Matches
Each game will consist of 20 tossups and 20 bonus questions. Ties willbe broken by reading extra toss-ups until one team earns a penalty or correctlyanswers a toss-up. A correct answer on a toss-up question gives the teamthat answered the opportunity to answer a bonus question.
Toss-up Play
Time Limits
5 seconds after question is completed to ring in
5 seconds to answer after the buzzer sounds from ringing in
5 seconds after one team has buzzed in incorrectly at the end of a questionfor the other team to buzz in.
Points
The team that answers a toss-up correctly is awarded 10 points
Penalties
There will be a five point penalty assessed on any player who buzzesin before the question is completely read with an incorrect answer. Thispenalty applies only to the first team to ring in on a given tossup.
The penalty will apply if the reader has not completed the absolutelast word on the paper. If the reader is in the middle of the last word,it is reader judgment whether to assess a penalty.
Consultation
Absolutely no consultation will be allowed during toss-ups. Consultationincludes verbal and non-verbal communication. Consultation will be treatedas an incorrect answer and if it occurs before a question is complete,a 5 point penalty will be assessed. If you answer when you have not rungin, you will be called for consultation, ruled incorrect, given a 5 pointpenalty if appropriate, and the question will be finished for the otherteam.
A player who buzzed in may answer with our without being recognizedby the reader. No player who has buzzed in will be called for consultation.
If it is necessary to use a buzzer system that does not have lights,either team may at any time request to see the display panel showing whichplayer has rung in.
Clarification
In the event the reader does not clearly understand an answer, the playermay be prompted to repeat the answer. If the reader is still unclear, theplayer may be asked to spell the answer in order to clarify an unclearpronunciation. Please note! It is not necessary for the player to spellthe answer correctly to be awarded the question. For example, a playermay be asked to spell "Manet" or "Monet" to differentiate between the twoImpressionists. The moderator is only interested in the second letter ofthe word. Spelling M-A-N-A-Y is acceptable for "Manet." The readerwill prompt for more information if a player gives part of an underlinedanswer. If the reader fails to do so, a team may protest.
The same clarification rules apply to bonus questions.
Answering
The answer is the stream of verbal information given by the player eitherbefore the five second time limit expires or that information given pastthe time limit that is a continuation of an answer already begun.
No answer may be a list of a class of answers. For example, a playermay not ring in and list all the chemical elements in response to a questionthat begins "This chemical element...".
Any two or three pieces of linked information may be given as an answer.In all cases such information must be correct.
If the desired answer is included in the three answers, then the answershould be accepted. Such answers included, but are not restricted to
| Class | Example |
| character-title-author | Robert Jordan in For Whom the Bell Tollsby Hemingway |
| title-author | Hamlet by Shakespeare |
| artist-work | The Raft of the Medusa by Géricault |
| composer-work | Rachmaninoff’s Isle of the Dead |
| opera-composer-librettist | The Girl of the Golden West by Puccinibased on Belasco’s play |
| character-opera-composer | Leonora in Fidelio by Beethoven |
| scientist-discovery | Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity |
| process-product | the Haber Process produces ammonia |
| discoverer-discovery | Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean |
| event-date | the Battle of Waterloo was fought in 1815 |
Blitzes including more than three pieces of information are allowed.An exmaple of an acceptable blitz is as follows. For a question that began:
On April 6, 1862....
You can buzz in and say: "Grant defeated Johnston at the Battle of Shilohor Pittsburgh Landing in Tennessee."
This illustrated a subtlety of blitzing that is hard to put into words.Though there are TWO generals (seemingly the same class of answer) listedin the blitz, they are linked by the battle of Shiloh and that link isspecified in the blitz. This is not equivalent to buzzing in and namingrandom Civil War generals, which would be incorrect.
Bonus Play
At the beginning of play, a single player on each team must be selectedto give the team’s answer to bonus questions to the reader. That playeris the only player that may give bonus answers unless the reader is notifiedverbally that another player will give the answer.
Time Limits
5 seconds per part on a multi-part bonus
10 seconds on a list bonus
15 seconds per part unless otherwise specified on a calculation bonus
At the end of the allotted time period, the reader will request an answer.An answer or a designation must occur immediately upon the reader’s promptingfor an answer. A designation must be short and specific at the discretionof the reader.
