> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.speculate.trade/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Creating a duel

> Challenge anyone, 1v1

Duels are 1v1, winner-take-all trading battles — no lobby, no waiting on strangers to fill a bracket. You pick the fight. Here's how to set one up.

<Note>
  Duels run on the same simulated trading engine as every competition — you and your opponent each trade with practice capital, priced off live Kraken market data. The entry fee is the only real USDC at risk, and it's exactly what you put up — no more.
</Note>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Pick your asset">
    Choose the market you and your opponent will both trade. Whatever you pick is locked for the whole duel — same asset, same rules, same clock, for both of you.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the stakes">
    Set the entry fee in USDC — **minimum** $1**, though the app defaults to **$**50**. Both sides post the same amount. Whoever wins takes **2x their entry**, the full pot — **no platform fee**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the duration">
    Choose how long the duel runs — **minimum 5 minutes**, defaulting to **1 day**. You can also set a start delay — **immediately, 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 1 hour**. Trading begins the moment your opponent joins, plus whatever delay you chose.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set max leverage">
    Drag the leverage slider anywhere from **1x to 100x** — default is **25x**. This is the ceiling both of you trade under for the entire duel.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose your opponent">
    Leave it open to anyone, or send a **directed challenge** to a specific friend. Directed challenges land straight in their **Invites** tab, not the open pool.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sign and share">
    Signing is **gasless** — Speculate covers every network fee. Once you sign, you get a **shareable invite link** to send however you want.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Rules of the road

* **24-hour accept window.** If a challenge isn't accepted within 24 hours, it expires and refunds automatically — nobody's money sits in limbo.
* **5 pending duels, max.** You can have at most 5 unaccepted duels outstanding at once. Clear one out — or wait for it to expire — before creating another.
* **Cancel before they join, refund in full.** You can cancel your own duel any time before an opponent joins and get every dollar back. Once they join, the duel is live — no cancelling out.
* **Directed challenges are private.** A challenge aimed at a specific friend only shows up in their Invites tab — it isn't broadcast to anyone else.

<Note>
  Want the settlement details — ties, no-shows, how a winner is actually decided? That's all on [Duel rules](/duels/rules).
</Note>

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Duels overview" icon="swords" href="/duels/overview">
    What a duel is, end to end, before you build one.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Duel rules" icon="scale" href="/duels/rules">
    Settlement, ties, and what happens when nobody trades.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>