Knife Throwing Rules

Gameplay Rules

The following rules govern all play in WKTL sanctioned events. All events are also governed by our Code of Conduct, available here. If you are new to the sport and want a quick introduction to WKTL gameplay, click here. Many terms used in these rules are defined in the definitions section at the end.

Section A: Standard Knife

Section B: Knife Duals

1. Games Each Knife Duals game is played by two teams of two players each. Each team throws 5 throws in two sets – a set of three knives from the 15 foot fault line, and a set of two knives from the 10 foot fault line, with at least one foot in front of the 15 foot line. Teams do not switch targets in Knife Duals.
   1. Players must stand at roughly the same distance from the target when throwing, and ensure at all times that their throwing does not endanger the safety of their teammate.
   2. Tandem Throwing Teams throw together in Knife Duals. If both knives are not in the air at the same time, both of those knives are scored as faults.
      1. To coordinate, teams may count down or use another signal. Unless intentionally disruptive, these signals are not considered a purposeful distraction.
   3. Prior to the first game of a competition or league night, each team is entitled to three warm-up throws, and entitled to one warm-up throw for each subsequent game. At the discretion of the venue or the head judge, additional throws may be allowed. It is encouraged to offer 12 warm-up throws per team before a team’s first game at tournaments where practice is not otherwise available. All warm-up throws must be taken with rules-compliant knives.
2. Scoring Rule A.2 applies in its entirely in Knife Duals, with the following exceptions:
   1. If one player crosses the fault line, both knives thrown by a team on that throw are scored a fault. 
   2. If a player receives a fault for crowding the judge, the two highest scoring knives in that set will be scored as faults.
3. Killshots Each team may attempt two killshots per game, on any throw. They must have another throw available in the set, even if their opponents have completed the set. No additional killshot attempts are available for any reason.
   1. Each player may take one killshot each, or one player on each team can attempt both killshots.
   2. Once a killshot has been hit during a throw, it is no longer available for scoring. If both players on a team signal for a killshot and hit the same killshot on the same throw, both knives are scored as hits. 
   3. Killshots are worth 8 points if hit, and any other result is scored a zero.
4. Sudden Death If teams are tied after 5 throws, the game enters sudden death. Each player will throw at one killshot. Players may not aim for the same killshot in sudden death. If one team has more hit killshots than the other, that team wins. If each player hits their killshot, sudden death is thrown again. If each team has an equal number of killshots, the team that threw the closest knife to a killshot without hitting it wins.
5. Faults If a player commits a fault listed elsewhere in these rules, that player’s team is considered to have faulted, and so that team scores a fault for that entire throw, or that team’s two highest knives of the set are scored faults, consistent with the rule violated.
6. If a rule only mentions players, but that rule reasonably applies to teams in Knife Duals, that rule should be construed to apply to teams in Knife Duals.

