Dear WCA Community,

The WCA Regulations Committee would like to inform you about a new version of the WCA Regulations and Guidelines. This version will be in effect for competitions beginning on, or after, January 1st, 2025.

You can review all changes in this comparison on GitHub. You can click on “Files changed” to see the complete files of the Regulations and Guidelines, where all changes and additions are marked green and removals are marked red.

You can read a more detailed description of changes in this explainer document. Below is a summary of the changes in the new version of the Regulations and the Guidelines.

Major Changes:

• Define frame-by-frame analysis requirements changes
• Introduce a defined process for handling misscrambles changes
• Allow logos for 3x3x3 Blindfolded changes
• Increase leniency for grading 3x3x3 Fewest Moves changes
• Allow championships to restrict advancement to competitors from the relevant region changes

Minor Changes:

• Remove the 2e2 restriction on country changes changes
• Allow for retroactive scorecard signing by inexperienced competitors changes
• Change 9f2 from rounding to truncation changes
• Requirements for placing the sight blocker changes
• Rearrange Clock-specific Regulations changes
• Don’t retroactively punish visible camera screens changes
• Clarify fixing multiple corner twists changes
• Add discretion to Regulation A6b changes
• Add scramble secrecy requirements to the Regulations changes
• Clarify Regulation 5b5f changes
• Prevent A6c from triggering A6e changes
• Define invalid attempt changes
• Required signature standards changes
• Don't allow scorecards to be defaced changes
• Permit the competitor to stop a stopwatch if no judge is available changes
• More clearly separate scrambler/judge and competitor roles changes
• Remove Guideline 9b+ changes
• Permit external microphones changes
• Extend 2g3 exemption to 3x3x3 Multi-Blind changes
• Clarify A3d changes
• DNF penalty for competitors knocking over the cube cover changes