I've heard of a situation from SCG open Buffalo of two players drawing five minutes into round 1. Apparently they drew the ire of the head judge and were called to the desk and interrogated regarding their draw and asked if their draw was intentional or not. From what I have gathered, both players were rattled by this.

Regardless if it was an ID or not, isn't it within the players' right to ID at any time of a match prior to the end of gameplay?

MTR 2.4: If a game or match is not completed, players may concede or mutually agree to a draw in that game or match. A match is considered complete once the result slip is filled out or, if match slips are not being used, a player leaves the table after game play is finished. Until that point, either player may concede to or draw with the other, though if the conceding player won a game in the match, the match must be reported as 2-1. Intentional draws are always reported as 0-0-3.
Players may not agree to a concession or draw in exchange for any reward or incentive. Doing so will be considered Bribery (see section 5.2).
If a player refuses to play, it is assumed that he or she has conceded the match.


I understand that the philosophy is that tournaments are for testing/proving play skill and rewarding those who make smart plays, but I am slightly appalled at the thought that these players were made uncomfortable over a decision/result that is within the legality of our Tournament Rules.

Is there some rule that I am missing or is my feeling on this matter valid?

Hi!

Speaking as the Head Judge of said Buffalo Open here ;)

If I recall the specific situation (and it was a month ago), I believe that
the slip had just been marked as a draw - not with “ID” or similar
markings. I believe we called the players to make sure that they were
aware that matches don't end just if they are a draw after 3 games - i.e.
that extra games can be played in order to get a result. I certainly
wouldn't want the players to feel uncomfortable and if that was the effect,
then please do pass on my apologies :) I do my best not to have any ire
towards anyone!

The other thing I can think of was if there was a concession very early
into a round, I'd probably check with the players to make sure that nothing
had changed hands in exchange for that result.

If the players in question can furnish me with a reminder of what happened
in more detail I'd be happy to discuss it with them either directly or on
the list.

Thanks,

~David Lyford-Smith
L3, Reading, U.K.

On 5 September 2012 13:51, Mark Wanich <forum-1354@apps.magicjudges.org>wrote:

Hey Mark,

It's important to remember that the story you heard might not be exactly
what happened. Judges and players have different perspectives and those
perspectives alter the story as it gets passed along. It can be like a
great big game of Telephone.

It appears that the situation was a simple occurrence of double checking
that 1. The slip says what the players want it to say, and 2. Nothing shady
happened. Even though the result was legal, it was weird, and I will call
players to the stage to confirm every single weird slip that I receive.
It's an easy check that can catch confused players or incorrect slips
before they have a chance to slow my scorekeeper down.

But from the player's perspective getting called up to the stage and
getting questioned by the intimidating Man in Black can be much scarier. To
them it might feel like they've drawn his wrath or are being interrogated
when it's actually nothing of the sort.

This can be a good reminder to everyone that just being on stage or wearing
the judge uniform can give us an intimidating presence, especially to new
players. A smile, a handshake, or a little bit of small talk can go a long
way in letting players know when they're not in trouble!

Dan Stephens
L3, Marion, Indiana
RC US-Central

It is legal to agree to a draw at any point prior to submitting the result (slip).


What you might be missing, however, is the rest of the story - i.e., why the Head Judge of this event was concerned about this particular incident.  One of the things we stress in the list protocol, is not second-guessing a judge for a decision when we weren't there; that seems appropriate in this case, too.

Thanks! – Scott Marshall <scott_j_marshall_jr@yahoo.com>
DCIJUDGE-L NetRep, L5, Denver
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Thank you everyone for your quick responses that puts my heart at ease to the situation. I was a little amazed when it was described to me the way it was, but the scary “Man in Black” most likely is what heightened the tension in the players discussed. I apologize for any hostility that may have stemmed from my post and for second guessing a judge's intentions.