Section C: Judging

1. All games will be presided over by a lane judge. After each set, the lane judge will inspect the knives and announce the scores to the throwers.
   1. All knives are judged as they sit in the board, except as noted above. If a judge requires that a knife be moved in order to judge another knife, they may score that knife, and then ask the player who threw it to remove it to assess the other knife. If the knife shifts or drops during this process, the lower possible score will be given.
      1. If a knife breaks as a result of being thrown, the knife should be judged if this is possible, and then a pause in play results after the judge has scored the knives of that set (see below). If it cannot be scored, it is scored a zero.
   2. Challenges If any player disagrees with the lane judge’s call, they may issue a challenge. The event head judge or their designee, or in events without a head judge any certified judge, will independently inspect the knives and make a second call.
      1. That call is final, and disputing it further during the match after a formal warning is a code of conduct violation.
      2. If a player has touched the board or knives embedded in it, they may not challenge a call. Once a challenge has been issued players should return to the fault line. 
      3. If a player touches a board or knives embedded in it which they challenged, the challenge is cancelled. If a player touches their own board or knives which their opponent has challenged, the challenged knife will be scored the lowest possible score the knife could have received based on the reason for the challenge. 
2. Provisional Scoring If each player is on the same throw and is waiting on the other player to throw (see Stalemates, below), they may request a provisional score of the knives currently in the board from the judge.
   1. If one player has already completed the set, or thrown more knives than their opponent, provisional scoring is not available.
   2. Provisional scoring is not subject to a challenge (see above) or clarification (see below). Players may not cross the fault line during the provisional scoring process, or they will receive a foot fault for the highest knife in the set. Players who call for a head judge to challenge a provisional score will receive a zero for their highest scoring knife of that set.  
   3. Since knives are judged where they ultimately sit, provisional scores may change when the lane judge makes a final call. After the final call, players may challenge or ask for clarification as usual. 
3. Clarifications A player may ask a lane judge to clarify their call, or draw the lane judge’s attention to something the lane judge may have overlooked, as long as they have not touched the board or knives embedded in it. If there is no challenge to the new call after the clarification, the game continues without the intervention of a head judge. 
4. Conflicts of Interest If a Lane Judge has a conflict of interest, including familial or intimate relationships, duals partners, or any other situation in which an objective observer might reasonably question the impartiality of the judge, they may not preside unless it is not reasonably avoidable. If a judge must preside despite a conflict, that conflict must be disclosed to the other thrower.
   1. Judges who issue second calls should never do so when a conflict is present unless it cannot be avoided. 
5. Judges will clearly announce the score at the end of each set. Players may not begin the new set until the judge has indicated by word or gesture that the lane is open, which should only be done when the lane is clear and safe to throw in. Announcing the set, the throws, or other indications of the game’s progress counts as announcing that the lane is open.
6. The App: Barring technical difficulties, judges will enter all sanctioned games into the axethrowing.org web app as they are played, and ensure that scores are entered correctly. In the case of connectivity issues, games should be uploaded to the app within 48 hours. Judges may correct misentered scores without the intervention of a head judge. Judges should confirm the outcome of the game with throwers before clicking the “done” button.
   1. Judges should take special care to ensure they are always entering scores for the correct thrower.
7. Rethrows. If an unforeseeable event outside the player’s control unfairly interferes with the player’s throw, for example, physical interference from another object entering the lane, the head judge should be called. The head judge may award a rethrow at their discretion to ensure fair competition. The head judge may also allow a rethrow if another materially unfair condition has compromised the integrity of competition. In no case may anyone but a head judge or their designee award rethrows.
8. Rules Questions If there is confusion about a rule, or a dispute about something contained in the rules, players should call for a head judge as if there was a challenge. Play stops immediately until the head judge has clarified the situation or made a ruling. Head judge rulings are final. Head judges have limited ability to correct issues that arise if players continue play, so they are encouraged to call for a head judge immediately in those situations. Lane judges should not take advice from spectators, but only from the head judge or their designee. 
9. Judges may inspect knives to ensure they are of sound quality and not damaged. Judges should ensure they understand where the tip of each player’s knives is before the game begins. Players are encouraged to mark the tip of their knives, or the side of the knife the tip is on, in cases of ambiguity. 
10. Targets and Board Changes Judges should ensure that targets are of sound quality and that scoring areas are readily discerned before play begins.
    1. Target boards should be changed if the bullseye has changed in size by more than ⅛ of an inch due to throwing, or if there are significant gaps in the pen line.
    2. Boards cannot be changed during a game, but may be changed between games of a match. The match may also switch to a new lane with sound targets between games, with the permission of staff. No additional practice throws are awarded if either of these take place.
    3. No one other than the judge or tournament staff, or someone they authorize, may alter the boards during a game or match. Watering the boards is not considered an alteration. Players who alter the boards without authorization will receive a fault for the highest scoring knife of their next set.
11. Judges will not be or become impaired while judging. They will conduct games professionally and with their best effort not to interfere in the outcome of any game.

