Courtesy Philosophy

The courtesy shown between all individuals at a speed puzzling competition is an important factor in maintaining and building upon the solid foundation of the worldwide puzzling community.

Consideration Courtesy-0001:

When a table is shared by competitors, each competitor is responsible for staying on their side of the table. 

    • Competition tables that are shared will have a marking (piece of tape) dividing the table into equal competition spaces.

    • Competitors will stay on their side of the tape.

    • NOTE: For pairs competitions, it is a commonly accepted “best practice” for both pairs at a table to put their puzzle box next to the tape line. If both pairs do so, it aids in keeping all of the puzzle pieces on the correct side of the competition table.

    • Judges should actively monitor competitors before and during the competition to ensure compliance with the associated resulting rules. If a judge sees that a competitor has puzzle pieces/the puzzle box/other object/a body part past the tape line, the judge should remind the competitor to stay on their side of the table.

    • Non-compliance should be corrected once it is noticed by a judge.

    • Continued non-compliance should be considered a discourteous practice and is suggested to result in event disqualification at the discretion of the event organizers.

    • When event organizers determine that competition tables will be shared, they should determine the competition table dimensions for each competitor, and provide that information to competitors ahead of the competition.

    • All competitors should be provided equal puzzling areas that are clearly defined.

    • V.0: Published 2025-1-1

    • V.1: Re-published 2025-2-6 for official first batch of considerations.

Consideration Courtesy-0002:

Competitors should be given proper warning when a competition is about to start including:  

  • 1-minute warning 

  • 30-second warning (encouraged but not required) 

  • 10-second countdown with even counting in “true time”

    • The competition start will be announced with (at minimum) a 1-minute warning and a 10 second countdown. 

    • Provide a visual warning and countdown if needed for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing competitors, or for competitors who speak a language other than the official language(s) of a particular competition.

    • Competitors should be given accurate information about the start of the competition. This includes at minimum a 1-minute warning and a 10-second countdown. A simultaneous verbal and visual countdown is preferred.

    • V1: Published 2025-2-6

Consideration Courtesy-0003:

Competition rules should be released in an amount of time that allows participants to consider if they would like to participate and find teammates.  

  • If there are no rule changes from the previous event, release rules 3-4 weeks before registration begins at minimum. 

  • If there are rule or format changes from the previous event, release rules 7-8 weeks before registration begins at minimum. 

    • None.

    • None.

    • Release competition rules in an amount of time that allows participants to consider if they would like to participate and find teammates. 

    • Any time a rule is changed after registration has opened, registered participants should be made aware of the rule change and the reason for the change. If a participant is no longer interested in participating in the event due to a rule change, they should be allowed to drop out of the competition and receive a full refund. 

    • No rule changes should occur within 4 weeks of the start of the event. 

    • V1: Published 2025-2-6