In all cases, consult the Tournament Rules of the game for examples and further details as well as other minor changes, which are in bold print in each games set of rules.
Equations
- Certain infractions that give a player an unfair advantage or completely disrupt a shake may draw a -1 penalty immediately without a warning provided at least two judges agree on the penalty. Examples include: Consulting notes that were written before the match began; re-rolling the cubes after they were legally rolled; holding the cards face up when dealing; re-dealing some or all the cards; intentionally turning over a cube on the playing mat or in Resources; hiding a card in the Universe or adding a card to the Universe during the shake; and saying one variation selection but circling another. A pair of judges may also issue a -1 penalty or even expel a player from a match for other egregious actions such as not playing to win but rather trying only to ruin the perfect scores of one or both opponents (for example, by erroneously challenging Now or Impossible at or near the beginning of each shake so that both opponents will score 5 for the round), knocking cubes off the mat in a fit of pique before the shake is finished, intimidating an opponent verbally or with threatening gestures or body language, refusing to continue play when ordered by a judge, and so on.
- The Senior Division variation formerly known as √ = i now reads as follows: Imaginary | (sideways minus) shall represent the imaginary number i (such that i² = –1). | may be placed immediately before or after a numeral without the x sign. When this variation is selected, all roots of a^b, where a is a complex number and b is a rational number, are available. Note: This variation may be chosen even if no – signs (or wild cubes) are in Resources.
- Updated Equations rules and materials can be found here.
On-Sets
- Certain infractions that give a player an unfair advantage or completely disrupt a shake may draw a -1 penalty immediately without a warning provided at least two judges agree on the penalty. Examples include: Consulting notes that were written before the match began; re-rolling the cubes after they were legally rolled; holding the cards face up when dealing; re-dealing some or all the cards; intentionally turning over a cube on the playing mat or in Resources; hiding a card in the Universe or adding a card to the Universe during the shake; and saying one variation selection but circling another. A pair of judges may also issue a -1 penalty or even expel a player from a match for other egregious actions such as not playing to win but rather trying only to ruin the perfect scores of one or both opponents (for example, by erroneously challenging Now or Impossible at or near the beginning of each shake so that both opponents will score 5 for the round), knocking cubes off the mat in a fit of pique before the shake is finished, intimidating an opponent verbally or with threatening gestures or body language, refusing to continue play when ordered by a judge, and so on.
- In Senior Division, if a player specifies a Double Set using –, that – means regular subtraction even if a subsequent player calls Symmetric Difference. However, if Symmetric Difference is called first, then any – in a Double Set called by a subsequent player (or the same player) means Symmetric Difference.
- Updated On-Sets rules and materials can be found here.
LinguiSHTIK
- The definition of elliptical clause has been changed to match that of the grammar text: ELLIPTICAL CLAUSE** An elliptical clause is a clause in which some words have been left out when its meaning can be clearly understood. Most elliptical clauses are adverb clauses which begin with a subordinating conjunction and have an understood subject and/or auxiliary verb. An elliptical clause may be either dependent or independent.
- The explanation for the PASS rule has been clarified to indicate that as soon as the third player has said “PASS” then Forceout is called.
- The wording of Illegal Procedure has been modified to match that of Equations/On-Sets.
- The LinguiSHTIK rules and materals will be updated and posted here.
Propaganda
- The sections for 2016-17 are A, B, D,and E.
- In Junior and Senior Divisions, some examples, visual or oral, may contain more than one technique from the section being played.
- Further, in Junior and Senior Divisions, the Non Sequitur technique of Section E is expanded to include recognizing four forms of reasoning as listed and explained in Propaganda: The Definitive Guide.
- Updated Propaganda rules and materials can be found here.
Presidents
- For the 2016-17 school year, Elementary/Middle players are asked questions about Presidents 25-44 only.
- For 2016-17, in Elementary and Middle Divisions, the four-point or two-point clues may contain something about Presidential Firsts. In the Junior and Senior Divisions, the four- or two-point statement may contain something about Presidential Firsts and/or Occupations and Posts and/or one of the special U.S. Leaders (25-44 only) from Group 2: Susan B. Anthony, William Jennings Bryan, Clarence Darrow, Eugene Debs, W.E.B. Du Bois, Huey Long, Gloria Steinem.
- In all divisions, any player who marks 6 as his wager when answering after the 4- or 2-point clue or marks 6 or 4 as the wager when answering after the 2-point clue receives a one-point penalty for that question. The -1 must be approved and initialed by a monitor. In either case, the player, if correct, receives the number of points (minus one) based on their actual wager.
- President #45 will not be included until the 2017-18 school year.
- Updated Presidents rules and materials can be found here.
World Events (now Theme and Current Events)
- World Events is split into two games, Theme and Current Events.
- The Theme game does not change – an 18-question lightning round and a 12-question wager round for a total of 144 possible points. In the wager round, an incorrect answer results in the player losing ½ of their wager.
- The theme will once again be The Civil War with updated topics from the previous year’s outline.
- Current Events will have the same format as the Theme game as described above.
- Current Events questions will only come from the most current calendar year: 2016
- At Nationals, Presidents and Theme will be the two games that count for the Social Studies requirement for team and individual Sweepstakes calculations. Current Events may count as the extra (fourth) game.
- The new Theme rules and materials can be found here. The new Current Events rules and materials can be found here.
Note: An updated set of study materials for each game can be purchased by using the order form from this site.