Section D: Additional Gameplay Rules

1. App Procedures Each player will create an account within the app at their first league or tournament. Each account has an associated Player ID. Players will use their Player ID for all leagues and tournaments, and avoid creating a second Player ID. Each Knife Duals team also has an account and Player ID. Any player using a second ID to enter a single event twice is subject to suspension from WKTL.
2. Pauses in Play
   1. A pause in play occurs if:
      1. A player requires medical attention or any other emergency arises
      2. A player must replace a broken knife
      3. A player elects to change knives
      4. A player makes a challenge or calls for a head judge
      5. A target board needs to be immediately replaced (see Targets and Lanes, above)
      6. The judge calls a pause in play for any other reason
   2. Play stops immediately when a pause in play is called. If a thrower throws at the target during a pause in play, the highest knife of that set is scored a fault.
   3. Judges should assess emergencies and medical needs with the aid of any tournament staff or medical professionals. If a player cannot continue throwing during a weekly league, they may make up future games on subsequent league nights. If a player cannot continue throwing in a tournament, their opponent is allowed to start the game from the beginning and continue as if playing a ghost game (see below).
   4. If a player elects to change knives, they have one minute to return to the lane, or else forfeit the game. If a player must replace a broken knife, they have five minutes to do so, or else forfeit the game.
   5. Play resumes after the pause exactly where it left off. No additional warm-up throws are awarded for a pause in play, unless a board has been changed, when one warm-up throw may be taken. 
3. Headphones No equipment that emits sound or provides active noise cancellation (ANC), such as headphones or ANC earplugs/earbuds, may be used during gameplay.
   1. Exceptions will be made for medical devices. If a player is hearing-impaired or requires a hearing-related medical device, and requires additional accommodations, they may request them from the lane judge.
4. Timing of Throws If a player believes their opponent is unreasonably delaying the game, they should ask the judge to begin using a timer. A timer should then be used for the rest of the match.
   1. Players must begin their set within ten seconds of the end of their opponent’s set. This rule cannot be enforced unless a timer is in use.
   2. Players unreasonably delaying their set commit a code of conduct violation for slow play. This unreasonable delay should be documented by the use of a timer whenever possible.
   3. Players who believe their opponent is throwing slowly may not interfere with their opponent in any other way, including by comments or gestures. Doing so will result in a fault for their highest scoring knife on a first offense, and forfeit on subsequent offenses.
5. Incidental Drops If a player drops a knife outside an attempted throw (e.g. the knife drops from their opposite hand, or while transferring the knife to their throwing hand), they may pick up that knife when it is safe to do so without penalty, even if that knife landed across the fault line. If there is any ambiguity about whether the thrower was attempting a throw, judges should score it as a drop.
6. Age WKTL does not enforce a minimum age for throwers or judges.
   1. Venues may impose an age restriction on throwers under 18 years of age, or under 21 years of age if required for compliance with a liquor license or other local regulation.
   2. Judges under the age of 18 may not preside as lane judges at The World Championships or other WKTL-run national tournaments.
   3. A player under 18 may have an adult representative, but one is not required. That representative may enter the lane to inspect knives under the same conditions a thrower may, and may challenge a call on behalf of the minor thrower. Penalties for purposeful distraction, touching a knife subject to challenge, or other misconduct which apply to players may apply to an adult representative, and those faults will be assessed against the minor thrower. 
7. Stalemates If each player is waiting on their opponent to throw, the player in the lead has the advantage of waiting. The judge will instruct their opponent to begin throwing or receive a fault for that knife.
   1. If the game is tied, the judge will flip a coin in the air and let it fall to the ground, or roll a standard die. If heads or odds, the player on the left, facing the targets, will throw first. If tails or evens, the player on the right will throw first. 
   2. Provisional scores are considered when determining which thrower is in the lead.
8. Purposeful Distraction Purposeful distractions are any voluntary acts intended to, or with the obvious and predictable consequence of, distracting another thrower during throwing. It is forbidden to cause a purposeful distraction.
   1. On a first offense, a player causing a purposeful distraction will get a fault for the highest scoring knife in that set. On a second offense, they will forfeit, and on a third offense, they will be ejected.
      1. The opponent who was purposefully distracted may keep the score of the knife they were throwing when the distraction occurred, or request a re-throw. They will retrieve that knife during the pause in play and throw it again once play resumes.
   2. If a spectator who is participating in the event causes a purposeful distraction, they will get a fault for the highest scoring knife in the first set of their next game, or forfeit the next game, or ejection.
   3. Non-players risk ejection from the event for disruptive behavior at any time.
   4. Gross violations of this rule may result in ejection or other penalties than those stated here, at the discretion of the head judge or league staff.

