In the past, the title of Tak Champion has been awarded to the winner of the biennial US Tak Open tournament that we held for our members. In the wake of the 2020 edition, based in part on community feedback, we decided to make some changes to how the title is awarded. First, we want there to be a clear path to becoming the champion without requiring payment or USTA membership to participate. Second, as the tak community expands, we want the Championship to involve more than a single tournament.
The method by which a champion is chosen will now involve a closed final Championship tournament with multiple routes to qualification.
Open Tournament (Fall 2021)
This tournament is free and open to all. Our tentative plan is to hold an open tournament in this style every odd year moving forward.
Members Tournament (Summer 2022)
This is the spiritual successor to the Opens of 2018 and 2020 and will be our flagship members’ event. It is only open to USTA members. Assuming all goes well, we plan to hold a members tournament in each even year.
US Tak Championship (Fall 2022)
This will be an eight-player, single-elimination tournament. Qualification for the eight slots will be as follows:
| 1 slot | Current Champion |
| 3 slots | Top 3 finishers in the 2021 Open Tournament (who are not the current champion) |
| 2 slots | Top 2 finishers in 2022 Members Tournament (who do not qualify by above methods) |
| 2 slots | Highest rated players in the Active Tournament Ratings (who do not qualify by the above methods) |
Quarter finals and semifinals will be 4-game matches; the finals will be 6 games. The most important prize will be the title of Tak Champion, but there may also be other prizes.