Concession and Intentional Draws

Concessions are a common tool in competitive games where a game or match may be ended prematurely and the game forfeit by a player. Players may have many reasons for voluntarily conceding a game. Most often, players may forfeit due to being in a position in the game that does not allow them to win the match through any means. In this case, it is beneficial to accept defeat and allow time in the round for additional games while also respecting an opponent's time and playing ability in the tournament. Players can concede at any point in a match and it is effective immediately; the game will end with their opponent being the winner of the game or match (whichever is specified) and the game can move to the next game.

• Conceding the first game without having played the full match will still allow both players to sideboard and allows the conceding player to pick who becomes the first turn player.

• Concessions can't be made in exchange for any material or non-material considerations or offerings. Similarly, concession can't be offered as a leveraged strategic piece for exchange of any kind of consideration. Both of these situations are seen as a part of bribery.

Intentional Draws (IDs) are similarly a common tool in many competitive games. Intentional draws allow for players to agree on a match result (in applicable formats and settings) that may be mutually beneficial. We believe that allowing intentional draws in some scenarios is more acceptable and ethical for players than disallowing them, since by disallowing them would only incentivize some players to see out the same draw result through needlessly convoluted gameplay, compromising the integrity of fair and honest play, and of the tournament as a whole. Players might otherwise attempt to create a false scenario where an ID emerges, either through stalling or other ploys, in addition to being difficult to police effectively if it were disallowed. While this is a debated topic, there are a few guidelines players and judges need to be aware of regrading intentional draws:

• IDs are expected when mutually favorable situations between players may arise, typically regarding tournament standings and top cuts.

• If players are seeking an ID, this must be done within the first 5 minutes of the match and before the match has started, otherwise the players are expected to determine the result through a fair match and may only determine the winner of the match by within-match factors.

  • If an ID decision is sought but not made and a match has not begun after 5 minutes, both players will be penalized under Tardiness.

• IDs cannot be made in exchange for any considerations or take into consideration external match results. E.g. Players can't wait for the result of another set of opponents' match or matches to inform their decision to ID. They may only use the information presently available to them. If an ID is made in an unethical or erroneous way, this may be seen as collusion or bribery.