Section E: Leagues

1. Each league consists of seven weeks of throwing, followed by a week eight playoff tournament. Each thrower will ordinarily throw four games per week. No throwers will exceed 28 regular season games in a league.
2. Minimum Participation A Solo Knives league will consist of at least 4 throwers who threw at least 12 games. A Knife Duals league will consist of at least 2 teams who threw at least 12 games All leagues must be hosted by a WKTL affiliated venue, and follow these rules. There must be a certified judge present at every WKTL league.
3. A WKTL venue may host more than one weekly league per season, but for each additional league, there must be four unique throwers not participating in the other weekly league. Each venue may host as many marathon leagues as they wish. Players may participate in any number of leagues.
4. If any venue anticipates that it will not be able to complete week 7 of a league before 11:59:00 PM on the final day of the season in the time zone in which the venue is located, it must contact WKTL® as soon as possible, but in no event more than 24 hours following the close of the season, to explain any circumstances beyond the venue’s control that lead to the inability to complete the season, and to request permission for the league to conclude after the end of the season. Permitting a league to conclude later than 11:59:00 PM on the final day of the season in the time zone in which the venue is located will only be granted in extraordinary circumstances, and rests within the sole discretion of WKTL®. 
5. Sanctioned leagues must be open to throwers regardless of ability level or immutable characteristics such as race, gender, sexuality, or religion. 
6. Absences Venues should have a policy regarding absences and late arrival to league, but must allow a 15 minute grace period.
   1. If a player is absent from a league, they may throw additional games in later weeks to make up their missed games. If an absence is anticipated, they may throw games in advance. 
   2. If a player leaves early, the venue may allow them to make up games, or score a zero for each missed game. 
   3. Each player may play up to eight “ghost games” per season, in which they have no opponent and are scored on their own, in order to make up for absences or irregularities in app matchmaking. Ghost games are not counted as wins or losses.
   4. Games must be made up during league nights. They may not be made up at any other time.
7. The app’s automatic matchmaking should generally be followed in league play. If games are manually created to allow a player to play a certain other player an unreasonable number of times, that could invalidate the league or the affected players’ scores for the season, at the discretion of the Commissioner.
8. Venues may host unsanctioned leagues which do not meet these criteria, but unsanctioned leagues entered into the app will not count for seeding and tournament qualification (see below).
9. Playoffs During the week 8 playoff tournament, each player in the league will participate in a tournament organized at the venue’s discretion. Ordinarily, venues are encouraged to offer a double-elimination tournament seeded by match wins, then by total points. Playoff tournaments will either be best two-out-of-three matches, or single games, except that the playoff finals will always be matches. Week 8 may be completed outside of the normal WKTL season. It is expected that weekly leagues will have a week 8 tournament barring extraordinary circumstances, but week 8 tournaments in marathon leagues are at venue discretion. 

