Classification

Every player has a ranking / classification: Rookie (Neuling), Semi-Pro (Amateur), Master (Master) or Pro-Master (Elite). I have listed the German words in brackets, in case you come across them elsewhere.

The ranking decides which events a player is allowed to participate in: in general, you can't play a "lower ranked" event – a Pro-Master or Master cannot play the Rookie and Semi-Pro events, and a Semi-Pro cannot play the Rookie events.

The table Who Can Play Which Events gives a detailed list about that.

How Are the Players Sorted into the Different Classification Categories?

• Crucial for the ranking of players is the current P4P ranking list (there are separate rankings for singles and doubles). Click on "Player's Gallery" and find your name and classification in the alphabetical list (if you have ever played at one of our tournaments).

• Players who have never attended a P4P tournament, but are listed in the old Löwen rankings (of 2000), will be ranked according to that classification.

• Players who are neither in the P4P nor in the Löwen rankings, but are listed in some other ranking system (different country and/or table) will be ranked one category lower than this "native" ranking.*

• All other players who are not in our list will be ranked as Rookie.

* Some additional notes regarding the classification of foreign players:

1. If a player is listed in several ranking systems, P4P reserves the right to decide which of those lists is to be considered his "native" ranking, for the purpose of determining his classification for our tournament(s). This applies e.g. to players from countries where there are several different ranking systems, for different tables; or to players who participate in international tournaments, and are therefore listed in the rankings from different countries.
2. Furthermore, P4P reserves the right to decide on how to classify a player who is listed in some other ranking system, but that system doesn't have any categories comparable to our 4 levels (Elite / Master / Amateur / Rookie). As an example, we will consider the top 16 players of the ITSF-ranking as playing in the "highest category", and thus classify them as "Master" in our system. Of course, if such a player is also listed – differently – in some other ranking system, and we think that other ranking better characterizes his real playing abilities, note 1 above may apply.
3. For countries where we can't find any ranking list, P4P reserves the right to classify the players from those countries according to "best possible estimate", especially by taking into account the results those players have reached in any tournaments.
4. Finally, P4P reserves the right to correct mistakes in our ranking (even on short notice), i.e. to change the classification of a player in our list, if we come to the conclusion that his classification is wrong, and was caused by some error in applying the rules given above and on the P4P web site.

In all cases, we try to make the classfication as fair as possible – to the players who are being newly classified as well as to all other players. This is not always an easy task, due to the large number of different ranking systems, many of which are not readily comparable. If you are unsure about which events you will be allowed to play, send a mail to rangliste(at)players4players.de to ask what classification you will have in our system. (Don't forget to include your name, country, and all ranking systems that you know you are listed in already, and with what classification.)

This special event is for first-time or »bar« players. The following conditions apply:

• Everyone can play this event who has never before played in a P4P tournament – I. e. all newly registered players. In addition only players are allowed who are not ranked higher than »Rookie« in any any other country / ranking system.
• Simplified rules are used for this event: Besides spinning the rods and jarring (so the opponent to looses the ball), everything is allowed (within reasonable limits - in case of a dispute, the decision is up to the tournament director).
• There is no registration fee for this event. The three best placed teams will be rewarded trophies.
• The Beginner Doubles doesn''t count in calculating the number of events for getting the 10€ discount.
• In contrast to our past tournaments, the Beginners may now also play the other events in addition. But on Sunday when the BD starts, you may only still be active in at most one other event.