Judges Corner for February 2008

Handling Scoresheet Errors

When scores from a round have been posted or sent out to the league, a player may contest his/her score for a round in either a cube or reading game. This is why scoresheets should be kept for a reasonable period of time to allow possible errors to be corrected. Let's take an example.

Suppose a player contends that his/her correct score for a cube game round was 6, not 4. First, verify that the score was transcribed correctly from the original scoresheet to a computer file or whatever document was posted or distributed. If an error was made in recording the score from the original scoresheet, correcting the mistake is easily done.

However, if the original scoresheet shows the player with a 4, several possibilities arise.

• Check the shake-by-shake scores to make sure the final tallies were computed correctly. The problem could have been a simple addition error (particularly for younger players). If that is the case, correct the final score to reflect the true totals. Unless you suspect an intent to cheat, no further action need be taken.
• Sometimes the final totals were added correctly but the scorekeeper, in his/her haste to move to the next round or depart from the tournament, carelessly transposed the final scores and the other players did not notice the error when they initialed the sheet. Instead of Jack 6 - Jill 4, the scorekeeper records Jack 4 - Jill 6. If there is no evidence of an attempt to cheat, simply change to the final scores to reflect the correct totals and do not penalize the player who gained by the mistake.
• However, if there is evidence (such as erasures of shake scores or final totals) that indicates a player modified the scoresheet after everyone signed or initialed it, then further investigation is needed to verify that cheating occurred. All players involved in the match should be contacted as soon as possible. A third player whose score was not changed becomes the key witness since that player has nothing to gain or lose from the scoring change.
• The final judgment as to whether cheating occurred and what punishment is appropriate should be made by at least two individuals who did not have players involved in the disputed match.

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