Section F: Tournaments

1. Other than the World Championships or other WKTL-organized tournaments, tournaments are of two types: Bid, or Non-Bid. Bid tournaments offer a bid directly to the World Axe and Knife Throwing Championships, while Non-Bid tournaments do not.
   1. Bid tournaments must have a minimum participation of 16 throwers for Solo Knives, or 6 teams for Knife Duals. There must be 1 certified judge per 16 throwers in each discipline, and the prize pool must pay out 40% of entry fees.
2. Seeding Seeding is based on a rolling average of the previous year as well as any completed seasons from the current year.  Ties will be broken under the procedures outlined in IX.A.2, below.
   1. Those with no seeding data will be given a seed at roughly the 25th percentile of the tournament field.
   2. WKTL Duals teams with no seeding data will be seeded based on Solo Knives. Each teammate’s seeding average will be combined with a five point deduction, then halved. If data is available for one thrower, that thrower’s Solo Knives seeding average will be used, minus five points. If no data is available, Knife Duals teams will be seeded at approximately the 25th percentile of the field.
3. Brackets All WKTL tournaments will be double elimination brackets, played in best-of-three matches. Players with one loss will go to the B bracket and continue throwing, while those who are undefeated remain in the A bracket. When the tournament reaches two remaining players, one from the A bracket and one from the B bracket, those players will play a match. If the player from B bracket wins that match, the players will play another match to determine the winner, but if the A bracket player wins, the B bracket player is eliminated the A bracket player wins the tournament.
4. Ghost Games Players have 10 minutes from the time their match is announced to arrive at their lane. If a player does not arrive in time, they forfeit the match and their opponent may play two ghost games, in which they have no opponent and their opponent receives a score of zero on each throw. If it is the first match of a tournament, the opponent may instead defer their additional warm-up throws to the start of their next match. If a player does not arrive for their first match and does not check in with tournament staff, the ghost match will begin as soon as the opponent is ready.

Section G: Targets and Lanes

1. Each lane consists of two targets, plus the throwing area in front of them. The throwing area should have marked fault lines, measured from the plane of the target boards. WKTL recommends, but does not require, that lines be measured in such a way that the front of the line is the precise fault line (commonly called lines are lava), and that fault lines be at least 3 inches wide. 
2. Lanes must allow a 5 foot radius around throwers, and barriers for the safety of throwers, spectators, and others in the venue are recommended. WKTL recommends a ceiling clearance of 10 feet, a width of 12 feet with targets evenly spaced, and a length of 18 feet from the board to allow safe clearance for throwers behind the 15 foot fault line.
3. Lanes should be level, so the bullseye remains at a height of 60 inches, and clear of impediments from the 10 foot fault line to a reasonable distance behind the 15 foot fault line. Targets should be flush to the wall, and not slanted. Lanes should be properly lit to allow the boards to be seen from behind the throwers.
4. Targets affixed to a wall should be made of three layers of wood:
   1. The first layer should cover the wall in OSB or plywood.
   2. The second layer is called the back boards, and should be made of horizontal 2x10s that are four feet long, drilled into the wall, and packed tightly together to cover the full space for the target boards. 
   3. The final layer is called the target boards. These are also made of 4 feet long 2x10s or other suitable lumber, including end grain wood. The target boards are enclosed by a header and a footer.
   4. Headers and Footers should each be 4 foot 2x10s, placed horizontally along the top and bottom of the target boards. The end result is 4 foot by 6 foot backboards covered in another layer of wood measuring 4’ x 6’. The header or footer shall prominently display either “#WKTL” or “#WATL”. The other board may contain branding of the hosting venue.
   5. Approximate Measurements for the 2×10 boards:
      1. U.S: Thickness:1-1/2 in • Width 9-1/4 in • Length 4 ft.
      2. Metric: Thickness 38mm • Width 235 mm Length 1.22m
      3. A variance of these measurements is allowed. WKTL does not enforce the exact thickness or width of boards, as long as the target meets specifications.
   6. Freestanding targets are also permitted if of sound construction. Instructions for building a freestanding target are available [here].
5. Targets shall be made with an official target stencil.
   1. Projected targets are not legal for use in WKTL
   2. Boundary lines are to be 20mm thick. WKTL encourages the use of a red penline around the five ring such that the red pen line is the outer limit of the 5 scoring ring. If such a red pen line is used in the drawing of a target, that red pen line is a scorable area, and determines the boundaries of the 5 ring.
   3. The bullseye must be 1.5 inches in diameter, centered inside the 3.5 inch diameter 5 ring, and 60 inches from the floor. It must be colored red, and outlined in waterproof black ballpoint pen. The black pen line is part of the bullseye for scoring, but any red marking outside the pen line is not.
   4. The killshots are 1.5 inches in diameter, situated 35.25 inches from the bottom of the board and 2.5 inches from the outer side of the target boards to the left and right of the center target board, centered in the one point ring. Killshots should be blue and outlined in waterproof red ballpoint pen. The pen line is part of the killshot for scoring, but any blue marking outside the pen line is not. 
   5. The maximum allowable variance in the positioning of target elements is a half-inch.
   6. Additional marks which have the effect of distracting a thrower are not permitted on WKTL boards. Marks comprising a World Axe Throwing League target, and numbers marking the scoring rings of a target are always permitted.
6. Scoring
   1. The scoring areas of a target are the outermost one point ring, then the smaller two point ring, then three points, then four, then five, as well as the bullseye, worth six points  and two killshots, worth eight points, as described above.

