The 30-second rule
The deadline to take a side on an event is 30 seconds before the official start.
For a soccer match kicking off at 9:00 PM, you can take a side until 8:59:30 PM. After that, the screen shows "Challenges closed" and you can no longer commit KTK.
This rule applies uniformly to all events, regardless of sport, theme, or stake tier.
Why this limit exists
Three reasons:
1. Anti-cheating. If you could take a side after the match started, you could watch the first few seconds (first corner, first yellow card, first score change) and use that information. That's information asymmetry compared to those who took a side beforehand.
2. Fairness. All players must make their decision on the same information basis. At kickoff, nobody knows anything - that's fair.
3. Technical consistency. Our system needs to "close" challenges at a precise moment T to handle matching, escrow, and resolution. 30 seconds before kickoff is a practical threshold for that.
The case of live challenges
Ktkarena does not offer live challenges (started while an event is already in progress).
That's a deliberate design decision. Live challenges are highly addictive and hard to match dynamically. We prefer a model where you make your decision before the event and experience the match like a normal spectator once your challenge is started.
It's a deliberate trade-off, healthier for players, even though other platforms offer this kind of live challenge.
What to do if you missed the deadline
If you forgot to take a side before the deadline, you missed that match. But dozens of other events are open at any time.
Tip. If you follow an event regularly (for example your favorite team's matches), turn on event reminders in the app. You get a notification 1 hour before the deadline, which leaves you plenty of time to play.
You can also set up a challenge calendar in My settings → Notifications, which lists upcoming events in your favorite themes.
For reference, an event's lifecycle is: DRAFT → OPEN → POOL_PHASE → CLOSED → RESOLVED. Once in POOL_PHASE or beyond, no new challenges can be started.