All answers to bonus questions, especially on lists, must be continuous.A pause stops your answer.
All bonuses are to be 30 points. If your team receives a bonus valuedat less, you may request a replacement. If you choose to keep the lesser-valuedbonus at the time of play, it will stand. A request for a replacement mustbe made at the time it becomes apparent that the bonus is not 30 pointsin value
All bonuses must also contain multiple parts. Any single part bonuswill not be read.
Readers to provide bonus answers after each part of a multi-part bonus.
Reader Error
In the event that a reader mistakenly reveals the answer to a toss-upbefore either team has rung in, the toss-up will be replaced with the 21stin the packet.
If the reader reveals the answer to a toss-up after one team has made-5 or given an incorrect answer but before the other team has a chanceto ring in, the second team will receive a replacement toss-up read onlyto that team.
If the reader makes an error on a bonus part, the tournament directorwill replace it with an equally valued bonus part. In the event that thebonus was a 30-20-10, a new question will be substituted in its place.
Protests
What is protestable?
In the rare event of a reader run amok, e.g. one who accepts GeorgeWashington for William Shakespeare, the reader can be overruled by theTournament Director, but on judgment calls the reader’s decision is thefinal arbiter.
Lodging Protests
Protests will not be resolved unless they affect the outcome of thematch. This will be determined by removing all penalties, awarded toss-uppoints, and bonus points for the question under protest. The MAXIMUM possiblescoring will be assumed for the team lodging the protests and if upheld,that team will receive a chance at the same number of points they wouldhave received had their correct answer been accepted.
If there are two conflicting pieces of uniquely identifying informationwithin the question, there are two possible outcomes in terms of protestresolution.
This is best explained by example. Consider the following question:
After getting his Ph.D., he won the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physicsfor his work on the photoelectric effect...
Answer on paper: Albert _Einstein_
[Note that De Broglie received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1929, andEinstein received it for work on the photoelectric effect]
Case 1: Team A buzzes in after the word physics and says "DeBroglie" and is ruled wrong. In this event, Team A may protest that theygave an answer that was uniquely identified and be awarded the points.This will occur even if team B gives the answer Einstein after the entirequestion is read.
Case 2: The two conflicting pieces of information are given beforea player on either team rings in. In this instance, a team may protestand have the question thrown out.
Deciding Protests
If the opposing team will concede a protest, the matter can be resolvedon the spot. Please be good sports and concede if you know the other teamis right. You WILL lose the protest if they are correct and waste the timeof everyone in the tournament.
If the protest cannot be resolved in the room where the match is beingplayed, it will be referred to the Tournament Director, who may, in theevent of corroborating information found in a reference book or via expertson the subject, rule in the protesting team’s favor.
All Tournament Directors are expected to attempt to verify errors butwill only have a limited number of reference books on hand. In the eventthat the TD cannot find documentation or experts to support a protest,it will be up to the protesting team to provide documentation to the satisfactionof the tournament officials.
Behavior
If a player gets unruly, the reader may issue a warning. If the improperbehavior persists, the reader may eject the player only AFTER consultingwith the tournament director. Any player who is ejected from a game willbe considered "warned" for the remainder of the tournament, and can beexpelled without warning for continued similar behavior. Once again, thereader must consult with the tournament director before ejecting a player.
Readers may not award penalties, declare a team ineligivle for a toss-upor in any way penalize a team via score for improper behavior of a player!However, making a reader angry may result in less generous rulings thatcannot be protested, so treat the readers with respect.
What is improper behavior?
Observers, including team alternates, friends, enemies, etc. have norights and can be summarily expelled from any room by any reader who deemstheir behavior disruptive.
The Prime Directive
Tournament Directors should make decisions not covered in these rulesgiving first priority to rewarding the player with knowledge and the teamthat deserves points. Expedience and convenience of the tournament directorshould be considered secondary to the interest of the players and teams.
The Infallibility of Tournament Directors
The decisions of the tournament director or his designees are consideredfinal and are not protestable.