Defined Penalties

Warning

Warnings are the least severe penalty a judge can apply to a player. These penalties are typically used for small infractions or for when the correction for an infraction does not take significant time to correct. Warnings primarily exist as a point of identifying that a (usually) minor infraction took place and to bring attention to the players to avoid performing the same or similar violations. Warnings typically do not take more than a minute to resolve and should not require judges to add time to the round.

Game Loss

A Game Loss issued to a player immediately causes that player to lose the current game or a game that is yet to be played. An issued Game Loss penalty will be reported as a loss during round reporting and determining a match winner. Players losing a game via this penalty do get to choose whether they go first or second in the next game of the current match. Neither player may sideboard if this penalty is issued before the first match game.

Multiple simultaneous Game Loss penalties result in a single issued Game Loss. If each player were to receive a Game Loss penalty, the match score will not be affected but the losses are still recorded.

Match Loss

Match Loss penalties are severe and should be reserved only for when the integrity of the match has been compromised. Match losses can be applied both to a current match or a match that is yet to be played. A match loss issued during a match applies to the ongoing match, otherwise, if no match is currently being played, the match loss is applied to that player’s next match.

Disqualification

Disqualifications (or DQs) are the most severe penalties judges can issue to a player for a tournament. These penalties should be reserved for any actions a player takes that constitute severe unsporting conduct and/or conduct compromises the integrity of a tournament. It is recommended that the Head Judge be notified by an attending judge if there are grounds for disqualification. Attending judges should not issue Disqualification penalties; this should be reserved for the Head Judge and/or Tournament Organizer (TO)

At the time this penalty is applied, the player receiving the penalty loses their current match and is dropped from the tournament. They may keep any prizes they may have been awarded but cannot be awarded any further prizing or awards, even those pending. During a tournament, a disqualified player is removed and does not take any standing in the tournament. All players below that player’s standing will move up one place in the standing and are entitled to any prizes from the new standing. While standings in the case of a top-cut will change if a disqualification is issued after a cut, the players playing a top-cut elimination portion of a tournament will not change, i.e., a former 9th place that moved into 8th place will remain 8th place in standing while not participating in the elimination portion of a tournament.

Head Judges are expected to record and report an account of events, evidence, or information that led to the issued disqualification. Judges may issue disqualifications without proof of action, but the report and account must reflect this.