Card.  This will occur after the completion of a Match and will be indicated by the Head Referee standing in front of the team’s Player Station and holding a red card in the air.

During the Qualification Matches, a team that receives a Red Card will receive zero Qualification Points.  The rest of the teams in their Alliance will still receive the earned Qualification Points.

During the Elimination Matches, a team receiving a Red Card will cause the disqualification of their entire Alliance for that Match.

At the conclusion of a Match, all players shall remain in their assigned locations until the Head Referee issues the “field-reset” signal.  Once the Head Referee issues this signal, the “Match-reset” period will begin. The Arena must be cleared of Robots and Operator Consoles from the Match just ended, and the Robots and Operator Consoles for the following Match must be placed in position and ready to start before the expiration of the “Match-reset” period.  Field Attendants will reset the Arena elements during this time.

Robots will not be re-enabled after the conclusion of the Match, nor will teams be permitted to tether to the Robot.

The Qualification Match schedule will indicate Alliance partners and Match pairings.  It will also indicate the Alliance color assignment, “red” or “blue,” for each Match.

If, in the judgment of the Head Referee, an “Arena fault” occurs that affects either the play or the outcome of the Match, the Match will be replayed.  Example Arena faults include broken Arena elements, power failure to a portion of the Arena, improper activation of the Arena control system, errors by Arena personnel, etc.

There are no time-outs in the Qualification Matches. If a Robot cannot report for a Match, the queuing manager must be informed and at least one member of the team should report to the Arena for the Match to avoid receiving a Red Card.

During the Elimination Matches, if circumstances require an Alliance to play in back-to-back Matches, they will be granted an additional minute of set-up time to reset and allow their Robots to cool down.

In the Elimination Matches, each Alliance will be allotted one Timeout of up to 6 minutes.  If an Alliance wishes to call for a Timeout, they must submit their Timeout coupon to the Head Referee within two minutes of the Head Referee issuing the arena reset signal preceding their Match. When this occurs, the Time-out Clock will count down the six minutes starting with the expiration of the Arena reset period. Both Alliances will enjoy the complete 6-minute window. In the interest of tournament schedule, if an Alliance completes their repairs before the Time-out Clock expires, the Alliance Captain is encouraged to inform the Head Referee that they are ready to play and remit any time remaining in the Timeout. If Alliances are ready before the 6-minute window, the next Match will start. There are no cascading Timeouts. An Alliance may not offer their unused Timeout to their opponent.

If during a Timeout an Alliance Captain determines that they need to call up a Backup Robot, they must submit their Backup Robot coupon to the Head Referee while there is still at least two minutes remaining on the Time-out Clock.  After that point, they will not be allowed to utilize the Backup Robot.  Alternatively, an Alliance Captain may choose to call up a Backup Robot without using their Timeout by informing the Head Referee directly within two minutes of the Head Referee issuing the Field Reset Signal preceding their Match.

In the case where the Alliance Captain’s Robot is replaced with the Backup Robot, the Alliance Captain is allowed in the Alliance Station as a thirteenth Alliance member so they can serve in an advisory role to their Alliance.

In any case where a Head Referee has to stop an Elimination Match (e.g. due to Arena fault or a safety issue), it will be replayed immediately. Alliances do not have the option to request either a Timeout or Backup team.  The sole exception is if the replay is due to an Arena fault that rendered a Robot inoperable.

Team members may not measure any component or dimension of the playing field during FRC events.  Measurements are permitted on the practice field, if available.

The only equipment that may be brought in to the Alliance Station is the Operator Console and non-powered signaling devices. Reasonable decorative items, and special clothing and/or equipment required due to a disability may be brought into the Alliance or Kinect Stations. Other items, particularly those intended to provide a competitive advantage for the team, are prohibited.

Devices used solely for the purpose of planning or tracking strategy of game play are allowed inside the Alliance Station, if they meet all of the following conditions:

• Do not connect or attach to the Operator Console
• Do not connect or attach to the Court or Arena
• Do not connect or attach to another Alliance member
• Do not communicate with anything or anyone outside of the Arena.
• Do no include any form of enabled wireless electronic communication (e.g. radios, walkie-talkies, cell phones, Bluetooth communications, WiFi, etc.)
• Do not in any way affect the outcome of a Match, other than by allowing Players to plan or track strategy for the purposes of communication of that strategy to other Alliance members.

For the 2012 FRC Championship, teams will be split into four divisions.  Each division will play exactly like a Regional Event and produce the Division Champions. Those four Alliances will then proceed to the Championship Playoffs to determine the 2012 FRC Champions.

Procedures in Sections 5.1-5.5 apply during the Championship, with the following additions:

During the Elimination Matches, extra team members are often needed to move the team Robot from the team’s pit area to the queuing area and into the Arena. For this reason, each team is permitted to have three (3) additional  “pit crew” members who can also help with needed Robot repairs/maintenance.  We suggest that all teams assume they may be chosen for an Alliance and think about the logistics of badge distribution and set a plan prior to the pairings.  It is each Alliance Captain’s responsibility to get the team’s badges to the team pit crew members.

Only team members wearing proper badges are allowed on the Arena floor.  FIRST will distribute these badges to the Alliance Captains during the Alliance Captain meeting, which takes place on the division fields.  These badges will provide the necessary access to the Arena for pit crew members.

If an Alliance has not previously brought in a Backup Robot, and a Robot becomes disabled during the Championship Playoffs and can not continue, the Alliance may request a Backup Robot. The Alliance Captain will be presented the option of having one of the three Division Finalist Robots, chosen randomly, from their division join the Alliance as a Backup Robot.

If an Alliance has won their division with a Backup Robot and moved on to the FRC Championship Playoffs, the Backup Robot continues to play for the Alliance in the Championship Playoffs. 

As noted in Section 5.4.2, the original three-Robot Alliance shall only have one opportunity to draw from the Backup Robots.  If the Alliance has brought in a Backup Robot during the division Elimination Matches or the Championship Playoffs, they cannot bring in a second Backup Robot.  If a second Robot from the Alliance becomes inoperable during the Championship Playoffs, then the Alliance must play the following Matches with only two (or even one) Robots. 

In either case, the replaced Robot remains part of the Alliance for awards but can not rejoin tournament play, even if their Robot is repaired.  If the Alliance wins the Championship Playoffs, the FRC Champions will be all three original members of the Division Champion Alliance and the Backup Robot.

The FRC Championship Matches will play exactly like the Semi-Finals and Finals of the Elimination Matches.