Judges Corner for July 2009
The Players Have the Last Word
In the spring of 2008, an incident in a college softball game attracted international attention. Two players from the opposing team carried the batter around the bases after she hit a home run but badly injured her knee while rounding first and could not continue on her own.
The point of referring to that game is that academic games players will sometimes decide not to enforce a one-point penalty or rule a solution as incorrect when they don't want to benefit from what they consider a techicality.
All a judge can do is confirm what the rules require. Ultimately, the players themselves must enforce the rules.
