The ladder is the Pool Club's main tournament and runs throughout the year. To join the ladder, either sign up at Freshers' Fayre or speak to one of the exec. It's £1 to enter and your entry fee goes into the prize pool for the end-of-year playoffs! The way the ladder works is explained below - should you have any more questions, email the exec at pool@warwicksu.com.

Each week you can make one challenge to a player above you on the ladder. The times from which you can challenge depend on whether you won in the previous week. These times are usually:

8am Monday morning if you won last week (or didn't play)

12pm Monday if you lost last week

To make a challenge, you login on the website and go to the 'my ladder' page. As the time draws near to the relevant challenging time, refresh the page and follow the link which will appear. You can then select your opponent from a dropdown box.

Note: you can only play one match per week. This means that if you get challenged from someone below you, you have to win your match and then wait until next week to make a challenge yourself. So make sure you're quick on the button!

OK, so assuming you managed to make a challenge (or got challenged) what happens next? Well, when making a challenge you fill in a box with some suggested times when you can play the match. Try to include at least three different times. The person who got challenged then replies with their choice of time and then you just turn and play. Easy. Games are usually played in the pool room in the Atrium in the Union, but are sometimes played on the cheaper table in Rootes bar. If you prefer a particular place, you can specify when you agree a time.

This happens quite regularly for a number of reasons. Firstly, always wait at least 15 minutes after the scheduled time as it may be that a lecture has run long. If they still don't turn up, you can claim a walkover (just tick the box on the website when you enter the result). If you're feeling generous, you can of course rearrange the match but you don't have to.

In the rare case when both players claim a walkover, email the exec or post on the messageboard and we'll do our best to sort things out. Our decision is final!

When the match has been played, you can enter the result on the website. At the end of the week, all matches that have yet to be concluded are worked out as follows:

- If a challenge hasn't been responded to, the challenger gets a walkover.

- If a time was agreed but no-one entered the result, the challenger loses via walkover and no-one swaps places.

The ladder is then updated and any challengers who won simply swap places with their opponent. Then it starts all over again next week!

Ladder points start being scored after three weeks of matches have been completed. The points work as follows:

If you finish the week on row 1, you score 15 points, if you finish on row 2, you score 12 points. After that, the points for each row are as follows: 10, 8, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1

A running tally of the points is available on the website.

At the end of the year, the top 32 players in the points table compete in the ladder playoffs for the title of Ladder Champion. The competition is seeded and features some intense, high-pressure action. Or something like that. There might even be a trophy for the winner!

To work out how high up the ladder you can challenge, use the following table:

Rows 1 to 6 can challenge 1 row above

Rows 7 - 9 can challenge 2 rows above

Rows 10 - 12 can challenge 3 rows above

Following the pattern, rows (3n + 1) to (3n + 3) can challenge n rows above, where n is of course greater than or equal to 2. And for any non-mathematicians, just click the button and see who you can challenge.