GC Rules Quiz

What are the implications of timed games in an Advantage Play tournament?

Answer: It may not be identifiable from the score alone who is winning during a game, nor at the end of a truncated game. (Rule 21)

Prima facie, it would appear that a stronger player, who will have to run more hoops than their weaker opponent, will be disadvantaged if time is called before either side has won the winning hoop. In recognition of this, Scoring Scales are available, to address this imbalance. These demonstrate that it is possible for a stronger player to win even though their score is lower than their opponent's (e.g. starting scores: -2:1, score 3:4, remembering stronger side's score always stated first). Thus Advantage games may be played under Rule 19 conditions. If neither player has reached their target score when the game is finally stopped under Rule 19 (Timed Games), as the game score does not automatically identify the winner, nor does it necessarily indicate who is ahead at any earlier stage in the game, Scoring Scales address this issue. Note their use during a game should not replace announcing the score and using scoring clips, which should be considered the primary record. No additional time can be claimed, instead Scoring Scales are used to determine the winner when an Advantage game is truncated by time. The starting scores for both sides are ascertained by using the Starting Scores Table; Scoring Scales assist in determining the winner in a timed game in which neither side has attained the target score.