Group Make Up
The field will be divided into 4 groups of 16 players.
Dice rolls will be used to publicly distribute the field over the groups. Each set of qualifiers will be distributed among the 4 groups by rolling dice. Should any group(s) have fewer numbers than any other group it/they will be brought up to numbers first and players from that set of qualifiers distributed as evenly as possible between the groups. For distribution purposes, players qualifying via rating will be assigned in sets of 4 starting with the highest rated four.  This process will continue till all players are divided into 4 groups containing 12 players each. (The remaining 12 places will be later filled by the top 12 ZCSQ placers.)

ROUND 1
These 4 groups will play a round robin among their assigned group. Each player will play every other player in their assigned group a 13 pt match. The winner will post with the host within 24 hrs of the match ending. It will be the player’s responsibility to schedule their match with every other player so that all matches are played within the allotted time. After completion of Round 1 the top six players in each group will continue to Round 2. All other players will be eliminated. In the event of ties for the sixth place in any group the first tiebreaker will be how the tied players did in head to head competition against each other. In the event head to head competition does not break the tie then the tied players will be assigned to an elimination or round robin type playoff depending upon the number of tied players. All tiebreak matches, if needed, will be 13 pt. matches.

ROUND 2:
The 24 advancing players will be grouped into 2 groups of 12 players. The Host will randomly draw from the 4 group winners into each of the Round 2 brackets. The Host will do the same from the 4 second place finishers. This process will be repeated until all players have been assigned. If multiple players have the same "ranking", the draw will be random. This process will create brackets that contain (2) first, second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth place finishers.
Round 2 will be another round robin format. Each person in a group will play every other player in that group. Matches will be 15 pts. and will be scheduled by the players among themselves so as to have all the matches completed within 3 weeks of the start of Round 2. At the conclusion of Round 2 the top 4 players from each group will advance to Round 3. The top 4 players in each group will be determined by adding the number of wins in the second round robin to 40% of their wins in the first round robin, ie: by total adjusted wins.

Players not in the top 4 players in each Round 2 group will be eliminated.
Ties for the 4th positions in each group will be resolved first, by the result of the head to head play between the tied players in Round 2. In the event the head to head Round 2 play does not break the tie the cumulative record of wins and losses from Round 1 and Round 2 combined will be used next. In the event of a tie still not being broken then a round robin or elimination playoff will be arranged by the Host. All tiebreaker matches, if needed, will be 15 pt matches.

Round 3:
The 8 advancing players will play a single elimination knockout tournament. The top 4 players will be seeded by total adjusted wins (40% of Round 1 wins + 100% of Round 2 wins) and , if necessary, by the same tie-break procedure as above except that drawing lots will replace tie-breaker matches as the final tie-breaker.

Seed 1 will choose his/her opponent from the players seeded 5 through 8. Seed 2 will choose his/her opponent from the remaining players seeded 5 through 8. Seed 3 will do the same. Seed 4 plays the remaining player.

Brackets will be (reading from top down)
Seed 1 plus opp
Seed 4 plus opp
Seed 3 plus opp
Seed 2 plus opp

The quarter and semi-finals matches will be best 3 out of 5 13-point matches and the Finals will be best 3 out of 5 15-point matches. The winner of the Finals will be the Spring 2001 ZCS Champion.