CSPPA says CS:GO players should be granted a minimum 3-hour break between best-of-3 matches

The Counter-Strike Professional Players Association (CSPPA) reiterated its recommendations regarding tournament schedules today.

The CSPPA released a statement after c0ntact players complained about the lack of a break before their decider match against Fnatic for a spot at cs_summit six Europe, the second Regional Major Ranking (RMR) CS:GO tournament of the year.

C0ntact had just played a best-of-three against Complexity that lasted more than four hours. Their in-game leader, Marco “Snappi” Pfeiffer, and head coach Neil “NeiL_M” Murphy asked the admins for a 30-minute break before facing Fnatic. But they were told that the break should only take 20 minutes, according to cs_summit six’s rulebook.

“When we finished the match [against Complexity], my back was in terrible condition,” Luka “emi” Vukovic tweeted today. “I had a headache and I was shaking like I’m about to get a fever, all I needed was half an hour just to lay down a bit.”

That’s not what the CSPPA recommends, though. The Association said if a team is scheduled to play two best-of-three matches in one day, the tournament organizer should ensure that the players take a minimum three-hour break between series. “We encourage all TOs to adopt such rules and to avoid situations like this,” the CSPPA said.

The competitive CS:GO schedule has been busier than ever since it switched from LAN to online play due to the coronavirus pandemic. Almost all matches are being played as best-of-three series with a bigger group stage.

It’s unclear if cs_summit six and other TOs will change their procedures and use what the CSPPA has recommended going forward.