SCL Circuit Regulations

Version History

[1] Scope and Definitions

These regulations govern the SCL Circuit, a season of online head-to-head competition between school teams. The general SCL Regulations govern a Circuit solve when these Circuit Regulations incorporate or repeat the same procedure. If the documents conflict, these Circuit Regulations control Circuit competition.

For these regulations:

• SCL means Scholastic Cube League.
• Circuit means the SCL Circuit league.
• Season means one dated cycle of Circuit registration, regular-season matches, and playoffs.
• School means a school approved by SCL to participate in the Season.
• School Organizer means the adult or other authorized representative responsible for the School’s registration, roster, lineup, coordination, and result submission.
• Varsity Team means the School’s primary three-competitor team in a head-to-head Match.
• Junior Varsity Team or JV Team means one of the additional three-competitor teams a School may enter in a shared JV Meet.
• Seed means a competitor’s lineup position: Seed 1, Seed 2, or Seed 3.
• Attempt means one timed SCL 3x3 Individual run in which a competitor solves three 3x3 cubes consecutively.
• Match means the three corresponding Seed Matchups between two Schools during a published Match Window.
• Match Window means the published period during which the Schools coordinate and complete a Match.
• League Administrator means a person appointed by SCL to administer the Circuit or another assigned league.

SCL may amend these regulations and adjudicate circumstances that are not expressly addressed. Material amendments will be identified by a new version date.

[2] Schools, Organizers, and Competitors

School Registration

A School must register for the Season and be approved by SCL. Registration must identify a School Organizer and provide enough school and contact information for SCL to verify the School and resolve a dispute.

SCL may approve, reject, correct, combine, or otherwise resolve school registrations and duplicate-school records. Approval for one Season does not guarantee participation in a later Season.

School Organizer

The School Organizer:

• maintains the School’s Circuit roster;
• confirms that each listed competitor is eligible to represent the School;
• selects and seeds the three-person lineup for each Match;
• coordinates the Match with the opposing School;
• protects Scramble confidentiality;
• submits the School’s results and required recording links; and
• responds to a League Administrator’s verification questions.

Competitor Eligibility

A competitor must be a student authorized by the approved School to represent it. SCL may request documentation or additional information when eligibility is disputed.

A competitor may change Seed positions or move into or out of the lineup between Matches. A competitor may not represent more than one squad for the same School in the same Match.

[3] Varsity, Junior Varsity, Lineups, and Seeding

Varsity

Each School may enter one Varsity Team in a Match. The Varsity Team contains exactly three competitors. Before competing, the School Organizer assigns the competitors as Seed 1, Seed 2, and Seed 3.

The Match consists of:

The submitted lineup becomes locked when the School first submits Match results. A School Organizer may change the lineup before that submission. After submission, only League staff may correct the lineup, and the correction must include a reason in the administrative record.

Junior Varsity

A School may enter multiple JV Teams. Each JV Team contains exactly three competitors and is treated as an independent entry; results from multiple JV Teams belonging to one School are not combined into one School score.

JV Teams compete in a shared JV Meet rather than in separate school-to-school Matchups. Every participating JV Team completes the Circuit three-competitor format during the same Meet Window, and all JV Teams are ranked together as one field.

A competitor may represent only one Varsity or JV Team in the same Match or JV Meet. Lineups may change between Match or Meet Windows.

[4] Match Scheduling and Conduct

Match Windows

Each Match must be completed during its published Match Window. The two School Organizers are responsible for coordinating a mutually workable time.

Schools are encouraged to arrange a live video or audio call so corresponding Seeds can compete together. The SCL platform does not host or supervise that call, and a Match remains valid when the competitors complete their attempts separately during the Match Window unless a League Administrator rules otherwise.

Two Schools in close geographic proximity are permitted and encouraged to host their Match in person in a shared space. The Schools remain responsible for coordinating the location, providing the required equipment, protecting Scramble confidentiality, and recording the Match.

Scrambles

Corresponding Seeds receive the same nine Scrambles, organized as three ordered sets of three. Seed 1 from each School therefore receives three matching Attempt sets, as do Seeds 2 and 3.

