Dear WCA Community,

The WRC would like to inform you about the new version of the regulations, which is going into effect January 1, 2018.

You can review all changes in this comparison on GitHub. If you do not want to open all the individual changes, you can click on “Files changed” to see the complete files of the regulation and guidelines. All changes and additions are marked green and removals are red.

Most important changes for competitors:

• Puzzles with logos are not allowed to be used in blindfolded events (commit | no public discussion)
• The format of “3x3x3 With Feet” is changed to “Average of 5”. The WRC and WCA Board will review how the format change influences the popularity of the event and decide about the future of the event after an internally determined period of time. (commit | discussion)
• The result recording procedure has been revised: Judges must sign right after recording the result. Competitors have to check the result and sign after the judge has recorded the result and signed. The competitor is ultimately responsible for ensuring that they and the judge have signed an attempt. (commit | discussion)
• Electronic headphones and earbuds must not be used during an attempt, even if they are switched off or disconnected (commit | no public discussion)
• Competitors are now allowed to use their hands during inspection in 3x3x3 With Feet (commit | discussion)
• Attempts done with illegal puzzles will be disqualified (DNF). Exception: If a puzzle is found to be not permitted during a round, earlier results may be replaced with an extra attempt, at the discretion of the WCA Delegate (commit | no public discussion)

Other important changes:

• All pillowed puzzles are allowed in all events (commit | discussions)
• The default format for 3x3x3 Cube, 2x2x2 Cube, 4x4x4 Cube, 5x5x5 Cube, 3x3x3 One-Handed, 3x3x3 With Feet, Clock, Megaminx, Pyraminx, Skewb, and Square-1 is “Average of 5” or “Best of 2/Average of 5” for a combined round. All other formats for these events have to be approved by the Board (commit | no public discussion)
• When competitors accidentally touch the puzzle with other body parts during 3x3x3 One-Handed Solving, it’s not considered DNF, at the discretion of the judge (commit | discussion)
• If the puzzle falls into the lap of the competitor after stopping the timer, this is considered touching the puzzle (thus, +2 seconds penalty is awarded) (commit | discussion)
• Competitors are now allowed to talk to WCA Delegates during their attempts, not only to their judges (commit | discussion)
• The interaction between A6c and A6e has been clarified: A6c does not trigger A6e anymore (commit | discussion)
• Ranking-based cutoffs for combined rounds are removed (only result-based remains) (commit | discussion)
• Advancement conditions to the next round must be announced before the current round starts and should not be changed later (commit | discussion)
• A Stackmat must be used for all attempts, exception: the usage of a Stackmat is optional for events without inspection where the competitor is expected to exceed 10 minutes (commit | discussion)
• In Multiple Blindfolded Solving, puzzles should be arranged in shape as square as possible (e.g. 8 puzzles should be arranged in 2 rows with 3 puzzles and 1 row with 2 puzzles) (commit | discussion)
• Three restrictions for registration management (commit | discussion):
  1. If the competitor limit was reached, on-site registrations are not allowed
  2. Competitor limits should be announced and may only be changed with Board approval
  3. Additional registration periods must be announced at least 48 hours before they start