After weeks of hinting at a major announcement the X3O Gaming Center has unveiled plans of a Counter-Strike 1.6 Tournament series to be held at its location in Maryland. In total, the series has a prize purse of a little over $20,000.

Dubbed the "2008 Dust-Off Championship Series", there will be four qualifier events before a final Championship Tournament showcasing a $10,000 prize purse.

The Qualifiers
Basic Rundown

There will be four qualifiers that serve as a means from which to gain a berth into the final tournament as well as determination of seed.

The qualifiers have a limit of 16 teams each and will be two day events. The first day consists of round-robin group play, with the top two teams in each group progressing to day two. That second day consists of a double elimination bracket play to determine overall placing. The first place finisher of a qualifier skips the round robin stage of the finals event later this year, and receives a spot in the bracket stage.

Prizes

Each qualifier event has a $2,500 money pool along with sponsorship prizes. The money distribution will be identical, however sponsorship prizes will vary.

1st. $1500.00 + x5 Dust-Off Keyboard Quivers
2nd. $750.00 + x5 Dust-Off Prize Packs
3rd. $250.00 + x5 Dust-Off Smart Packs

Dates

Confirmed

Qualifier 1 - March 29th-30th, 2008

Un-Confirmed

Qualifier 2 - May 17th-18th, 2008
Qualifier 3 - June 21st-22nd, 2008
Qualifier 4 - July 19th-20th, 2008

The Championship Finals
After the qualifiers have concluded, there will be a 32 team max Championship Finals that is open to all teams interested in competing.

This is a three day event with day one and two being dedicated to group play, four groups playing each day. Top team from each group proceeds to the bracket finals.

Participation in prior qualifier competitions regardless of how high a result, will be considered by X3O for seed.

If a team placed first in a qualifier, they receive an auto-placement into the bracket stage.

Prize Distribution

1st. $6000.00 + Sponsor Prizes
2nd. $3000.00 + Sponsor Prizes
3rd. $1000.00 + Sponsor Prizes

Tentative Date

Championship Finals - August 15th-17th, 2008

Registration and Details

To get all the fine print and to view the original press release, visit x3o-gaming.com