Scrambles must remain confidential until both competitors in the corresponding Seed Matchup have completed their attempts. A competitor, School Organizer, or other person may not preview, practice, disclose, or intentionally obtain another competitor’s Scrambles before completion.

Fair Play

Competitors must complete their own solves without inspection, coaching, outside solving assistance, or advance knowledge of a Scramble. Schools must accurately report results and cooperate with reasonable verification requests.

A League Administrator may investigate a suspected rule violation, request available supporting information, correct a result, assign a forfeit, or take another proportionate action needed to preserve fair competition.

[5] Circuit Solving Procedure

Each competitor completes three Attempts in the SCL 3x3 Individual format. In each Attempt, three 3x3 cubes are solved consecutively, without inspection, in the assigned Scramble order. The Attempt result is the total elapsed time for all three cubes. The competitor’s fastest valid Attempt is their Seed result.

Equipment and Setup

The competitor needs:

• three functional 3x3 cubes;
• a timer capable of recording the result to at least one-thousandth of a second;
• a flat puzzle area; and
• an opaque covering that prevents inspection of the scrambled cubes.

Before each Attempt, all three cubes must be scrambled as assigned, placed in the puzzle area, and completely covered. The timer must be reset. The same three cubes may be reset and used for all three Attempts.

Starting the Solve

The Circuit uses the same type of start as the SCL Championships:

1. Confirm that the timer is reset. If it is not reset, correct it before beginning.
2. Place both hands on the timer sensors.
3. Wait for the timer’s ready indication.
4. Start the timer.
5. Remove the covering only after the timer has started.

There is no inspection period. Touching or viewing a scrambled cube before the timer starts is not permitted.

During the Solve

The competitor solves all three cubes consecutively in their assigned order. A solved cube must be returned to the puzzle area before the competitor proceeds. No other person may manipulate a cube or provide solving assistance.

Stopping the Timer

After all three cubes have been solved and returned to the puzzle area, the competitor stops the timer by placing both hands on the timer sensors. The recorded time is the elapsed time for the complete three-cube attempt.

Puzzle Completion and Repeating the Procedure

A cube is solved when it is returned to its solved state and placed in the puzzle area. A cube is unsolved if one or more faces is more than a half turn from solved or if one or more pieces are not securely attached.

If any of the three cubes is unsolved when the timer stops, the result is DNF. A League Administrator resolves questions about puzzle completion or timer operation using the current SCL solving principles and the available evidence.

After the result is recorded, the competitor repeats the complete setup and solving procedure for Attempts 2 and 3 using the assigned Scrambles for those Attempts.

[6] Results, DNF, DNS, and Penalties

Times are recorded to the nearest millisecond when supported by the timer.

• Valid Attempt: all three cubes were completed under the required procedure. The Attempt result is their total elapsed time.
• DNF (Did Not Finish): the competitor began an Attempt but did not complete a valid three-cube run. A DNF has no valid total time.
• DNS (Did Not Start): the competitor did not begin an Attempt. A DNS has no valid total time.

The fastest valid result among a competitor’s three Attempts is the Seed result. If a competitor has no valid Attempt, their Seed result is DNF when at least one Attempt was started and DNS when none was started.

Any time penalty approved under the current SCL procedure is added before the Seed result and its tiebreakers are compared.

[7] Varsity Seed and Match Scoring

Seed Matchups

The lower valid best Attempt wins the Seed Matchup.

If both Seeds have equal best-Attempt totals, their second-fastest valid Attempt is compared, followed by their third-fastest valid Attempt. A missing valid Attempt ranks behind a valid Attempt at the same comparison position. If all available Attempt totals are equal, the faster single cube solve across the three Attempts wins the Seed Matchup. If that is also equal, the Seed Matchup is tied.

Match Winner

Each Seed Matchup win is worth one Seed Point. The School with more Seed Points wins the Match. In the ordinary case, winning at least two of the three Seed Matchups wins the Match.

If the Schools remain tied after the three Seed Matchups, the faster best Attempt recorded by either School in the Match determines the Match winner. If that time is also equal or neither School has a valid Attempt, the Match is recorded as a tie unless a League Administrator applies a published Season tiebreaker or ruling.

Forfeits

A missing competitor ordinarily forfeits the corresponding Seed Matchup. A League Administrator may record or revoke:

• a Seed-level forfeit; or
• a whole-Team Match forfeit.

