Last month's Judges Corner raised the question of a judge providing helping information to a player inadvertently. Let's deal with that situation now.
A judge may unintentionally help a player in several ways.
- The judge answers a player's question without first determining whether a challenge has been made and/or Solutions have been presented.
Example During an Equations (or On-Sets) shake, before any Challenge has been made, a player asks the judge, "Does the wild cube have to stand for the same symbol everywhere?" The judge answers "yes," causing the questioner to change his/her Solution or to Challenge.
- The judge raises a point about a player's move or Solution that opponents have not raised.
Example A Junior or Senior player asks the judge, "Does the Mover have to say 'Bonus' before making a Bonus move to Forbidden?" The judge replies, "Is the Mover leading in the match?" The opponents then realize that the Mover is in the lead and should be penalized one point.
A player may protest that the judge has provided information that gives one or more opponents a competitive advantage. In this case, a different judge should be called to try to straighten out the situation. After hearing the players' testimony, the second judge may consult with the first judge in order to determine exactly what happened. The second judge may want to consult with other judges in order to decide whether the shake needs to be replayed or the violation was minor enough that replaying the shake is not warranted.