Change to "Claim Bonus" Rule:

No set of rules is perfect; as we have reviewed the results of the GP competitions, we have been concerned that the "Claim Bonus" rule has not worked as well as possible. There is the potential for individual error (i.e. "forgetting to click the button"), technical problems (i.e. "not seeing a clickable button"), or other unforeseen circumstances to have an impact on a competitor's results.

Instead of dealing with claim bonus protests on a case-by-case basis, we have sought a fair and uniform policy that can apply to all such cases. We feel it is reasonable, once a solver submits a complete set of solutions, that within 5 minutes (about 5% of the round length for our 90-minute contests) a solver could fully check the submissions. We therefore propose the following amended rule for 'claim bonus':

"If a solver submits a 100% correct set of solutions, but fails to click 'Claim Bonus', the solver may begin to earn time bonus after five minutes have passed. This only applies to fully correct solutions and no partial bonus will be granted when 'Claim Bonus' is not clicked. All bonuses will be calculated based on the time the player clicks 'Claim Bonus', or 5 minutes after the last (and 100% correct) submission was made, whichever is earliest."

This rule will be in effect for all future Puzzle and Sudoku Grand Prix rounds in 2014; any solvers who would have earned bonus in prior competitions if this rule had existed will also have their scores adjusted to reflect a 5-minute delay and then the gain of that bonus.

- Thomas Snyder
Sudoku GP Competition Director