A forfeit decision must identify the affected School, its scope, and a reason. When both Schools are responsible for the same forfeited Seed or Match, the League Administrator determines the appropriate outcome.

[8] Submission, Verification, and Corrections

Each School Organizer submits only their School’s lineup and results. One submitted side places the Match in an awaiting-opponent state. After both Schools submit, the platform may calculate a provisional outcome.

Each School must also submit accessible recording links with its results. When the Schools compete together in person or on a shared video call, one recording of the Match is sufficient. When competitors complete their Attempts separately, the School submits the separate recordings. Recordings are private verification evidence available to the participating Schools and authorized league staff. SCL may publish highlights only when the applicable media and consent requirements have been satisfied.

Submitting or appearing in a required Match recording does not itself grant permission for public use. Media permission is an optional, separate account choice that may be granted by an adult Participant or the Participant’s parent or legal guardian and withdrawn for future use. SCL will not treat a recording as eligible for highlight review unless every Participant in the confirmed lineups has current permission on file; staff must also confirm that no other identifiable person appears before using an excerpt publicly.

A provisional outcome is not official and does not affect public standings. A League Administrator reviews the submissions and publishes the verified Match outcome. Only the verified outcome affects the Circuit table.

Before verification, a School Organizer may correct their own submission. After verification, only League staff may correct a lineup, attempt, forfeit, or Match outcome. A post-verification correction must include a reason and creates a new administrative record rather than silently replacing the prior decision.

A School should raise a result dispute promptly after the provisional or verified result becomes visible. A League Administrator may set a specific dispute deadline for a Match Window or playoff round.

[9] Varsity and Junior Varsity Standings

Varsity Standings

Varsity regular-season standings are calculated separately within each Conference. A Season without named Conferences is treated as one General Conference.

Schools receive:

Standings are ordered by:

1. Match Points;
2. Seed Point differential;
3. total Seed Points won; and
4. head-to-head result or another Season-specific tiebreaker published by SCL.

Playoff Matches do not alter regular-season records. Only verified, published Matches count in public standings.

Junior Varsity Meets and Standings

Each JV Meet compares every participating JV Team as an independent entry. A School may enter multiple JV Teams, but entering more teams does not combine their points or increase another JV Team’s score.

Each competitor completes three Attempts under the Circuit Solving Procedure. A JV Team’s Meet result is the sum of its three competitors’ best valid Attempt totals. The lower combined time ranks ahead. If two JV Teams have equal combined times, the Team with the faster best Attempt ranks ahead. A Team without three valid competitor results has no valid combined time unless a League Administrator records a different ruling.

JV Teams are awarded Meet Points according to their placement in the shared field:

When two or more JV Teams tie, they share the rank and divide equally the Meet Points assigned to the places they occupy. A JV Team placing below eighth receives zero Meet Points.

Each JV Team keeps its own Meet Points and standings record throughout the Season. The JV Team with the most Meet Points in a Meet is the JV Meet winner; Season standings rank JV Teams by their cumulative published Meet Points.

Only verified, published JV Meet results affect public JV standings.

[10] Playoffs

The playoff field, bracket, and advancement rules are published for the Season after registration and Conference setup. Unless SCL publishes a specific exception, playoff Matches use the same three-Seed format, Scramble procedure, scoring, tiebreakers, submission process, verification, and forfeit rules as regular-season Matches.

A League Administrator may adjust a playoff deadline or matchup when necessary to resolve an operational problem, provided the change is communicated to the affected Schools.

[11] League Administration and Rulings

The SCL Super Administrator appoints League Administrators and League Managers. Within their assigned League, authorized League staff may:

• approve Schools and Season entries;
• maintain Conferences and schedules;
• correct School, roster, Team, lineup, and Match information;
• review evidence and resolve disputes;
• enter, correct, verify, or publish results;
• record or revoke forfeits; and
• enforce these regulations.

Administrative actions that change competition records should identify the person making the change, the time of the change, and the reason.

SCL and its authorized League staff reserve the right to make a final ruling on any circumstance arising during Circuit competition, including circumstances not expressly covered here. The objective of every ruling is a fair, consistent, and well-run competition.