Section H: Knives

1. Specifications
   1. All knives must be from approved manufacturers and meet the specifications below. A list of currently approved knives is here.
   2. Throwing knives must be at least 13.5 inches long and no longer than 16 inches, measured in a straight line from the tip to the end of the handle. There is a one inch allowance for wear and tear.
   3. All knives must have a guard at least 4 inches in width, measured from end to end. 
   4. The blade of the knife may not exceed 2.5 inches in width.
   5. The tip of the knife is the farthest single point from the end of the handle. Each knife may have only one tip – knives with multiple points, including knives modified to be level across the top and throwing stars or other multi-point implements are not allowed.
   6. The handle of the knife may be no more than 7 inches from the bottom of the handle to the bottom of the guard.
   7. A knife may not weigh more than 1.65 pounds and may not be less than 3/16ths of an inch thick beyond the sharpened area.
   8. Blades may be sharpened, thinned, or profiled within four inches from the tip. Blades may also be sharpened along the original factory bevel extending further than four inches if the bevel is identifiable. The guards and handle may not be sharpened.
2. Modifications
   1. All modified knives must meet the specifications above.
   2. Cosmetic changes to knives, including coloration, ceramic coating, and etching are allowed. Decorations should not impede the scoring of a knife.
   3. Leather, wood, scales, spray-on adhesives, and other materials may be added to handles if they are securely attached. Cut-outs are permitted.
   4. Changes to the shape, size, thickness, or surface of the knife are allowed within the specifications above, with the following exceptions:
      1. The knife may not be reforged to change the shape, thickness, or surface.
      2. The knife may not be cut apart and welded back together to change the shape, size, or guard position of a knife. This does not prohibit repairing a knife with a broken guard by restoring it to its original place.
      3. Blades must meet the maximum width without additional material or reforging.
   5. Knives are subject to inspection by WKTL or tournament staff. If a knife is deemed illegal, throwing it in that state (i.e. without repairs to correct the defect, if possible) in any WKTL league or tournament is a Code of Conduct violation. Knowingly throwing any unapproved knife in a league or tournament is also a Code of Conduct Violation.

