The rule: no penalty before matching
As long as your challenge isn't matched to an opponent (i.e. still in direct matching within your tier, the inter-tier cascade, aggregation of several opponents, or a residual waiting in the matching loop), you can cancel it freely with no penalty whatsoever. 100% of your KTK returns to your wallet immediately.
That's different from a matched challenge, which carries penalties (10-20%). Before matching, you're on your own - nobody is waiting on your challenge on the other side. So there's no reason to pay a penalty.
Watch the timing: the placement window (and therefore free cancellation before matching) closes before the event's official close. More precisely, it closes when the pool phase starts, i.e. 5 to 60 minutes before close (the duration varies by event). You see the exact timestamp in the event details under "Pool phase starts at."
How to know whether your challenge is matched or not
In the app, your challenges have 4 visible statuses:
- Searching (spinning green magnifier icon): the matching engine is looking for your opponent. Free cancellation.
- Waiting (orange clock icon): your challenge is a residual waiting for an opponent in the matching loop. Free cancellation.
- Matched (green check icon): you have an opponent. Cancellation = 10-20% penalty.
- Resolved (trophy or X icon): too late to cancel.
If the icon isn't "Matched," "POOLED," or "Resolved," cancellation is free.
Canceling in practice: 4 steps
- Go to "My challenges" in the Wallet tab.
- Find the challenge you want to cancel ("Searching" or "Waiting" status).
- Tap the challenge, then the "Cancel" button at the bottom.
- Confirm. Your KTK returns to your wallet in under a second.
That's it. No penalty-calculation window, no double-check confirmation. It's immediate because there are no consequences for anyone.
What happens with your KTK
Your KTK leaves escrow immediately and returns to your available balance.
No delay, no 24-hour "waiting period" or anything like it. You can start a new challenge within the next second with the same KTK.
No opponent notification is sent - since there was no opponent.