Qualification (squad)

The qualifying phase will take place from Wednesday, September 3, 2025, to Saturday, September 13, 2025. Each squad will consist of up to 25 participants (maximum of 5 per pair of lanes).

Participation – Ranking

Each participant will compete in five (5) games (entry) and is allowed unlimited re-entries.

The best set of five (5) games (plus handicap) achieved by each participant will determine their position in the final ranking, from which the qualifiers for the final phase of the event will emerge.

Lane Assignment and Lane Changes

Category

Each participant will be placed in one of the two categories, A or B, based on their official average (AVG) achieved over the last 12 months, with a minimum of 24 games, as recorded by the Federation in which they compete.

The average required for placement in Category B must be verified either by an official document issued by the Federation or by being publicly listed on the Federation’s official website.

The average-based categories for the Dimitris Karetsos Tournament are defined according to the table below:

Κατηγορίες

Handicap

The following handicap will apply:

Handicap

The Organizing Committee reserves the right to reject an athlete’s placement in Category B, should past performances in the tournament indicate otherwise.

MAX Scratch Game

Women: 292

Qualification to the finals

A total of 43 athletes will qualify for the final phase of the tournament, based on the highest total score over five (5) games with handicap, as outlined below:

Qualification of the Top 25 Athletes (A)

The top 25 positions will be filled by the highest total scores over five (5) games with handicap, regardless of day or squad, across the entire qualifying phase — from September 3 to September 13, 2025 — covering squads 1 through 22.

In the event of a tie in the final ranking, the higher position will be awarded to the athlete with the higher score in the fifth game. If the tie remains, the fourth game will be considered, and so on.

Qualification through Squads 1–22 (B–C–D–E–F)

An additional 11 positions will be filled based on the highest daily five-game total with handicap, achieved in squads 1–22, as follows:

Προκρίσεις από τα Squad 1-19

In the event that an athlete qualifies through one of the daily squad categories listed above and also ranks among the top 25 overall, their squad-based qualification spot will be awarded to the next highest-scoring athlete for that specific day.

Desperado (G)

Three (3) qualification spots will be awarded from the Desperado Squad. No lane maintenance will take place prior to this squad.

In the event of a tie for a qualifying position in the Desperado Squad, the tie will be broken by a one-ball roll-off on a full set of pins. The athlete with the higher pinfall in the roll-off will be awarded the position.

Turbo Squad (H)

Four (4) athletes will qualify from the Turbo Squad.

In the Turbo Squad, provided that athletes have registered for participation prior to the start of their respective squad, their best single game (with handicap) will be recorded. The top four athletes with the highest individual game scores will qualify for the finals.

In the event of a tie for a qualifying position, the athlete with the higher placement in the overall qualification ranking will be awarded the spot.

Qualification final standing

The final qualification standings will be determined after the completion of the last squad.

Each athlete may qualify for the finals through only one qualification category, in order of priority: A–B–C–D–E–F–G–H. Qualified athletes will be ranked based on their qualification category and their pinfall score achieved during the qualification phase.

In the event of a tie, the higher position will be awarded to the athlete with the highest fifth game score. If a tie still exists, the fourth game will be considered, and so on.

Positions 40–43 will be assigned to the four (4) top athletes from the Turbo Squad.

Positions 37–39 will be assigned to the three (3) top athletes from the Desperado Squad.

The athletes who finish in positions 17–28 (12 athletes) in the final qualification standings will advance to Finals Stage 2.

The athletes who finish in positions 5–16 (12 athletes) will advance to Finals Stage 3.

The athletes who finish in positions 1–4 (4 athletes) will advance directly to Finals Stage 4.

All remaining qualified athletes will compete in Finals Stage 1.

Final Steps – Format and Progression

A lane assignment table based on seeding will be published prior to each final phase.

Final Step 1 (15 Athletes):
The 15 athletes placed in positions 29–43 will compete in three (3) games, total pinfall with handicap, not including scores from the qualification phase.

In case of a tie, the higher position will be awarded to the athlete with the higher last game. If the tie persists, the previous game will be considered, and so on. In a complete tie, the better seeding will prevail.

Lane change after each game: Athletes on left lanes move four lanes to the left, Athletes on right lanes move four lanes to the right.

The top 8 athletes advance to Final Step 2. The remaining 7 athletes will be placed in positions 37–43, based on their ranking in Final Step 1.

Final Step 2 (20 Athletes):
The 8 athletes who advanced from Step 1, together with those ranked 17–28, will compete in three (3) games, total pinfall with handicap, excluding all previous scores.

Tie-breaking procedure and lane movement are the same as in Step 1.

The top 8 athletes advance to Final Step 3, taking seeding positions 17–24. The remaining 12 athletes will be placed in positions 25–36, based on their ranking in Final Step 2.

Final Step 3 (20 Athletes):
The 8 athletes who advanced from Step 2, together with those ranked 5–16, will play three (3) games, total pinfall with handicap, excluding previous scores.

Same tie-breaking and lane movement rules apply as in Step 2.

The top 12 athletes advance to Final Step 4, taking seeding positions 5–16.
The remaining 8 athletes will be placed in positions 17–24, based on their ranking in Final Step 3.

Seeding Matchups for Steps 3 & 4:
In head-to-head matchups, the athlete with the highest seeding is paired against the athlete with the lowest, the second-highest against the second-lowest, and so on.

Final Step 4 (16 Athletes):
The 12 athletes who advanced from Step 3, along with the top 4 seeded athletes (positions 1–4), will form 8 matchups based on seeding.

Each pair will play two (2) games, total pinfall with handicap.
In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by a one-ball roll-off on a full set of pins.
Lane and delivery order are chosen by the athlete with the higher seeding.

The 8 winners move on to Final Step 5.
The 8 non-qualifiers are placed in positions 9–16, based on their ranking.

Final Step 5 (8 Athletes):
The 8 winners from Step 4 will form 4 pairs based on seeding (highest vs lowest, and so on).

Each pair plays two (2) games, total pinfall with handicap.
Tie-breaks are resolved via one-ball roll-off, with lane and order chosen by the higher seed.

The 4 winners move on to Final Step 6.
The 4 non-qualifiers are placed in positions 5–8, based on their ranking.

Final Step 6 (4 Athletes):
The top 4 athletes, as determined from previous steps, will play one (1) game, total pinfall with handicap, excluding all previous scores.

The top 3 athletes advance to Final Step 7.
The 4th-place athlete takes 4th place in the tournament.

Final Step 7 (3 Athletes):
The 3 athletes who advanced from Step 6 will play one (1) game, total pinfall with handicap, excluding previous scores.

The top 2 athletes move on to Final Step 8.
The 3rd-place athlete is placed 3rd in the final tournament standings.

Final Step 8 (2 Athletes):
The final 2 athletes will play one (1) game, total pinfall with handicap, excluding previous scores.

The winner will be crowned 1st place in the Dimitris Karetsos Tournament 2025.
The other finalist will be placed 2nd.

Absent Athletes in the Finals
If an athlete is absent from the final steps, they will not be replaced.
They will be ranked last among the athletes in the phase to which they had qualified, based on their qualification seeding.

Regulations Reference
For all other rules and tournament format details not covered in this document, the official EBF calendar listing applies: https://europeanbowling.sport/tourn-calendar/

Oil Pattern

TBA