Section I: The World Championship

1. Bids to the World Championship are awarded in five ways:
   1. The previous World Champion in each discipline is awarded a bid.
      1. Regardless of the date of The World Championships, this bid is deemed to have been earned on the first day of the competitive year. If a World Champion has already earned a tournament or leaderboard bid, that bid and any others impacted will be recalculated and awarded to the player or players who would have earned them if the World Champion bid had already been awarded, consistent with the procedures below.
   2. The winners of Bid Tournaments are given a bid to The World Championships.
      1. If the winner of a Bid Tournament already has a bid, the highest placing finisher in the tournament who does not have a bid will receive it instead.
      2. In the case of an equal tournament ranking, the player with the highest bullseye hit percentage will earn the bid. Bullseye percentage is calculated  by dividing the total number of bullseyes hit by the number of non-killshot throws attempted, i.e. Bulleyes Hit/(Total Throws – Killshot Attempts)
      3. If players have an equal bullseye hit percentage, the player with the lowest drop percentage will earn the bid. Drop percentage is calculated as above, but with drops instead of bullseyes hit and inclusive of killshots, i.e. Total Drops/Total Throws.  
   3. The top 20 throwers on the global leaderboard at the end of each WKTL season, calculated by total score for the league, are awarded bids to The World Championships.
      1. If a player already has a bid, the next player on the leaderboard receives the bid instead. 
      2. If players are tied, the same tie-breaking procedures above are used when necessary to award 20 bids per season.
   4. WKTL will hold an open qualifier period after the conclusion of the competitive year.
      1. 32 bids will be awarded from Open Qualifiers, unless the Commissioner shall announce a different number.
      2. The rules for the Open Qualifiers will be announced yearly.
      3. Ties for Open Qualifiers scores will be settled using the method above.
   5. Further bids may be awarded at the sole discretion of the Commissioner.
2. WKTL Duals Bids
   1. The rules above govern both Solos and Duals, with the following additions:
      1. Once a team has earned a bid to The World Championships, neither player on that team may earn further bids to The World Championships unless they decline the bid they already have. Players must decline the bid one week in advance of the tournament start date to be eligible for tournament bids, or one week in advance of the end of the season to be eligible for bids. 
      2. No player may have more than one Knife Duals bid at any time, and no player may be on more than one team competing at The World Championships.
      3. Either player may decline their bid, which will eliminate the bid for both players.
      4. Players may declare their intention not to seek a bid at a particular event or with a particular partner in advance. If they do so, that team will be considered to have a bid for the purposes of calculating the bid earned in that season or tournament.
      5. These declarations may be made by emailing wktl@worldknifethrowingleague.com
   2. Only ten bids per season are awarded for leaderboard placement. The number of Solo and Duals bids awarded in Open Qualifiers may vary.
3. Seeding
   1. The World Championship will be seeded consistent with tournament seeding above, with the exception that seeding will be based only on the competitive year for which that  is held.

Section J: Definitions

1. Knife Parts
   1. Tip: The farthest point from the bottom of the handle
   2. Blade: The scoring area of the knife, the area from the top of the guard to the tip
   3. Cheek: the outer edge of the blade
   4. Guard: The long protrusions between the handle and the blade
   5. Handle: the unsharpened portion of a knife by which it is held, beneath the guard.
2. Game Parts
   1. Set: a group of two or three throws after which the knives are scored.
   2. Game: A group of ten throws or four sets, after which someone is declared a winner.
   3. Match: A best-of-three group of games. If one player wins in two games, the third is not played. During league play, each game is equivalent to a match for the purposes of the rules.
3. Rules and Misconduct
   1. Warning: a verbal or written warning from a head judge about a player’s conduct.
   2. Fault: a score indicated F in the tablet. It counts as a zero.
   3. Highest Scoring Knife: the knife in the set which earned the most points. If a player faults their highest scoring knife twice in a set, they get a fault in place of the two highest scores.
   4. Forfeit: A player who forfeits has their total game points brought to zero, and the game counts as a loss. A player who forfeits a match has their total game points brought to zero for two games, and the match counts as a loss.
   5. Ejection: A player who is ejected is physically required to leave the tournament, and forfeits all further games to be played at that event.
   6. Suspension: A suspended player is excluded from all WKTL sanctioned events.
4. People
   1. Thrower: A competitor in a WKTL event. As used in these rules, thrower can also mean a WKTL Duals team.
   2. Venue, League, or Tournament Staff: Those people with responsibility for ensuring that an event goes smoothly, including pit crew, bracket runners, paid employees, volunteers, or others with an official role in the tournament.
   3. Lane Judge: The judge presiding over a game. They need not necessarily be certified.
   4. Certified Judge: Someone who has passed the judge test offered by WKTL
   5. Head Judge: At a tournament, the head judge is the highest official present for making decisions under these rules, or somebody designated to assist them. If the head judge has a designated assistant, they have all the powers of a head judge under these rules. They generally wear yellow jerseys during tournaments. The head judge of the WKTL is EJ Harris.
   6. Commissioner: The head official of the WKTL. The Commissioner is Evan Walters.
5. Targets
   1. Boundary Line: The thick black lines between the 1/2/3/4/5 scoring areas of a target.
   2. Pen Lines: The thin ballpoint pen lines around a killshot or bullseye
   3. Bullseye: The 1.5 inch red dot in the middle of the target, worth 6 points.
   4. Killshot: Either of the two 1.5 inch blue dots in the one ring of the target, worth 8 points.