Tournament Rules

(Based on American Cornhole Official Rules published by the ACO.)

The Cornhole Court

The court is a rectangular area that consists of 2 boards, 4 pitcher’s boxes, and 2 foul lines. The courts will be North ‐ South oriented with one board placed on the North side of the court and one board on the South.

• The Pitcher's Box — The pitcher's boxes are located on either side of each board (4 boxes in all). Each player must remain in the box while pitching bags.
• Foul Lines — The front edge of each Cornhole board is the foul line. The foul line extends beyond the board and is also the front edge of the pitcher's boxes.
• Position of Players — Each player's teammate will be in the pitcher's box directly across from them next to the opposite board. (One team will occupy the NE and SE pitcher's boxes and the other team will occupy the NW and SW pitcher's boxes). Each player will be required to pitch from the same box for the entire game. Players will switch pitching boxes after each game.
• Equipment — Boards and bags will be provided by event organizers in partnership with event sponsors. Participants are not permitted to bring and use their own boards or bags.
  

  NW Pitcher's Box

  ∘

  North Board

  NE Pitcher's Box

   

  Foul Line

   

  Foul Line

  SW Pitcher's Box

   

  South Board

  ∘

  SE Pitcher's Box

   

Game Play

The Battle of the Bags will be doubles format (2 players to a team).

• Coin Flip — The winner of a coin toss will decide EITHER who pitches first OR which side of the board to play from.
• Frame — Each match is made up of multiple frames. A frame consists of both players on one side of the court (one player from each team) pitching all 4 of their bags. The players alternate until all 8 bags have been pitched. Once the frame is complete (all 8 bags pitched) the score is called out (see scoring below). The 2 players on either side of the opposite board then begin their frame in the manner described above.
• Rotation — The team that scored most recently will be the first team to pitch in any frame.

Scoring

• Cornhole — A bag that is thrown through the hole in the board or is pushed in by anther bag during the frame is a "Cornhole" and is worth 3 points.
• Board Bag — A bag that lands with any portion resting on the board and not touching the ground is a "Board Bag" and worth 1 point.
• Dead Bag — A bag that is not a Cornhole or Board Bag or that meets the "Foul Bag " criteria below is considered a "Dead Bag" and should be removed from the court prior to any additional bags being pitched. A Dead Bag is worth zero points.
• Foul Bag — A Foul Bag is one of the following;
  1. A bag that has come into contact with the ground
  2. A bag pitched when the player has crossed the foul line before releasing the bag.
  3. A bag that has come into contact with a pre-defined obstruction (i.e. overhead wire, lamppost, tree branch). Bags affected by the Foul Bag (i.e. a bag knocked into the hole or off of the board) should be returned to their original position.
• Negation Scoring — A frame is scored after all 8 bags have been pitched. The score is calculated by subtracting the lower team score from the higher team score. The team with the highest score is awarded the DIFFERENCE. Only one team scores in each frame.
  Example:
  • Team A scores 6 points and Team B scores 4 points.
  • 6 - 4 = 2.
  • Therefore, Team A is awarded 2 points.
• Winning the Game — The game ends when one team reaches or exceeds 21 points at the end of a frame. It is not possible both teams to achieve 21 points at the end of the same frame, so there cannot be a tie.
• Winning the Match — The first team to win 2 games (best of 3) has won the match.
• Protests — Protests should immediately be brought to the attention of a Tournament Official. A decision or ruling by the Head Official is final and cannot be appealed.

Tournament Format

The Battle of the Bags will consist of two stages.

• The first stage will be "pool play" or "round robin" format with each team playing other teams assigned to their pool.
• The second stage will consist of a single elimination tournament with the team (or teams) with the best record (s) in each pool advancing.

The exact format will be determined based on total number of teams who enter. Organizers reserve the right to establish a time limit for pool play games.